Queen Victoria Dies: End of a 63-Year Reign
Queen Victoria became queen at 18, when a group of men woke her at 5 a.m. to tell her William IV had died. She ruled for 63 years — longer than any British monarch before her. When she died in 1901, her descendants either ruled or would rule Germany, Russia, Greece, Romania, Norway, Spain, and Sweden. She had nine children and used them as diplomatic pieces across Europe. She was so devastated by Prince Albert's death in 1861 that she wore black for the remaining 40 years of her life and had his clothes laid out every morning as if he might dress. She held his cast hand in hers as she died.
January 22, 1901
125 years ago
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