She was a sprightly girl of 18 when she ascended to the throne of the British Empire in 1837, and a revered global presence — a grandmotherly figure to her millions of subjects — when she died in 1901 at 81. In 2019, the Victorian Era will be again celebrated throughout Britain as the country marks the 200th anniversary of the queen’s birth.
For those wanting to cross the Atlantic and join the celebrations, here is a roundup of the festivities that will be taking place, from museum exhibits to travel packages and tours.
Where it all began
Start at London’s Kensington Palace, Victoria’s birthplace, where a new exhibit opens on May 24, the date the future queen was born in 1819. The preserved suite of rooms that Victoria and her mother, the Duchess of Kent, once occupied, will be filled with new interactive displays and objects never before seen by the public, such as a scrapbook kept by the queen. The exhibit also includes writings and drawings from her childhood. Don’t miss the Pigott Gallery, where another new exhibit re-examines her life and legacy as a wife, mother, monarch and grandmother (she had nine children and 42 grandchildren), as well as wardrobe items that show the queen’s fashionable side, in contrast to the black gowns she donned during her long widowhood. “We are celebrating an exceptional woman who was powerful, yet feminine, royal, and yet appealed to ordinary people.,” said Polly Putnam, the curator of the exhibit at the royal palace. “They broke the mold when they made her.”
A royal tour
Though it’s possible to visit the places frequented by Victoria on your own, National Trust Tours — a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation — has created a 10-day “Queen Victoria 200” trip that features the most important landmarks. It includes stops at Windsor Castle, the primary palace during her reign; Westminster Abbey, where she was crowned in 1838; and the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace, where she married Prince Albert two years later. The tour also includes a visit to the queen’s summer Italianate retreat, Osborne House, on the Isle of Wight, where the gardens, home and children’s cottage give a true glimpse into the family’s life. Priced at $4,950 per person, not including airfare.
Victoria in Yorkshire
Thanks to PBS, which has compiled a list of the filming locations from Season 2 of its popular British import, “Victoria,” fans of the series can head to Yorkshire and see many of the coastal towns, gardens and estates featured in the show. Just don’t be disappointed to learn that certain locations like Harewood House is used as a stand-in for Buckingham Palace, and Wentworth Woodhouse for Kensington Palace. The good news is that Wentworth, which was closed for 25 years, is now open to the public. After a visit there, the then-princess Victoria is said to have described it as “an immense house; it would be impossible for me to attempt even to give anything like a description of it.”
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