15 Pieces of History That Victoria Did Differently
By Lacy Baugher
Jenna Coleman as Queen Victoria (Photo: (C) ITV Plc)
Victoria Didn’t Say “We Are Not Amused”
One of the most famous sayings associated with Queen Victoria is her supposed assertion that “We are not amused”. The phrase came to epitomize the stuffy, un-fun demeanor generally associated with Victoria and her era. But the thing is, she most likely didn’t say it at all.
Supposedly, Victoria uttered this comment during a dinner party after hearing a risqué story. Or at least so says courtier Caroline Hollard. Her diaries, posthumously published as Notebooks of a Spinster Lady, relate the tale.
"“There is a tale of the unfortunate equerry who ventured during dinner at Windsor to tell a story with a spice of scandal or impropriety in it. “We are not amused,” said the Queen when he had finished.”"
According to this version of the story, the queen wasn’t using the royal ‘we’, as so many assumed. Rather, she was speaking on behalf of all the women in the room. Because I guess this story was just that offensive? Holland wasn’t present at this dinner, of course, so this isn’t exactly an eyewitness report. And other accounts assign the queen’s comment to a theatrical performance or a different dinner involving an off-color remark. There are a bunch of different stories. And the way the phrase appears on Victoria is in yet another different context. To be fair, the way the show incorporates the queen’s allegedly most famous saying is kind of cute. (But still.)
It’s certainly possible that Victoria said something similar to her famous “We are not amused” remark. But it doesn’t seem likely. The queen’s granddaughter, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, even said that Victoria herself insisted that she uttered the phrase at all.
“You know, I’m so disappointed,” she said. “I asked her, and she never said it.”
Next: Victoria: A Brief Guide to the Idea of a Regency
Victoria will return for a second season. And according to series creator Daisy Goodwin, Season 2 will likely cover much of the 1840s. This period, historically speaking, features a lot of upheaval, in terms of things like famine and revolution. Victoria also gives birth to six children from 1840-1848. So, there’s plenty of important historical moments for the show to cover. We’ll have to wait and see on the question of how historically accurate those stories are.