Becoming Queen Victoria: The Tragic Death of Princess Charlotte and the Unexpected Rise of Britain's Greatest Monarch

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Becoming Queen Victoria: The Tragic Death of Princess Charlotte and the Unexpected Rise of Britain's Greatest Monarch

4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 · rating details · 586 ratings · 97 reviews

In her lauded biography England’s Mistress, Kate Williams painted a vivid and intimate portrait of Emma Hamilton, the lover of English national hero Lord Horatio Nelson. Now, with the same keen insight and gift for telling detail, Williams provides a gripping account of Queen Victoria’s rise to the throne and her early years in power—as well as the tragic, little-known sto...more In her lauded biography England’s Mistress, Kate Williams painted a vivid and intimate portrait of Emma Hamilton, the lover of English national hero Lord Horatio Nelson. Now, with the same keen insight and gift for telling detail, Williams provides a gripping account of Queen Victoria’s rise to the throne and her early years in power—as well as the tragic, little-known story of the princess whose demise made it all possible.

Toward the end of the eighteenth century, monarchies across Europe found themselves in crisis. With mad King George III and his delinquent offspring tarnishing the realm, the English pinned their hopes on the only legitimate heir to the throne: the lovely and prudent Princess Charlotte, daughter of the Prince of Wales and granddaughter of the king. Sadly, those dreams faded when, at age twenty-one, she died after a complicated pregnancy and stillbirth. While a nation grieved, Charlotte’s power-hungry uncles plotted quickly to produce a new heir. Only the Duke of Kent proved successful in his endeavor, with the birth of a girl named Victoria.

Writing with a combination of novelistic flair and historical precision, Williams reveals an energetic and vibrant woman in the prime of her life, while chronicling the byzantine machinations behind Victoria’s struggle to occupy the throne—scheming that continued even after the crown was placed on her head.

Upon hearing of the death of her predecessor, King William IV, Victoria—in her bold first act as queen—banished her overambitious mother from the room, a simple yet resolute move that would set the tone for her reign. The queen clashed constantly not only with her mother and her mother’s adviser, the Irish adventurer John Conroy, but with her ministers and even her beloved Prince Albert, all of whom, in one way or another, attempted to seize control from her.

By connecting Charlotte’s sad fate to Victoria’s majestic rule, Kate Williams lays bare the passions that swirled around the throne—the court secrets, the sexual repression, and the endless intrigue. The result is a grand and satisfying tale of a woman whose destiny began long before she was born and whose legacy lives on.(less)

Hardcover, 464 pages

Published August 10th 2010 by Ballantine Books (first published October 7th 2008)

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Sep 19, 2011 Dee Kridel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Most Biographies of Queen Victoria touch only lightly upon the sad and untimely death of Princess Charlotte, which moved Victoria into the position of Heir to the Throne as a teenager. In this highly readable retelling of the story of Victoria's ascension and early reign, neither Princess is idealized. They were both difficult young women, reflecting the stilted nature of their upbringing, yet both longing to live full lives and do their best for their country. Kate Williams doesn't sugar-coat i...more

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Mar 15, 2011 Melanie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Before reading 'Becoming Queen Victoria' I had never read a biography about a royal family member. I found the background information of King George interesting because I had just finished reading The Founding Brothers and King George is mentioned for his 'crazy' behavior. The 'crazy' behavior made more sense after reading about his bout with mental illness. It was very well written and I enjoyed it, although I do wish there was a bit more about Victoria's reign in later years. I also thought it...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Book Concierge rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a book-club selection for me and I don’t think I would have picked it up otherwise. The subtitle gives you all the description you need: The Tragic Death of Princess Charlotte and the Unexpected Rise of Britain’s Greatest Monarch.

I knew some of the history that resulted in Victoria’s ascending to the throne. Williams has given us a long and detailed history/biography covering approximately 50 years of British royals, from 1796 to 1841. I had seen the movie The Young Victoria, starring E...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Louise rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Victoria was born for the throne, that is, without it; she would never have come to be. The line of succession ended with the death Charlotte of Wales, the only legitimate child and heir, among King George III's 57 grandchildren. This set off a courtship scramble among the king's middle-aged and older sons. Victoria's father, the Duke of Kent (fourth in line for the throne) found a royal, protestant, German wife and produced an heir in record time.

The first 1/3 of the book is the story of Charlo...more Victoria was born for the throne, that is, without it; she would never have come to be. The line of succession ended with the death Charlotte of Wales, the only legitimate child and heir, among King George III's 57 grandchildren. This set off a courtship scramble among the king's middle-aged and older sons. Victoria's father, the Duke of Kent (fourth in line for the throne) found a royal, protestant, German wife and produced an heir in record time.

