By Susan Granger
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are scheduled to visit the United States from April 27-30, so let’s trace some British history via PBS Masterpiece “Victoria,” a drama with an all-star cast, including Jenna Coleman as the young Queen, Rufus Sewell as Lord Melbourne and Tom Hughes as Prince Albert.
In 1837, upon the death of King William IV, impulsive 18-year-old Victoria succeeded to the throne, but adjusting to her newfound role was not easy. Guiding her through this transition was her Prime Minister, chivalrous Lord Melbourne (whose wife left him for Lord Byron) with whom she developed an intense friendship/infatuation.
Three years later, the now-confident Queen married her solemn cousin, Germany’s Prince Albert, and they soon began producing children, assuring the line of succession while coping with fiery drama within the English and German branches of the royal family, along with the Anglo-Afghan War, unrest in France and famine in Ireland.
Continuing in the “Downtown Abbey” tradition, there’s also a ‘downstairs’ story, featuring the complicated lives of various servants, particularly the Queen’s chief dresser, Nancy Skerett (Nell Hudson); the royal chef, Charles Francatelli (Ferdinand Kingsley); and a host of others.
Basing the bulk of the narrative on Queen Victoria’s extensive diaries, creator-writer Daisy Goodwin has a cameo in Season 2 as the Duke of Sussex’s wife, Lady Cecelia Buggin, who was given the Duchess of Inverness title for court ‘etiquette’ reasons to ensure that Prince Albert could escort the Queen into dinner.
An integral part of Masterpiece’s historical drama anthology, “Victoria” consists of three seasons. Although there’s no fourth season, Queen Victoria, who died at age 81 in 1901, eventually became the matriarch of a dynasty that spread across Europe.
Victoria’s nine children married into the royal houses of Germany, Russia, Romania, Prussia, Denmark and Sweden, earning her the nickname Grandmother of Europe. Her youngest, Beatrice, lived until 1944, editing her mother’s journals.
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Victoria” is a captivating, addictive 8. Recommended for binge-watching, all three seasons are streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
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Susan Granger
Westport resident Susan Granger grew up in Hollywood, studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in Journalism. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she has appeared on radio and television as an anchorwoman and movie critic for many years. Read all her reviews at susangranger.com.
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