How Historically Accurate Is The Victoria Series Overall?

Victoria. I read a ton of historical biographies in addition to fantasy and science fiction. They help me get a more in-depth look at historical events than I’d get from watching most movies or even most TV shows. When it comes to costume dramas, I often think of them in terms of historical accuracy and how the filmmakers chose to make changes to events in order to tell a more compelling story. And honestly, I found Victoria to be mostly accurate in terms of spirit, but not always accurate in terms of facts. For example, the producers got a lot of historical details right when it came to the setting and characters. For example, the costumes, the sets, and even the get-up of the palaces were all really accurate. But, in order to make the characters more relatable to modern-day audiences, there were times when the producers chose to move events forward and alter encounters in order to better fit the emotional arc of the scene.

What the show does get right is the key relationships and conflicts of Victoria’s early reign: her difficult relationship with her mother and Lord Conroy, the powerful influence of Lord Melbourne, the often awkward relationship with her husband Prince Albert, and the huge weight of her responsibilities as a young monarch. Much of the show’s dialogue and scenarios are based on Victoria’s own journals and the many scandalous stories of life at court in the 1830s. So whilst Coleman brings the correct emotions to the scenes, the friendship scenes, conversations, and conflicts are all slightly ‘amplified’ to ensure that the drama is engaging and interesting for the TV audience. The Bedchamber Crisis, for example, is based on actual events and the correct outcome occurred in the end, but the secret talks and timings between Victoria and the suitor were greatly exaggerated for drama. The long, complicated political debates between the ministers and MPs in real life are generally condensed down to a few key moments in the show.

For really historical precise details (timeframes of marriages, births and major events, minor characters being more evil or manipulated to fit the writers’ purposes, etc.), I can get picky. Generally, timelines are condensed (as always with a 1 hour drama), some minor historical figures are made nicer/meaner as necessary, contemporary phrasing and idiom are used for the characters’ emotions to better connect with modern viewers. Some historical ‘scandals’ and incidents are condensed/changed (in some cases greatly) for dramatic effect (e.g. the Lady Flora incident, etc.). Much of Victoria’s personal pain and growth comes from the various ways her life was impacted by her relationships with others and her many duties as monarch. A good account of her life can be garnered from her own journals as well as biographies about her. Two great, readable historical biographies on Victoria are by A. N. Wilson and Julia Baird. Really enjoying ‘Victoria’ and I’m glad I got to watch it – it was lots of fun to follow along while sipping tea and taking notes. Now, I can go read up on all the interesting historical info I’d like to learn more about in more depth.

I made it through about 3 episodes, but then I switched to reading the Wikipedia page for Queen Victoria instead. The show was really well done, but it’s one of those things where you have no idea what’s real and what’s not, so I eventually ended up going down a rabbit hole of reading about all of the history instead. The show did what it was supposed to do, I suppose.

I’d argue that there’s a spectrum between absolutely, 100% factual documentaries and completely made-up, wearing-the-clothes-of-history TV shows. Victoria is somewhere in the middle. While it isn’t completely inventing events (no bombs blowing up in council chambers etc.), it does take and then massage individual characters and events for dramatic purposes. As an example of the former, early seasons of the show portray the young Queen’s intense dependence on Lord Melbourne. In reality, her education in politics would have involved many more people than just the Prime Minister. Later seasons similarly simplify a number of factions into good guys and bad. However, they do include real historical events, such as the assInitiations and the Great Exhibition, for a firm grounding in reality. It’s historical drama at its absolute best: history provides the drama, not the other way around.