ABSTRACT
Queen Victoria has often been characterised as a domestic tyrant, who disliked the heir to the throne, was over-protective of the haemophiliac Leopold, over-indulged the youngest Beatrice and was generally a control freak. Victoria, of course, was no ordinary mother and had to cope with the tensions between her role as parent and her role as monarch. Her position as queen may have interfered with her responsibilities as a mother whereas the regularity of her pregnancies may have undermined her effectiveness as queen. True, Victoria and Albert enjoyed a lot of help. The young couple, in common with many aristocratic families, had a raft of nannies, governesses, nursery maids and other staff to help look after their children. In April 1842 Lady Lyttelton was put in charge of the nursery and remained there until 1850 when she was replaced by other aristocratic ladies. But each night Prince Albert visited the children’s nursery to make sure that the locks were secure and that the children were all tucked in safely.