The first 1/3 of the book is the story of Charlotte and these wastrel dukes, her uncles. Given the implied content of the title, you might feel a bit put out, but the story is fascinating.

The middle and longest part is how Victoria's mother and her special friend John Conroy tried to manipulate Victoria (and everyone else) so that they would rule as her regent. The shorter ending covers ascendance to the throne and the courtship and marriage to Albert.

Throughout, you see the sense of entitlement of the royals, all of them. Even Victoria's Uncle Leopold, the best of the lot, advises his nephew how to get money and position from Parliament. Although King of Belgium, he gets a pension from England of 10,000 pounds/year for his brief marriage to Charlotte. The royals (and hangers on like John Conroy) never give a thought as to where this money comes from, or why anything should be paid for them. While Leopold's pension is modest compared to those sought and often received by others, the average workman (who has work) is barely making 1,000 pounds a year.

This brisk interpretive biography fully informs what happens next. If you are planning to read A Magnificent Obsession: Victoria, Albert, and the Death That Changed the British Monarchy read this book first. Not only does it come first in time sequence, it sets the stage. Between the these two recent Victoria volumes, for all the rhetoric and the memorials, it's fair to ask: did Victoria love Albert, or was it just part of the pageant?

Highly recommended for those interested in this period, and for a change of pace for Tudor readers.
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Dec 13, 2012 James rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Most people have this image of Queen Victoria as this old, depressed and frumpy women dressed in black " we are not amused" etc.

This fantastic biography will forever change anyone's perception of Victoria and show her for what she really was, a passionate young girl with a love of the ballet, opera, drawing, painting, singing, going to the theater & riding her horses ( the faster the better), loved staying up late and actually had a terrific sense of humor. Sadly though Victoria's path to th...more Most people have this image of Queen Victoria as this old, depressed and frumpy women dressed in black " we are not amused" etc.

This fantastic biography will forever change anyone's perception of Victoria and show her for what she really was, a passionate young girl with a love of the ballet, opera, drawing, painting, singing, going to the theater & riding her horses ( the faster the better), loved staying up late and actually had a terrific sense of humor. Sadly though Victoria's path to the throne was not a happy one, she may not have faced the plots and dangers of some of her female predecessors, but it was certainly no easy path as this book shows us.

What is also so great about this book is it shows us another story that is far too often looked over or ignored- that of Princess Charlotte "The Queen who never was", it was Charlotte's unexpected and untimely death in childbirth ( the baby boy was stillborn) that sparked an incredible rush from the other sons of George III and his Queen ( also called Charlotte) to marry and have heirs- at the time of Charlotte's death in 1817 she was the only legitimate grandchild compared to an estimated 56 illegitimate grandchildren from bachelor uncles ( with one at least allegedly from one of her spinster aunts). Funnily enough the lady Victoria's father married was the sister of Princess Charlotte's husband Leopald.

The parallels between Charlotte and Victoria's lives are uncanny, both had difficult relationships with their parents ( Victoria of course never knew her father who died only a few months after she was born), both relationships with their husbands was one of incredible love ( although more so in Victoria and Albert's case i'd say) and both where the hope of the Monarchy's future and the hope of the people, who had grown so tired of a Monarchy that only catered to the aristocracy & for their own interests.

This book will change any view you may have had on Queen Victoria and show you how she and Albert where the saviors of the Monarchy, it will also introduce you to Princess Charlotte- who would have been our Queen and Empress of India, so definitely give this book a go, highly recommend it.(less)

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Jan 12, 2012 Chloe Pryce rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

By the title one would think this was a bio about the early years of Victoria, and maybe a small background on Victoria's extended family. Instead it was 175 pages of bio on Princess Charlotte and George III's family. Though this would have been fine if it was a few pages, or even a chapter or two on the brief explanation why Victoria might have been so strict and prudish, but it turned into 15 chapters of back story on her Aunt, Grandfather and extended family. Indeed, it was almost half the bo...more

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Jul 31, 2011 Holly added it · review of another edition

Having read Kate Williams' "England's Mistress", I was very excited by this book, and I was not disappointed.

