Serving Victoria: Life in the Royal Household

Queen Victoria reigned over the British Empire for 63 years. In Kate Hubbard's Serving Victoria, her servants provide an intimate glimpse of the real, vibrant--perhaps a little bourgeois--queen behind the historic icon, revealing the origins of the modern royal court.

Hubbard's history opens in 1838 with a letter from Lady Sarah Lyttelton to her daughter, talking about her time as lady of the bedchamber for the new Queen Victoria. Over the decades, Victoria is seen through many different eyes, including ladies in waiting, her secretary and her personal physician. Victoria commanded respect among her servants; even when frustrated with her whims and quirks (including keeping most royal apartments at 50 degrees or lower, since she thought "bracing" temperatures were healthy), they still felt love and fondness for her and shared her grief over her beloved husband Albert's death.

Seeing a queen from behind the scenes allows the reader to revisit Victorian history in a new way. We discover Victoria's nervous tics in the face of big decisions, and learn how choices like which governesses to hire, and what "system" should be used for her children's education, ended up affecting the next few generations of royalty.

Serving Victoria is a fascinating compilation of letters and documents that share the story of Victoria's reign in the words of her most trusted servants. Students of English history and newcomers to the world of Victoria alike will be enchanted. --Jessica Howard, blogger at Quirky Bookworm

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