Victoria & Albert: The Wedding

Speculation is paramount around the marriage vows. Will Queen Victoria stick with tradition and include "obey" in her vows to Prince Albert?

Tension grows between Victoria and Albert soon after their marriage, once Albert realizes his diminished role in Victoria’s monarchy. Victoria holds daily meetings with her ministers, but Albert is kept out of the room and out of the red boxes. This changes, however, when Victoria becomes pregnant, and her role as a mother interferes with her administrative work and Albert is able to support her.

Witness the most accurate reconstruction of Victoria and Albert's wedding ever staged, followed by a sumptuous wedding breakfast, a prelude to the first night that began a marriage so iconic, it heralded constitutional monarchy as we know it today.

A host was judged on their ability to find a great cook and of course Queen Victoria had the best chefs for her wedding feast. The kitchen staff created elaborate and intricate dishes for the Queen and her guests, but with so many courses, everyone needed to pace themselves.

When Queen Victoria ascends the throne, bachelors everywhere believe that they have a chance with the young queen. Victoria’s advisor, Lord Melbourne, knows she must marry and Victoria becomes fed up with all of the meddlesome matchmaking. But flirtatious feelings arise when the young Prince Alexander, the future Tsar of Russia, swans into the palace.

In 1835, Victoria’s mother and advisor, Sir John Conroy, took the princess on a tour of the country. Toward the end of the tour, in the fall of 1835, Victoria became ill and headed towards the salty sea air in Ramsgate for her recovery. While desperately ill, Sir John Conroy sought to take advantage of the situation and force her to sign papers that would make him the power behind the throne.

Prince Albert comes back to visit Queen Victoria and has changed into quite a handsome man since their first meeting in 1836, and for Victoria, it is love at second sight. And four days later, Victoria proposes to Albert.

Enjoy a recreation of the wedding that changed British matrimonial ceremonies forever. This series, hosted by Lucy Worsley, celebrates an enduring love that was to melt the nation's heart and set the standard for generations of brides to come.