Victoria (season two) (ITV, 2017)

Victoria - a historical and biographical drama - is a television series (based on a true story) about Queen Victoria which premiered on British television (ITV) in 2016. Season one (with 8 episodes) covers the time 1837-1840. Season two (with 8 episodes) covers the time 1841-1846. Here is some basic information about season two which premiered in 2017:

** Created by Daisy Goodwin

** Written by Daisy Goodwin (6) & Ottilie Wilford (2)

** Directed by Lisa James Larsson (2), Geoffrey Sax (2), Jim Coach (2) & Daniel O’Hara (2)

** Run time: 8 x ca. 45 minutes = ca. 380 minutes

The cast of season two includes the following:

** Jenna Coleman as Victoria (1819-1901) – queen of England 1837-1901

** Tom Hughes as Prince Albert (1819-1861) – Victoria’s husband

** David Oakes as Prince Ernest (1818-1893) - Albert’s brother

** Alex Jennings as Leopold (1790-1865) - king of Belgium 1831-1865

** Margaret Clunie as Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland (1806-1868)

** Diane Rigg as Charlotte, Duchess of Buccleuch (1811-1895) – Mistress of the Robe 1841-1846

** Leo Suter as Edward Drummond (1792-1843) – a British civil servant

** Bruno Wolkowitch as Louis Philippe (1773-1850) - king of the French 1830-1848

** Ferdinand Kingsley as Charles Elme Francatelli (1805-1876) – a member of the royal staff, Victoria’s cook 1840-1842

** Nell Hudson as Marianne Skerrett (1793-1887) - a member of the royal staff, Victoria’s dresser 1837-1862

** Daniela Holtz as Baroness Louise Lehzen (1784-1870) – a member of the royal staff, governess and later advisor to Victoria

Since this drama is based on a true story the basic facts are part of the public record. They are not a secret. Therefore I feel free to mention some of them here in this review.

While this drama is based on a true story it is not a documentary film. It is a dramatized version of events. Not everything happened exactly as shown in this drama, but the basic storyline is true.

As stated above, there are 8 episodes. Here are the headlines:

# 1. A soldier’s daughter

# 2. The green-eyed monster

# 3. Warp and weft

# 4. The sins of the father

# 5. Entente cordial

# 6. Faith, hope and charity

# 7. The king over the water

# 8. The luxury of conscience

In a statement to “Radio Times” (October 2017), Daisy Goodwin, the creator of the series, explains how she works when she has to write a script for the series about the famous queen:

“My challenge in Victoria is always to keep the balance between [romantic] drama and [historical] accuracy. My rule is that I can change the odd date, move people around here and there, as long as I am faithful to the emotional truth of the characters.”

If you ask me, Goodwin has broken her own rule on several occasions, not only in season one (from 2016), but also in season two (from 2017). Here are some examples from season two:

First of all, key characters are miscast:

** Jenna Coleman was born in 1986. In 2017 she was 31. When series two begins, we are in 1841 and Victoria is 22. Jenna Coleman is nine years too old for this role. In addition, she is too slim and too beautiful to play Victoria.


** Three German characters – Prince Albert, Prince Ernest, and King Leopold – are played by British actors who speak English with a false German accent. German actors should have been chosen for these characters. German actors could have spoken English with a real German accent. In addition, they would have been able to speak German to each other. Sadly, British actors were chosen to play these roles. Why? For the benefit of the audience; in order to avoid subtitles when a foreign language is spoken.

** A new character appears in season two: Charlotte, the Duchess of Buccleuch, who served as Mistress of the Robe 1841-1846. Almost everything about this character is wrong. And not only wrong, but upside down:

(a) The character is played by Diane Rigg who was born in 1938. In 2017 she was 79. An old lady. Charlotte was born in 1811. When she came to Victoria’s court, she was 30. A young lady.

(b) In the drama, Charlotte is a widow who often refers to her late husband. The real Charlotte was not a widow when she came to court. Her husband was still alive. He was Lord Privy Seal 1842-1846.

(c) In the drama, Prime Minister Robert Peel does not want Charlotte to have this position. In the real world, he was the one who chose her for this position.

(d) In the drama, Charlotte says she has never liked the French. Why? Because her brother Mungo was killed during the battle of Trafalgar. This statement is wrong. Charlotte did not have a brother whose name was Mungo. Moreover, the battle of Trafalgar was fought in 1805. None of her brothers was old enough to have taken part in this battle.

Secondly, historical truth is violated several times. Not only regarding minor details, but important and significant facts:

** Francatelli, who leaves the palace in season one, returns in season two. This is wrong. He was Victoria’s cook 1840-1842. He does not belong in season one, which covers the years 1837-1840. It seems the creator introduced him too early. He does belong in season two, which covers the years 1841-1846. Since we have already seen him in season one, the creator decided to let him return to the palace in season two. The chronology connected with this character is completely false.

** In the drama, Francatelli and Skerrett have romantic feelings for each other. However, there is no solid evidence to support this storyline. Besides, it is not relevant for the main story about Queen Victoria and the royal family.

