
On February 10, 1840, Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in the Chapel Royal of St James’s Palace, London. The occasion has been memorialized in movies and TV series multiple times, as Queen Victoria‘s life and romance are prime frock flick territory. Being the eve of their anniversary, let’s take a look at some of the major portrayals of the couple on screen.
Anna Neagle & Anton Walbrook in Victoria the Great (1937)
The first big Queen Victoria biopic was timed to celebrate the centenary of her accession to the throne in 1837, and the movie premiered in the “Coronation Summer” of 1937 after George VI was crowned. This gave it a huge box office boost.
Romy Schneider & Adrian Hoven in The Story of Vickie / Victoria in Dover / Mädchenjahre einer Königin (1954)
This Austrian film featured a yet-unknown Schneider as a perky pretty princess and helped her get the role in Sissi, which she’d become famous for.
Victoria Hamilton & Jonathan Firth in Victoria & Albert (2001)
Diana Rigg played Queen Victoria’s imperious mother in this star-studded TV miniseries that packed 24 years into barely four hours. It won an Emmy for Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie, or a Special for costume designer Maria Price and assistant costume designer Zoe Porter.
Emily Blunt & Rupert Friend in The Young Victoria (2009)
Focusing tightly on the time period leading up to Victoria’s coronation and right after her marriage, this film was apparently inspired by an idea of Sarah, Duchess of York, and she helped get the filmmakers access to many royal palaces. Designer Sandy Powell won an Academy Award for the costumes.
Jenna Coleman & Tom Hughes in Victoria (2016-)
The ITV / PBS hit brings a soap-opera-ish feel to Queen Victoria’s story, but the history and costume are solid B grade, at least. The series seems to be on an unending run, so it may cover as much of Victoria’s reign as Coleman is willing to be aged and padded up for.
Which is your favorite Victoria & Albert on screen? Did we miss one?
I love The Young Victoria! I’ll have to watch some of these I haven’t seen. Thank you, as always, for the excellent post!
Miriam Margolyes and Jim Broadbent. <3
Absolutely! Best V&A ever!
Black Adder’s version of Victoria & Albert are the best!
But I also made sure to watch Young Victoria just because it had Miranda Richardson and Mark Strong in it.
Where are the biopics that focus on Victoria and her friendship with Empress Eugenie?
I have always wanted to see an Empress Eugenie film – her and her ladies in waiting made the Fashion world swoon back then in Paris and the rest of Europe and then so on to the States, etc.
What untold eye candy riches that could be!
Apparently, Empress Eugenie has had small roles in films set in the era, but not as a main character — which would be FABULOUS!
Or even have Elisabeth of Austria/Hungary make a small cameo!
Yes! That. All of that. She might honestly be my favorite visual match for old Victoria
I love the Victoria Hamilton and Jenna Coleman’s versions as well as the Emily Blunt/Sandy Powell movie. What I didn’t like in Young Victoria was Albert attending her coronation. Never happened. And although Victoria overplayed the crush on Lord M, I could accept that more than Albert attending an event that he didn’t historically.
Costume wise, I feel Victoria Hamilton version was the better costumed, but I prefer Young Victoria costumes, before the coronation and Jenna Coleman’s afterwards. Head necklaces withstanding.
Also Graham Chapman and a coffin in the “Michael Ellis” episode of Monty Python</>.
The Young Victoria was my favorite, and Quell Surprise it was written by Julian Fellows! Not only that but you believed (Due to Emily and Rupert’s fantastic acting) that they were two people in love! Also the powerful acting during what I’ll dub “The Conroy Abuse” era was fantastic, making you believe Emily was a sheltered/Abused eighteen year old, who had great willfulness but also had self doubt, and could be tempermental! Great movie!
It was much better than I expected. But I’ve never seen a screen Victoria who looked a damn thing like the real one. V.R..was a fascinating person, and I want an actress brave enough to play a homely-yet-fascinating young V–big nose, no chin, and all.
Just thinkin’ that we need an Anton Walbrook MCM. He did lots of costume flicks back in the day.
I cannot warm up to Jenna Coleman as Victoria, mostly because I never liked her as the companion on Dr. Who. He voice grates on my nerves. I prefer Emily Blunt.
FYI, my friend and I were looking for ideas to make her husband new Italian ren garb as he has become a laurel and needs better togs. Kendra, were you an order of the Rose winner in 2009?
I am currently watching Victoria series II and while some lines make me want to throw something at the screen I am really warming to the series, and especially, surprisingly to Albert. Jenna Coleman is good as Victoria and I no longer think of her as Clara, who was one of my favourite companions. Thankfully there is less “downstairs” soap which
However, and I am no expert not having watched all of any previous production, I think that the best Victoria and Albert on screen might well be Annette Crosbie and Robert Hardy in Edward the Seventh.
I love ITV’s Victoria. It’s so lush and pretty and I enjoy the dynamics between the characters. Just finished my season two re-watch last night. I also enjoy The Young Victoria. I got so impatient waiting for a release in the States, I finally bought the UK DVD and a region-free player, just to get my hands on it. :P
Diana Rigg actually played Baroness Lehzen in the miniseries. Penelope Wilton played the Duchess of Kent (sans German accent. None of the German characters had accents for some reason).
Agree with one of the comments above. Annette Crosbie and Robert Hardy from “Edward the Seventh” is one of the best portrayals of Victoria and Albert that I’ve seen.
The costumes for “The Young Victoria” are beautiful. But I thought the movie was a complete bore. It was a struggle for me to stay awake, while watching it. Although it was historically incorrect, I found ITV’s “Victoria” more entertaining to watch.
I just have to mention the tour-de-force performances of the canine actress who played “Dash”, Victoria’s beloved spaniel, in both “The Young Victoria” and “Victoria”. Tori, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, was not even full grown when she started filming “The Young Victoria”. Later, at the age of nine and partially deaf, she played the same role in the TV series “Victoria”. I am not sure that Cavaliers existed in their current form in the time of Dash and young Princess/Queen Victoria, but the real Dash was a small spaniel-type dog. And Victoria really did give him a bath after her coronation.