A Woman of Dignity
What does the word “dignity” mean to you? One of history’s great examples is found in the life of Queen Victoria of England.
“I never was happy until I was 18,” Victoria declared. On the day of her birthday in May 1837, Kensington palace was festooned with banners and crowds cheered her as her carriage drove out. However, her mother, the duchess, was in despair. Her daughter was now of age, and the king was still alive.
As the king’s health worsened, the duchess devised a devious plan, spreading rumors that Victoria was too stupid to rule and attempted to blackmail her into appointing their financial manager, Conroy, as her personal advisor. Conroy even threatened to lock Victoria up and starve her!
On June 19th at Windsor Castle, the king’s health seriously deteriorated, and just after midnight he breathed his last. Upon his death, the Lord Chamberlain and the Archbishop of Canterbury set off to inform Victoria. The duchess prevented the meeting while attempting one last maneuver to convince Victoria she was incapable of ruling. At six o’clock she wakened Victoria with the news that the great men were waiting to see her. The duchess tried to enter the meeting, but Victoria refused her request. Here we see Victoria’s character begin to shine!
Victoria’s first act was to ask for an hour alone. Then she asked servants to remove her bed from her mother’s room. Next, she faced the Lords of England. Addressing them, she began a reign that lasted longer than that of any other British monarch and any female monarch in history – a reign of 63 years and seven months. The Victorian era was a period of great industrial, cultural, political, scientific, and military change within the United Kingdom, and was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire.
The story of Queen Victoria is a story of dignity! Victoria understood that she was raised for nobility—for divine dignity. And in the moment of crisis, she rose to the occasion and acted on her nobility. Royalty may be a birthright, but it is not birthed until acted upon. Victoria acted and began a reign that impacted the globe!