Firstly, I would highly recommend pairing this book with Flora Fraser's "Princesses", as I did. This follows on so well from that and although there is obviously an overlap of history between the two, I didn't feel like I was covering old ground, as the two authors have such different views on some of the figures featured. Also, knowing some of the history of them also meant I understood...more

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May 02, 2011 Jess rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I started this a few months ago. Historical biographies always seem to take me much longer to get through than fiction. However, I wanted to finish this book over the holidays (along with Theodore Rex... well one out of two isn’t bad, right?).
I am really glad I persevered with this book, it turned out to be a cracking read. Having seen The Young Victoria and then a TV special by Kate Williams, I was thoroughly inspired to buy this book. It tells the story not only of Queen Victoria by also her...more

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Apr 13, 2011 Freda Lightfoot rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I’ve just finished reading Becoming Queen by Kate Williams, and can thoroughly recommend it. I saw her give a talk at the Writing Festival at York, and she was fascinating to listen to so I bought her book. It’s a biography that reads like a novel. Televised as The Young Victoria it tells how she came to be Queen. It begins with the story of Charlotte, only child of George IV, and her descriptions of the way that poor girl was treated makes you glad you’re not a princess. What a jealous, control...more

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Feb 24, 2011 Friends of Linebaugh Library rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After seeing "The Young Victoria" (starring Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend) I wanted to know more about Queen Victoria's early years and more specifically the death of Charlotte, the queen that never was, and the reason Victoria became queen.

Quite a lot is known about Victoria, but Charlotte's story was new to me. She was the only next-generation heir to the throne. Her father was the Prince Regent, later George IV. He had around a dozen siblings, but although they had produced many children bet...more

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Jan 23, 2011 Susan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Loved the bits and pieces included from Victoria's own journal and letters. Kate Williams included wonderful accounts that made one of the public figures I read most about interesting, fallible, devoted, and human.

Some of my favourite passages:

Page 246 King Leopold wrote his niece : "The continuation of the monarchy was directly related to the capacity of the ruler to withstand depression and egotism." (I felt this line was true for anyone, future monarch or not!)

When Ms. Williams described Pri...more

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Oct 31, 2012 Girl with her Head in a Book rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history, victorian, 2012-challenge, non-fiction

I have mentioned before my fascination with Princess Charlotte, the Queen Who Wasn't. Sadly, her forgotten state means that the Biography section has very little info so when the rather lovely young man in the Princes Street branch of Waterstone's recommended this one as the next best thing, I decided to give it a shot. Williams deals with Charlotte for the first or so hundred pages and then concentrates on the queen who we actually ended up with, Vicky herself. Well, thank you nice man from Wat...more

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Jun 14, 2013 Lady Wesley rated it 5 of 5 stars

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The so-called Regency Romance is a popular genre of historical romantic fiction. Usually the story is set roughly in the first twenty years of 19th century Great Britain, when the Prince of Wales served as regent for his insane father, King George III. They are populated by dukes and earls going to ton balls and Vauxhall Gardens. Occasionally, the Prince Regent, commonly called “Prinny,” makes a cameo appearance. Even his gang of drunken,...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Kayla Montgomery rated it 4 of 5 stars

What a soap opera! This book showed Victoria's princess childhood as far from the loving royal parents, festive court life and charming prince showing up for happily ever after. The life of a royal as I imagined it must have been heavily influenced by Disney. The book was an easy read and an interesting view of British history from the royal court side. I can see how the British developed their reserve and lid on emotions. Balancing the acceptance of the debauchery and expense of the early "roya...more

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May 25, 2012 Becky rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

I absolutely LOVED this book!!! In fact, I think it's a true must-read. I should probably add some clarification: I LOVE history, I LOVE literature or classics, I love historical novels and historical romances. For anyone who reads classics written or published during nineteenth century--from 1800 on--this one could prove to be oh-so-enlightening! For anyone who reads historical novels (or historical novels with a touch of romance) set during this time period, this book could prove quite interes...more I absolutely LOVED this book!!! In fact, I think it's a true must-read. I should probably add some clarification: I LOVE history, I LOVE literature or classics, I love historical novels and historical romances. For anyone who reads classics written or published during nineteenth century--from 1800 on--this one could prove to be oh-so-enlightening! For anyone who reads historical novels (or historical novels with a touch of romance) set during this time period, this book could prove quite interesting!!! Whether you're a fan of books set during the Regency or Victorian periods, this one could help you connect the dots. Will every reader want to connect the dots between real life and fiction? I'm not sure. For me, it was everything I wanted and more!!!

