Expert: Joseph Logue - 9/16/2006

Question
Friends,

Many years ago I read that a few short years (like nine or seven)before she was crowned queen, Victoria Guelph was fifth or sixth in the line of succession. My recollection  is vague and only approximate!

Could you give me, please, the facts on tnis?
Thanks!

Henry Lewis Smiths

Answer
Hello there Henry,

From the moment that Queen Victoria was born (originally named Alexandrina Victoria) in 1819 she was indeed close to the throne, but no one really foresaw that she would become Queen.

Victoria's father was the fourth son of George III, and as such she was born fifth in line to the throne.  Because sons (then their sons then daughters) inherit before daughters, the successors of George III stood as:

1.  The Prince of Wales.  He became King George IV in 1820 when George III died.  George IV had a daughter, Charlotte, who would have become queen had she not died in childbirth in 1817.  Had the child, a daughter, lived, she would have been second in line to the throne after her grandfather.

2.  The Duke of York.  He died without legitimate issue in 1827.

3.  The Duke of Clarence.  He became King William IV when his brother George IV died in 1830.

4.  The Duke of Kent.  This was Victoria's father and he died in 1820, when Victoria was an infant.

Because William IV and Queen Adelaide had no surviving children, by the time he became king, Victoria was first in line to the throne.  Note that her birth placed her father's younger brothers, the Dukes of Cumberland, Sussex, and Cambridge further down the line of succession.

I hope this helps Henry.  It's an interesting subject, made more so by the fact that King George III's sons had to find wives when Princess Charlotte died in 1817, as many of them were married (though not legally so under the Royal Marriages Act of 1777) and had many children.  It was quite a scramble.

If you'd like more information, visit your local library and ask the reference librarian for help locating materials that discuss the House of Hanover, the Regency Period, and biographies of Queen Victoria.

Thanks for visiting AllExperts, Henry, and come back soon.

Sincerely,

Joseph Logue