The marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha began on February 10, 1840, at the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace in London. Victoria famously broke tradition by proposing to Albert herself in October 1839, as protocol dictated that no one could propose to a reigning monarch. Her wedding choice of a white satin and Honiton lace gown sparked the modern tradition of the white wedding dress. Their 21-year union was a deep romantic partnership; Albert became the Queen’s most trusted political adviser, and together they had nine children.
This era of personal and political collaboration ended abruptly when Prince Albert died on December 14, 1861, at Windsor Castle at the age of 42. While his official cause of death was recorded as typhoid fever, modern historians often speculate he may have suffered from a chronic condition like Crohn’s disease or cancer. Devastated by the loss of her “angel,” Victoria withdrew from public life for many years and wore black mourning clothes for the remaining 40 years of her reign. She maintained Albert’s rooms exactly as they were, ordering his clothes to be laid out and shaving water brought daily until her own death in 1901.
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