The Death of Queen Victoria and Her Era

Queen Victoria was the second-longest reigning British monarch in history, ruling the United Kingdom from 1837 to 1901. Her death on Jan. 22, 1901, at age 81 was mourned around the world and signaled an end to the Victorian Era. Queen Victoria Dies For months, Queen Victorias health had been failing. She had lost her appetite and started looking frail and thin. She would tire more easily and would often have bouts of confusion. Then, on January 17, the queens health took a severe turn for the worse. When she woke up, her personal physician, Dr. James Reid, noticed that the left side of her face had started to sag. Also, her speech had become slightly slurred. She had suffered one of several small strokes. By the following day, the queens health was worse. She stayed in bed all day, unaware of who was by her bedside. Early in the morning of Jan. 19, Queen Victoria seemed to rally. She asked Dr. Reid if she was better, to which he assured her that she was. But she quickly slipped out of consciousness again. It had become obvious to Dr. Reid that Queen Victoria was dying. He summoned her children and grandchildren. At 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 22 Queen Victoria died, surrounded by her family, at the Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. Preparing the Coffin Queen Victoria had left very detailed instructions as to how she wanted her funeral. This included specific things she wanted inside her coffin. Many of the items were from her beloved husband, Albert, who had died in 1861. On January 25, Dr. Reid carefully placed the items Queen Victoria had requested in the bottom of her coffin: Alberts dressing gown, a plaster cast of Alberts hand, and photographs. When that was done, Queen Victorias body was lifted into the coffin with the help of her son Albert (the new king), her grandson William (the German Kaiser), and her son Arthur (the Duke of Connaught). Then, as instructed, Dr. Reid helped place Queen Victorias wedding veil over her face and, once the others had departed, placed a picture of her favorite personal attendant John Brown in her right hand, which he covered with flowers. When all was ready, the coffin was closed and then carried to the dining room where it was covered with the Union Jack (Britains flag) while the body lay in state. The Funeral Procession On February 1, Queen Victorias coffin was moved from Osborne House and placed on the ship Alberta, which carried the queens coffin across the Solent to Portsmouth. On February 2, the coffin was transported by train to Victoria Station in London. From Victoria to Paddington, the queens coffin was carried by gun carriage, since Queen Victoria had requested a military funeral. She had also wanted a white funeral, so the gun carriage was pulled by eight white horses. The streets along the funeral route were crowded with spectators who wanted to get a last glimpse of the queen. As the carriage passed by everyone remained silent. All that could be heard were the clattering of the horses hooves, the jangling of swords, and the distant boom of gun salutes. Once at Paddington, the queens coffin was placed on a train and taken to Windsor. At Windsor, the coffin was again placed on a gun carriage pulled by white horses. This time, however, the horses began to act up and were so unruly that they broke their harness. Since the front of the funeral procession was unaware of the problem, they had already marched up Windsor Street before they were stopped and turned around. Quickly, alternate arrangements had to be made. The naval guard of honor found a communication cord and turned it into an impromptu harness and the sailors themselves then pulled the queens funeral carriage. Queen Victorias coffin was then placed in St. Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle, where it remained in the Albert Memorial Chapel for two days under guard. Burial of Queen Victoria On the evening of February 4, Queen Victorias coffin was taken by gun carriage to Frogmore Mausoleum, which she had built for her beloved Albert upon his death. Above the mausoleums doors, Queen Victoria had inscribed, Vale desideratissime. Farewell most beloved. Here at length I shall rest with thee, with thee in Christ I shall rise again.