Queen Victoria's family tree

Victoria was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901, making her reign the second longest in British history, after Queen Elizabeth II (Victoria's great-great-granddaughter).

How Victoria became heir to the throne

Born as Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent on 24 May 1819 at Kensington Palace, London, she was fifth in the line to the throne after the four eldest sons of George III:

• The Prince Regent (later George IV)
• Frederick, Duke of York
• William, Duke of Clarence (later William IV)
• Edward, Duke of Kent (Victoria's father)

Her three uncles (those older than her father) left no surviving legitimate heirs. Her father died (just six days before the death of George III, Victoria's grandfather) and when her uncle William IV died (aged of 71, Victoria became Queen at the age of eighteen.

Victoria and Albert's family

Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (Francis Albert Augustus Charles Emmanuel) was born on 26 August 1819, just three months after Victoria. Albert's father and Victoria's mother were brother and sister (as shown in the tree above), meaning Victoria and Albert were cousins. They married in February 1840.

Victoria and Albert had nine children, with their second child Edward becoming King on his mother's death:

• Victoria, Princess Royal
• Edward VII of the United Kingdom
• Princess Alice
• Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
• Princess Helena
• Princess Louise
• Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
• Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany
• Princess Beatrice

Victoria died on 22 January 1901, outliving her beloved husband Prince Albert by forty years, and becoming the country's longest reigning monarch. During her lifetime the nation saw the Industrial Revolution and British Empire developed dramatically; the Victorian era is a significant chapter in Britain's history.

Victoria's eldest son Edward married Princess Alexandra of Denmark in 1863, and they went on to have six children, including George, their second eldest son, who became King in 1910 when Edward passed away. The eldest son Albert died before his father.

From Victoria to Elizabeth II

King George V died in January 1936, what came to be known as the 'year of the three kings'.

Edward VIII was next on the throne but his reign lasted less than 12 months, as his marriage to American divorcee Wallis Simpson eventually prompted him to abdicate; a decision that shocked the world. 

The decision left his brother Albert (known as 'Bertie') to become King George VI (he took his father's name in a bid to give the monarchy some consistency after the scandal of his brother's abdication), in December 1936, and take the nation through the challenge of World War Two.

King George VI married Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923 and they had two children, Elizabeth, the current Queen, and Margaret.

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