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Victoria was born at Kensington Palace, London, on May 24th 1819. She was the only daughter
of Edward Duke of Kent. Her father passed shortly after her birth and she became the
heir to the throne because her other uncles had no other line of succession. In 1837 she
became queen at the age of 18. In the early part of her reign she was influenced by two
men: her first prime minister, Lord Melbourne, and her husband, Prince Albert, whom she married
in 1840. Both men taught her much about how to be a ruler in a 'constitutional monarchy'
where the monarch had very few powers but could use much influence. Her marriage to
Prince Albert brought nine children between 1840 and 1857. Most of her children married
into other Royal families of Europe. Victoria was deeply attached to her husband and she
sank into depression after he died, aged 42, in 1861. She had lost a devoted husband and
her principal trusted adviser in affairs of state. For the rest of her reign she wore
black.