** In episode 4 about the funeral in Coburg in 1844, someone says that Prince Ernest will have to find himself a bride. This remark is very odd, because at the time he was already married. He had married Princess Alexandrine of Baden in 1842. But the creator pretends he is still a bachelor two years later.

** In episode 4 about the funeral in Coburg in 1844, Prince Albert is told that his real (biological) father is his uncle, King Leopold. Some authors have speculated about this question. But there is no solid evidence to support this claim. Nonetheless, the creator decided to present it as a fact.

** In the drama, Prince Ernest and Harriet have romantic feelings for each other. In season one, Harriet explains that she cannot give in to him, because she is a married woman. In season two, we are told that her husband is killed in a hunting accident. Now she is a widow. Ernest believes that their romance may have a chance. He wants to marry her. This storyline is completely false. For two reasons:

(a) As stated above, Ernest was already married and had been married since 1842. He was no longer a bachelor.

(b) Harriet’s husband George Sutherland did not die in 1845, as stated in the drama. He was still alive. He lived 1786-1861. Harriet did not become a widow until her husband died in 1861. But the creator decided to let him die in a hunting accident in 1845!

** In the drama, Baroness Louise Lehzen is fired from her position in 1846. In the real world, she was fired four years before, in 1842. The creator decided to change the basic chronology connected with this character.

** In the drama, civil servant Edward Drummond is played by an actor who is much younger than the real Drummond was in the 1840s. Moreover, the year and the circumstances of his murder are altered in significant ways. In the drama, he is killed in 1846, protecting the prime minister. In the real world, he was killed in 1843, probably because the killer mistook him for the prime minister. Finally, he is shown as having a secret relationship with a man (Lord Alfred Paget), even though there is no solid evidence for this claim.

** In the drama, the funeral in Coburg is placed in episode # 4, before Victoria’s journey to France, which is placed in episode # 5. In the real world, the funeral in Coburg was in 1844, while the journey to France was in 1843. The creator decided to switch the order of these two events. Why? Probably for dramatic reasons.

** In episode # 6 about the potato famine in Ireland, we meet Robert Traill, a historical person, who lived 1793-1847. In the drama, he visits Victoria in London. In the real world, this visit never happened. Robert Trail is one of Daisy Goodwin’s ancestors. Perhaps this is why she decided to let him meet Queen Victoria in her drama.

** In the drama, Victoria is deeply concerned about the famine in Ireland. She talks to Prime Minister Robert Peel and to her husband Albert about it. On several occasions. She says something must be done to help the poor people of Ireland. But the queen’s concern is highly exaggerated in the drama.

The creator presents an airbrushed version of Victoria. The queen that is seen in this drama is not only more beautiful than the real Victoria was; she is also a better person: more humane and more democratic than the real Victoria ever was. She cares more for the poor and the people of Ireland than the real Victoria ever did.

My third critical point concerns the language that is spoken in this drama. With very few exceptions, only one language is spoken here: English.

German characters speak English to each other, even though this is not realistic at all. When Albert and Ernest meet in Coburg, a few short German words are inserted into the dialogue: “JA” for yes and “NEIN” for no. But this is not a good solution.

When Victoria goes to France, she is greeted in French by King Louis Philippe and Victoria answers him in French. The French dialogue is covered by English subtitles. But after a few sentences in French, the king says he can speak English and then the dialogue switches to English. For the benefit of the audience; in order to avoid a long sequence with subtitles.

The French king Louis Philippe is played by a French actor, which is a good idea, but apart from the very first greeting, he was told to speak English! This was not a good idea.

The cast includes another non-British actor: Baroness Louise Lehzen who is from Hanover, a German state, is played by a German actress. This is a good idea, but she never speaks a word of German. All her lines are in English.

On the positive side I can say this: the story is captivating; many actors play their roles well; and the cinematography is excellent. But the flaws mentioned above cannot be ignored. The flaws are all the more serious, because the creator breaks her own rule about how to write this story; not only once or twice, but on several occasions.

This series has high ratings; many positive reviews. But I cannot follow the general trend. I cannot offer four of five stars for this product. I have to remove at least two stars because of the flaws. Therefore I think it deserves a rating of three stars.

PS # 1. Victoria gave a donation of £ 2,000 to support the victims of the famine in Ireland. Royal etiquette demanded that no one could offer more than her, because this would embarrass the queen. When the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire offered to donate £ 10,000, he was asked to lower his contribution. As a result of this request, he lowered his donation to £ 1,000. The famine began in 1845. Victoria’s donation was not given until 1848, i.e. three years after the famine began.

PS # 2. The following article about the potato famine in Ireland is available online: Frances Mulraney, “The real story of Queen Victoria and the Irish famine,” Irish Central, 3 October 2017.

PS # 3. You can find several detailed reviews of Victoria season one and season two in the following blog: “Enough of this Tomfoolery: A blog about British history from 1870 to 1939.” According to this blog, the series is “long on [romantic] drama and short on historical accuracy.”

*****

 

This painting shows Queen Victoria and Prince Albert with some of their children.

*****