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Who Was Queen Victoria?

"She was a fun-loving princess who endured an unhappy childhood, enjoyed the attentions of some of the most prominent men of her day and, for all her breeding, retained the common touch."

The history books tell us that she was the ruler of the United Kingdom of Great Britain from 1837 to 1901. Her time in power was the longest of any ruler in British history and came to be known as the

Victorian Era. With this, we immediately conjure up all those images of a frumpy over-weight woman dressed in black; but soon, the upcoming motion picture, "The Young Victoria", will present a different view of this dynamic British monarch. "The Young Victoria" will chronicle the early and often turbulent years, of a young girl who became queen of Great Britain. Victoria was a young girl of barely 18 when she was crowned, vivacious, fond of parties, and prone to flirting with the gentlemen of the court, and even her ministers. The film will focus on her storied romance and legendary marriage to Prince Albert. Martin Scorsese [American] and Graham King [British] have teamed-up again [The Departed, The Aviator and Gangs of New York] to retell the story of this famous queen with a little help from the outspoken Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson. Graham King told Variety Magazine, "We all think we know Queen Victoria from the latter part of her life, but in fact she was an amazing, dynamic, romantic personality from a very early age that is largely unknown. I had been searching for a British project for many years so I am just thrilled to bring her story to life." Although no names have signed yet, "The Young Victoria" will be a prestige production with a big-budget and big stars. Scorsese will co-produce.

The Story

Photo by Liam Daniel

Andrew Roberts, the historian and broadcaster who has written extensively on the period, said: "This revision is long overdue. The character of the elderly widow dressed from head to toe in bombazine black is a travesty. When young, she was lovely, charming, humorous and passionate."

The film begins in 1836, the year before Victoria ascended the throne, and ends in 1840. Princess Victoria is portrayed as having no time for the pomposities of court life - playfully bathing her dog within hours of being crowned and dancing down a corridor after surviving her first privy council meeting.

Controversially, however, the movie will claim that as a child Victoria had been held under virtual house arrest by her scheming mother, the Duchess of Kent, who plotted to block Victoria's path to the throne so that she and the man she loved, Sir John Conroy, could become regents. Conroy is portrayed as the villain of the film. He was ambitious, clever, good-looking -- he totally controlled the duchess.

Prince Albert was purposefully chosen as a husband for Victoria over his less attractive older brother because it was known that Victoria was too much of a romantic and Albert was considered ideal for a woman who was determined to marry for love.

"What is interesting is that he fell for her completely. He came from a very dour German court and suddenly he was with this girl who was out for a good time. She loved dancing, music, riding."

The Young Victoria Movie Trailer