Fans of royalty-focused British historical dramas will adore “Victoria.” Originally airing on ITV for three series, it became a staple on PBS in America, and is now streaming in its entirety on Netflix. The show is currently the service’s eighth most popular television offering in the United States, and anyone who loved the real-life travails and triumphs offered up by shows like “The Crown” will definitely like what “Victoria” does with its titular character (Jenna Coleman).
Much like “The Crown” explored the life of Queen Elizabeth II (Claire Foy, Olivia Colman, and Imelda Staunton) from her marriage to Prince Philip (Matt Smith, Tobias Menzies, and Jonathan Pryce) to her death, “Victoria” examines the courtship and early married years of Queen Victoria. Newly-minted to her position and facing pressure to have children and continue the line of succession, she falls headlong into a love match with her first cousin, the German Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Tom Hughes). Monarch and consort quickly form a felicitous and fecund marital union. But political scheming and their own personalities might end up driving them apart.
While the show didn’t manage to delve very deeply into the long real-life reign of Victoria before it was cancelled, it still has the right combination of romance, family drama, and world events to keep anyone who loved “The Crown” happy.
Political machinations and real-life events make Victoria a winner
Many of the things that occur in “Victoria” happened in real life as well. There was an assassination attempt on the queen’s life while she was pregnant, for instance. Much of the political jockeying that takes place in the show actually happened in Parliament and various royal back rooms. Prince Albert did become heavily involved in the anti-slavery movement in Britain, giving a rousing speech in favor of abolition. The Chartist movement was real, though Victoria took little interest in it in real life. And The Great Exhibition, naturally, actually took place — complete with the enormous white elephant put on display from Victoria’s personal collection in the Indian pavilion.
Some events in the show, naturally, were invented — including Victoria’s temporary belief that Albert is cheating on her. Much as “The Crown” gets some things wrong about its true story to create better dramatic scenarios for its characters, “Victoria” did the same. That’s just why fans of the former will love the latter — and why watching one after the other will make for an undeniably enchanting evening (or several evenings, as it were). While Season 4 of “Victoria” might never be created, it’s definitely left behind a legacy worth exploring.