The first half of this one is setting the stage for Victoria. This includes focusing in on the royal family a good three to four decades before her reign. It means discussing George III, George IV, and William IV. It means discussing all of the brothers (and some of the sisters) of the royal family. It means focusing in on their dysfunction, their failures, their messes. One big story in this section is the marriage of George IV and Queen Caroline. It was a BIG, BIG, BIG mess. Oh, how these two hated one another! They did have one daughter, Princess Charlotte. She was the heir to the throne, no question about it. She was the future of the kingdom, and she was loved, beloved. She married Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, who later became King Leopold I of the Belgians, and their wedding was a HUGE affair. But this fairy-tale wedding, fairy-tale marriage, was not to be. No, they didn't fall out of love. No, they weren't torn apart by scandals. She died in childbirth. Reading about that was truly scary. Why? Well, readers get detailed descriptions of medical treatments, of the art or science of medicine at the time. And not only in the chapter about Charlotte, but in the treatment for the other royals too. And it is scary, scary stuff! So what did Charlotte's death mean to the nation?! It meant EVERYTHING. All of these royal brothers with no legitimate heir to the throne, with no real marriages to speak of amongst them, it meant they had to rush, rush, rush to the altar to marry women almost half their age; it meant that they were in great competition to have children. Of course, it wasn't just a matter of being the first to have a child, their rank mattered too. (Duke of Clarence ranking more than Duke of Kent, Duke of Kent ranking more than Duke of Cumberland, Duke of Cumberland ranking more than Duke of Cambridge, etc.) And this book explores those years, the rivalries, the politics, the scandals, the gossip.

But this one is, of course, about Queen Victoria. Readers learn about her father, the Duke of Kent, and her mother, Victoria, the sister of Leopold, a Saxe-Coburg. Readers learn about her earliest years--from birth on. Readers learn details great and small about her upbringing, the big and small events that marked her life and led to the greatest of them all, her inheriting the throne and leading a nation for over sixty years. The last chapters deal with her marriage to Albert, to their relationship--personal and private. Some attention (very brief in comparison with other periods of her life) is given to her having so many children. But this is almost more of an epilogue to the book than a genuine source of information.

For anyone who loves history, who loves the details behind history--big and small, gossipy and matter-of-fact, then this one is for you. While I wouldn't say the royal family's dysfunction is celebrated or rejoiced in, it definitely plays a big, big role in this one. And Queen Victoria is seen as saving the monarchy, restoring some sanity to it. (less)

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Sep 10, 2011 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved this double biography of doomed Princess Charlotte and the young and surprisingly unruly Victoria, heirs to the throne that their mad grandfather, George III, and dissolute uncles, George IV and William IV, nearly cost England. It was an easy read, a trifle repetitive in sections, but Williams gives us sympathetic portraits of these two girls, heirs to the throne, alternately oppressed, neglected and lauded by their terrible parents and aunts and uncles. And I enjoyed reading about young...more

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Jul 24, 2011 Suzanne rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The first part of this books deals with Princess Charlotte and her untimely death and the death of her child. All the children of George III were leading various indulgent lifestyles, but with the death of the second in line for the throne they all raced to see who could marry and produce a child first. The winning couple produced the future Queen Victoria. I had a difficult time in this section keeping up with who is who, but once I printed a family tree and referred to it as I read, I was able...more

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Feb 07, 2011 David rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-nonfiction, biography

Becoming Queen Victoria: The Tragic Death of Princess Charlotte and the Unexpected Rise of Britain's Greatest Monarch by Kate Williams reads more like fiction than historical biography. Focusing on the stories of two Princesses, Williams shows how the demise of Princess Charlotte influences the life and destiny of Victoria. There is endless intrigue.

I found the sad story of Charlotte to be the most fascinating, although I certainly learned things about Victoria, especially the quotes from her le...more

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Mar 29, 2009 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history, biographies

A really interesting account of the early life of Queen Victoria and also of her cousin, Princess Charlotte, whose untimely death in childbirth in 1817 left a big gap in the royal succession. It is an intriguing fact that at her death, King George III, though the proud father of 6 grown up sons and 5 daughters, had an astonishing 56 grandchildren - none of whom was legitimate! This sent all her feckless uncles scurrying to find wives in a desparate attempt to beget the next heir to the throne. T...more

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Dec 28, 2011 Lisa Hayes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

Forgot to add this one. It's fabulous. I've never been very interested in the royals before Queen Victoria. I knew the little ditty about the first 4 Georges:

George the first was reckoned vile
Viler still was George the second
Whoever heard any good about George III?
When George IV to hell descended,
God be praised the George's ended.....

