31 quotes
Struggles of Royal Marriage Decisions
Queen Adelaide
You'll have to decide on a husband soon. What about Leopold's candidate?
Victoria
I can't marry the man they want me to marry.
Queen Adelaide
Every suitor will come with strings attached.
Victoria
Can't I be my own mistress for a while, haven't I earned it? Dear Lord M, he's so very kind, I couldn't have asked for a better tutor.
Queen Adelaide
You may dream of independence, but you won't get it. From now on, everyone will push and pull you for their own advantage, Melbourne more than the rest. Just remember, you are the queen. He's a politician. And politicians, whatever their creed, always resent the monarchy. They pass through, you stay. So just keep dear Lord M in his proper sphere.
Victoria
He's already chosen the new household.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Commitment to Serve and Learn
Victoria
I am young, but I am willing to learn, and I mean to devote my life to the service of my country and my people. I look for your help in this. I know I shall not be disappointed. Thank you.
[to her council]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Assertiveness in Royal Relationships
Lord Melbourne
Your Highness, there's your opening if you'll take my advice...
Albert
Lord Melbourne, forgive me but you seem to have confused me with a member of your club. I am not your drinking companion nor your whist partner. I am the husband of your sovereign. And as such, I will make my own decisions, and I neither seek nor invite your advice. Good evening.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Reflections on Time and Growth
King William
How can my little niece and nephew have grown up when I wasn't looking?
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The Freedom of Renewed Breath
Victoria
The untold luxury of being able to breathe again.
[after being released from her corset]
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Acceptance of Defeat in Life's Game
Lord Melbourne
You have played the game and lost.
[to Sir John]
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The Fluctuating Nature of Public Sentiment
Sir John Conroy
How changeable they are. They hate you, they love you, they hate you.
[about the crowd outside of the palace]
Duchess of Kent
They punished her. They never hated her.
[about Victoria]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Reflections on Wealth and Relationships
Albert
What do you call a man who waits for a rich woman to decide whether or not she wants him?
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A King's Defiance Against Adversity
King William
I thank you for your good wishes on my birthday. It has been a long life and an interesting one. But I shall be content with only a short while more. Just enough to dispense with any thought of a Regency. So that I may pass the Royal Authority directly to that young lady. And not to the hands of a person now near me who is surrounded by evil advisers and who cannot act with propriety in the station in which she's been placed! I have been insulted! Grossly and continually insulted! She has kept her daughter, my brother's child, from my Court! But from now on, I'll have her know that I am King! And I will not be flouted or disobeyed by her or by that jackanapes she keeps about her!
[to his dinner guests]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Loyal Ally in Times of Need
Lord Melbourne
If you should ever need an ally, you have one in me.
[to Victoria]
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From Duke to King: A Journey of Choices
King Leopold
Baron, I was born the younger son of a penniless duke. Now, I am king of the Belgians. Such journeys are not managed without hard decisions.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Seeking Reasons for a Royal Visit
Albert
I'm going back to England.
Baron Stockmar
There must be a reason if you wish to visit Her Majesty.
Albert
Then find me a reason.
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Restrictions on Attendance at Important Ceremonies
Duchess of Kent
You may not accompany me to the Proclamation Ceremony... You may not attend the coronation.
[to Sir John]
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Stubbornness Versus Strength in Leadership
Queen Adelaide
You are confusing stubbornness with strength, my dear. And I warn you, the people will not like you for it.
[to Victoria]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Guarding the Young Queen's Safety
Sir Robert Peel
She starts on your watch, Lord Melbourne. Guard her well and keep her safe from harm.
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The Complexity of Succession and Family Dynamics
Wellington
Families. Who'd be be with out them.
Stockmar
Let her enjoy her succession and the freedom it will bring... We must wait for disillusion and the loneliness that follows.
[to Leopold about Victoria]
Ernest
She has brought down a government over a handful of ladies.
[about Victoria]
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Feeling Like a Pawn in Political Games
Victoria
Do you ever feel like a chess piece yourself? In a game being played against your will.
Albert
Do you?
Victoria
Constantly. I see them leaning in and moving me around the board.
Albert
The Duchess and Sir John?
Victoria
Not just them. Uncle Leopold. The king. I'm sure half the politicians are ready to seize hold of my skirts and drag me from square to square.
Albert
Then you had better master the rules of the game until you play it better than they can.
Victoria
You don't recommend I find a husband to play it for me?
Albert
I should find one to play it with you, not for you.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Encouragement to Bring Joy to England
King Leopold
Now go to England and make her smile.
[to Albert]
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Discussion has reached its limit.
Queen Adelaide
You have exhausted the topic.
[to the king]
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Discussion of Dinner Service for King George III
Albert
What is this for?
Servant
Your Royal Highness. The Red Room dinner service, sir. For the officers guarding the King.
Albert
What king?
[Confused]
Servant
King George III, sir.
Albert
And how often do we provide this dinner for a king who has been dead for 20 years?
Servant
Every night, sir.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Mother's Hope for Her Daughter's Happiness
Duchess of Kent
My dearest child, Sir John only wants the best for you. I wish you’d believe that.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Call for a Smile Amid Tension
Albert
For pity's sake, smile, woman. Anyone would think we had quarreled.
[to Victoria]
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A Proposal for Mutual Happiness
Albert
I just got your note. I was riding.
Victoria
Sit, please.
Albert
The park is marvelous.
Victoria
I'm so pleased you like it. I do want you to feel quite at home... I'm sure you're aware why I wished you to come here. Because it would make me happier than anything, too happy really, if you would agree to what I wish.
Albert
And stay with you?
Victoria
And stay with me.
Albert
And marry you?
Victoria
And marry me!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Foreboding of King Conroy's Reign
King William
Mark my words. The reign of King Conroy is coming!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Love Prevails Above All Else
Taglines
Love rules all.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Duchess of Kent's Warning Against Provocation
Duchess of Kent
If you stick one more pin in me, I swear I shall call the guard.
[to the maid, fixing her hair]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Queen's Commitment to Her Nation
Taglines
Her country. Her heart. Her majesty.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Marriage Not Essential for Success
Lord Melbourne
Queen Elizabeth never married. And it didnt spoil things for her.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Demand for Acknowledgment and Support
Victoria
Oh, and if you think that I will ever forget that you just stood by silent and you watched him treat me thus, you are dreaming!
[upset, to her mother]
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A Sacrifice for Love and Importance
Victoria
I'm so sorry! I thought I was going to lose you!
[crying in his arms]
Albert
I don't think he was a very good shot.
Victoria
Why did you do it? So stupid, why did you do it?
Albert
I had two very good reasons. First, I am replaceable and you are not.
Victoria
You are not replaceable to me!
Albert
Second, you're the only wife I've got or ever will have. You are my whole existence, and I will love you until my very last breath.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Debate on Helping the Less Fortunate
Victoria
I do want to help them, whatever you say. And not just the laboring poor, but the hungry and the homeless, and... There are people who are lost, and whose business is it to see to their welfare?
Lord Melbourne
Well, in my experience, ma'am, it's best to let these things develop naturally. If you interfere, you risk overturning the cart.
Victoria
Well, Albert doesn't agree. He's made a study of the working man's condition, he's full to the brim with ideas for their improvement.
Lord Melbourne
Is he indeed? How inspiring.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.