SOCIAL SCIENCES

Queen Victoria and Her Prime Ministers: Her Life, the Imperial Ideal, and the Politics and Turmoil That Shaped Her Extraordinary Reign

by Anne Somerset
Knopf. Nov. 2024. 640p. ISBN 9781101875575. $45. BIOG
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Somerset, a historian whose previous books included biographies of Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Anne, turns her attention to Queen Victoria and the 10 prime ministers during her reign, starting with her accession to the throne in 1837 and ending with her death in 1901. Somerset writes that Victoria’s reign illustrated a high-water mark of British governance and politics and dives into the queen’s beliefs and relationships with each of the PMs. Her intriguing study offers a unique look at the ruling of an empire through biographical portraits that are extensively researched, relying upon the Royal Archives and what are described as never-before-seen prime ministerial papers. Endnotes, illustrations, and a bibliography round out the volume.
VERDICT Highly recommended to readers of British history and particularly those interested in the political life of Britain during Victoria’s reign.
Reviewed by Lucy Heckman , Nov 08, 2024
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