Until, of course, 1911 when George V redefined "staid" and "dutifull" and famously said "I may be uninspiring, but I'll be damned if I'm an alien!" in response to...more

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Oct 08, 2010 Denise rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very interesting and well researched biography of Queen Victoria and Princess Charlotte, the young royal who might have been Queen if not for her untimely death following a poorly treated labor and still birth of her first child. How much bloodletting would be enough? Four pints seems a bit excessive to me! King George III had 56 grandchildren, not one of them legitimate, except Charlotte, at least until his sons following Charlotte’s death quickly found wives and produced several proper heirs w...more

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Jan 02, 2011 Rachel Friend rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So good. I had been meaning to read a biography of Queen Victoria since I saw The Young Victoria forever ago. Seeing The King's Speech just reminded me so I picked up Becoming Queen Victoria and We Two. Kate Williams devotes the first section of Becoming Queen Victoria to Victoria's cousin, the Princess Charlotte, daughter of the Prince Regent, later George IV. I just found this history so fascinating and the parallels between the lives of Victoria and her tragically short-lived cousin to be rea...more

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Oct 20, 2010 MAP rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, history, biographies-and-memoirs

This book begins with the short, somewhat tragic, and often overlooked life of Princess Charlotte, the only child of George IV, and follows through after her death to the scramble of her uncles to get married and pop out some kids. The Duke of Kent wins the race, and Victoria is born.

The book does a good job of setting up how the people felt about Charlotte (and her father and uncles) and how Victoria in many ways took over that role (the hope of the people) after Charlotte's death. Although dry...more

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May 02, 2010 Indiaskye rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, books-read-in-2009

I bought this book after watching the superb film "The Young Victoria" (starring Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend) because I wanted to know more about the young queen Victoria.

When I started reading "Becoming Queen" I was a bit afraid that it would be very dry and textbook-like, but I needn't have worried --- Kate Williams managed to write a book that is vivid and interesting, and feels more like a novel than a work of non-fiction.

She brings her characters to life in a very engaging way, and tells...more

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Jul 22, 2011 Irene rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Becoming Queen is the real life story of two young Princesses in the early 19th century, Charlotte and Victoria. Of the two Charlotte's is perhaps the lesser known of the two stories. Having read the book it makes you wonder what our monarchy would be like if Charlotte had survived to become Queen. Charlotte was the only daughter of George IV and Princess Caroline of Brunswick and would have ascended the throne instead of Williams IV.

Having watched the film Young Victoria, I found the book prov...more

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Jul 07, 2011 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography

A fascinating look at the life of Queen Victoria.

Victoria is Queen Elizabeth II's Great-Great-Grandmother. Whoever developed the phrase "Incest is Best" definitely had the English royal family in mind ... cousins married cousins, etc. Elizabeth II's GRANDPARENTS were distant cousins -- George V's Great-Grandfather and Queen Mary's Grandfather were brothers. Ewww!

It is said that historically it is great that Diana and Kate have married into the royal family to mix the waters a bit.

Victoria is the...more

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May 16, 2013 Diane Heath rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography

While most everyone knows the name of Queen Victoria and the "Victorian Age",this book reveals much of English history less known. George III was king during the revolutionary war. His son George IV was ruler during the Regency period of England (He ruled in place of his father due to his father's madness). George IV had a daughter Charlotte. Charlotte was the only legitimate grandchild of George III until Victoria was born in 1819. (She was born 2 years after Charlotte died). George IV attempte...more

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Sep 01, 2011 Jamie Jones rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-favorites

This book was fascinating. I have always wanted to read about Queen Victoria but I never found a book that I was drawn to until I discovered this one. It only provides a biography about her rise to monarchy and the beginning of her marriage to Albert. It begins with the death of Princess Charlotte as the title mentioned. Her rise tot he monarchy was quite a surprise but it was a blessing for England in the long run. It was very well written and Kate Williams quickly became one of my favorite his...more

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Jan 03, 2011 Lauren Albert rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography-autobiography, history-british

Anyone who thinks it would be great to be a royal should go see "The King's Speech" and read this book. Take a "normal" dysfunctional family and toss a lot of money, power and jealousy into the mix and you get the childhoods of Princess Charlotte, Queen Victoria and King George VI. If you've ever known someone who was the pawn in their parents' divorce, you can imagine how much worse it would be when there is so much more at stake. Princess Charlotte's story is tragic--dying as she did shortly a...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Brenda Opperman rated it 5 of 5 stars

Very interesting and informative book regarding the events leading up toI the coronation and rule of Queen Victoria. Details about the royals who preceeded her on the throne show how egocentric and ineffective they were as rulers. She managed to bring refinement and productivity to the monarchy. She was not without her flaws and she made plenty of errors, especially in her judgement of people close to her. However, she managed to rule effectively for a long time. I enjoyed this book very much. T...more

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About Kate Williams

Kate studied her BA at Somerville College, Oxford where she was a College Scholar and received the Violet Vaughan Morgan University Scholarship. She then took her MA at Queen Mary, University of London and her DPhil at Oxford, where she received a graduate prize. She also took an MA in Creative Writing at Royal Holloway. She now teaches at Royal Holloway.

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