The Queen who loved sex and power

With royal fever at an all time high, thanks to Prince Harry’s new romance and Netflix’s hit royal drama The Crown, the timing of Julia Baird’s new book couldn’t be better.

 

In Victoria The Queen, the journalist and historian reveals the intimate life of the fiery empress after delving into doctor's records, diary entries and royal archives.

 

What she discovered was a “lively and funny” and surprisingly relatable woman who was, Baird adds, “completely human”.

 

Crowned Queen of Britain at only 18 and barely five-feet tall, Victoria stared down bullies and politicians, inspired suffragettes and fiercely defended her authority, Baird tells 9Honey.

 

But, she was also a rebellious teenager who defied her mother’s meddling. A woman who loved sex and fell into the arms of her handsome servant after losing her beloved husband.

 

She was a mother who battled post natal depression and a devastated widow who would grieve “as loudly and as long as she wanted” in the face of criticism, Baird says.

 

“She went through so much of what the rest of us go through as working mothers.”

 

Queen Victoria and her beloved husband Prince Albert, who were passionately in love and had nine children together, passed notes back and forth through servants during lover's spats, Baird reveals.

 

In his notes, Albert accused her of being “completely illogical” and out of control, while the fiery empress had chased him around the house.

 

“You read it and you’re like, she just needs a hug, mate. So that was quite funny.”

 

The book, which launched on this week, also includes fresh revelations about the Queen’s scandalous romance with her servant John Brown following the death of her husband.

 

“Of course, she fell for the comfort of this six foot four Scot who was so protective towards her and teased her for putting on weight,” Baird tells 9Honey.

 

At a time when women had few privileges, the Queen’s “incredible stamina” and “mind of her own” had ultimately inspired suffragettes who went on to champion women’s rights, Baird says.

 

“She never conceded an inch of her own power or authority.

 

“She had a vein of iron running through her.”