THE 1937 movie Victoria the Great is a moving portrayal of the marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. It illustrates how the most powerful woman in the world managed to retain her husband’s love and express her tender submission to him.

It is not important if all the details of this dramatic account are accurate. The movie, which is based on Laurence Housman’s 1935 play Victoria Regina, works as an inspirational love story and is clearly accurate enough. Few women in history have so publicly expressed devotion to their husbands as Victoria and it is doubtful anyone loved her man more.

In one scene, Victoria, played by the outstanding Anna Neagle, is outraged at what appears to be Albert’s flirtation with other women at court. The truth is, he has deliberately tried to anger her because she has refused to allow him to help with matters of state. His point is that if she won’t allow him to be more than a loafer, he will express his masculinity in other ways.

Anton Walbrook is excellent as the German prince, who goes to his chambers in a huff after Victoria displays her anger at him in front of others. Victoria follows.

She bangs on his locked door.

“Who is it?” Albert asks.

“It is the queen,” she says proudly.

He refuses to let her in.

“Who is it?” he calls out when she bangs on the door again.

“It is Victoria,” she says imperiously.

There is no answer.

She is desperate and almost gives up. Finally, she gently knocks.

“Who is it?” he asks.

“It is your wife,” she says, softly.

He unlocks the door.

—-   Comments —-

Alex A. writes from England:

A drama series shown on British television some years ago (Edward the Seventh) is well made and historically accurate. It depicts the relationship between Victoria and Albert as being sometimes tempestuous, and has notable performances by Annette Crosbie as Queen Victoria, Roberty Hardy as Prince Albert, and Timothy West as “Bertie” the Prince of Wales.

Although Victoria undoubtedly loved him, Albert was a foolish man in many ways. A more critical wife would have have counselled her husband not to subject their eldest son to a very severe and formidable plan of education that was completely unsuited to his disposition. Albert’s harebrained insistence on preventing the young Prince of Wales – the future Edward VII – from mixing even with aristocratic youths during his formative years, produced a self-centred philistine whose adult life was peppered by scandals.

I don’t know whether this excellent made-for-TV movie (in 13 parts) has appeared on American networks, but it’s available on DVD.

Michael S. writes:

Your story about Victoria knocking on Albert’s door reminded me of this:

The late Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn, the great Catholic Liberal historian and polymath, would tell of the funerals of Habsburg kings. The procession, after the funeral Mass, would arrive at the mausoleum and a high court official would knock with his staff on the bronze doors. Who goes there? said a monk from inside. His Imperial Majesty Francis Joseph II, Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and so on through all the grand names and titles. Silence. Again, the knock, again the inquiry, again the long and proud recitation. Silence. The third time, in response, the official would say, Francis Joseph, a poor sinner. And the huge bronze doors would swing open.

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