Victoria: Doll 123

SYNOPSIS

On the death of William IV his teen-aged niece Alexandrina Victoria is the monarch of Britain. Dominated by her ambitious German mother the Duchess of Kent and her bullying advisor Conroy the girl determines to break free of their influence, declining their chosen regnal names to style herself Queen Victoria and moving into Buckingham Palace. Given her youth she has many detractors, including jealous uncle, the Duke of Cumberland, keen for her to fail, but, guided by widowed prime minister Lord Melbourne, she does well at her first privy council meeting and at her coronation though there are some who - perhaps with some credence - deem her besotted by Melbourne. It is Melbourne however who gives her reassurance and strength after an attempt to get at Conroy through his ailing mistress, Lady Flora Hastings, almost backfires on her. Below stairs gruff dresser Mrs Jenkins is unhappy to be given an assistant Miss Skerrett but when the royal housekeeper Baroness Lehzen uncovers a plot by the staff to sell the queen's used gloves, Mrs Jenkins has cause to be grateful to the newcomer - whose enterprise also impresses Victoria.