15 Pieces of History That Victoria Did Differently
By Lacy Baugher
Photo: Tom Hughes as Prince Albert (C) ITV Plc
Albert Probably Didn’t Care That Much About His Title
Victoria makes a rather significant storyline out of the negotiations around Albert’s title and allowance. In real life, these things all did happen, but they may not have been as dire as the show implied. Onscreen, Albert clearly feels emasculated by the prospect of having to rely on his wife for money. Furthermore, he’s irritated about not being granted a title of his own by Parliament. He spends rather a lot of time complaining about all these things. (It’s kind of offputting, generally.)
It’s true that Albert wasn’t instantly popular as a match for the young queen. Many people thought him basically a nobody, after all he was a second son from a relatively minor state. His little duchy of Saxe-Coburg was smaller than many English counties. And some had concerns about his religion. (He was a Protestant, but not Church of England.)
And Victoria did find herself in a unique position. As much as she might want to be a good wife – she really did purposefully keep “obey” in her vows – she always officially outranked her husband. And due to her intense sense of royal duty, this mattered. The two of them must have clashed about this at multiple points in their marriage. “”I am only the husband, not the master in the house,” Albert wrote to a friend, three years after his wedding.
But, unlike his portrayal on the show, the real Albert didn’t seem too fussed about his lack of an English title. He certainly didn’t spend a lot of time moaning and moping about it. “It would almost be a step downwards,” he apparently said at the time. “For as a Duke of Saxony, I feel myself much higher than a Duke of York or Kent.”
As depicted in the series, Victoria named Albert to the Order of the Garter. But despite changes in the government and increased personal popularity, it doesn’t seem as though Albert made any effort to really alter his title any further. He did officially become “Prince Consort”, but not until decades later in 1857.