Queen Victoria & the Groomsman Documentary

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00:00:07Queen Victoria ruled over one of the largest empires in history.

00:00:11She reigned for 63 years and she oversaw such an extraordinary period of British and world history.

00:00:19Publicly, her image was one of duty and restraint.

00:00:23You don't often get glimpses of her cracking her laugh.

00:00:25But behind closed doors, she risked crown and country with her willful passion.

00:00:31Underneath those big gowns, she used to love wearing very saucy red stockings.

00:00:37At Balmoral, a young Scottish servant caught Victoria's eye.

00:00:42And in her journal she says,

00:00:44John Brown is very much a good-looking tall lad of 23 with fair curly hair.

00:00:51And after the death of her husband, Prince Albert, rumours began to swirl.

00:00:56Queen Victoria is often alone with John Brown two hours nearly every day.

00:01:01The mind boggles.

00:01:02Even Queen Victoria's own children start to call him mother's lover.

00:01:06The speculation quickly escalated.

00:01:09That they'd secretly married, that maybe Queen Victoria had a child with John Brown.

00:01:13If true, the monarchy itself was at risk.

00:01:16Potentially there would have been a revolution.

00:01:18People would have been trying to say that she was unfit to rule.

00:01:21For Victoria to have had a child with a servant,

00:01:24it would have been the biggest scandal of the 19th century.

00:01:27So what is the truth about Queen Victoria, the groomsmen,

00:01:31and the scandal that Neely brought down the empire?

00:01:39Victoria was 19 years old when she was crowned Queen in 1838.

00:01:44Britain, and one of the largest empires in the world,

00:01:48was now ruled by a teenager.

00:01:51Everyone goes wild.

00:01:53It's Regina Mania.

00:01:54People are fascinated by her.

00:01:57They are used to a long line of elderly, somewhat dull, somewhat dissolute male monarchs.

00:02:03And suddenly they've got this pretty young girl on the throne.

00:02:05And everyone wants to find out more about her.

00:02:08She's the celebrity of her day.

00:02:10You know, they want to know what she's wearing.

00:02:12They want to know what she has for breakfast, what she's doing.

00:02:15Everyone goes wild for her.

00:02:17Immediately, Queen Victoria had to correct the damage done by her predecessors.

00:02:22The monarchy is really hanging by a thread.

00:02:24George IV is selfish, obsessed with spending.

00:02:27William IV, I think one of the most unpopular kings in history.

00:02:31And he talked about the importance of slavery.

00:02:33So, you know, this is not a popular king.

00:02:35Victoria is everyone's saviour.

00:02:38Victoria was determined to be visible to her public

00:02:42and went out for daily carriage rides around the heart of London.

00:02:47And people knew this.

00:02:48And they could go and wave at the Queen.

00:02:50And she could wave back.

00:02:52And they would shout, God save the Queen.

00:02:54And goff their caps to her.

00:02:55And so it really created this wonderful relationship between Victoria and her subjects.

00:03:02So there's not only a sense of a change of the generations,

00:03:06but also a new political hope.

00:03:09A woman on the throne.

00:03:10A young woman, a young, attractive woman,

00:03:12full of, you know, gaiety and laughter.

00:03:15Becoming Queen also enabled Victoria to escape her difficult upbringing,

00:03:20which determined her resolve to put love before duty in the future.

00:03:32Her early childhood was terrible.

00:03:35Victoria herself said, I had a very unhappy childhood.

00:03:38She was brought up by her mother, the Duchess of Kent, at Kensington Palace.

00:03:42Her father died when she was a tiny baby.

00:03:44And she and the Duchess of Kent were really very isolated.

00:03:48Victoria was kept apart from the world

00:03:50by a mother who was determined to protect the future Queen from danger.

00:03:55The Duchess of Kent is terrified that Victoria is going to be killed by her uncle,

00:03:59the Duke of Cumberland,

00:04:01who, if Victoria hadn't been born, would be coming to the throne.

00:04:05And so if Victoria was dead, he'd get that throne.

00:04:10The thing about the Duke of Cumberland,

00:04:12he's a kind of pantomime villain of the period.

00:04:14He's got these great whiskers.

00:04:15And he'd been wounded in fighting against the French.

00:04:18And he was quite a reactionary Tory.

00:04:22He was a sort of hang-em-and-flog-em brigade.

00:04:26And there's always talk of the Duke of Cumberland making various plots.

00:04:32So her food is tasted.

00:04:34She has to have her hand held when she's walking down the stairs until she's 12.

00:04:38So Victoria is surrounded by this idea that she could be killed at any moment.

00:04:44Her mother is constantly watching her.

00:04:46I think Victoria's strict upbringing taught her two important things.

00:04:51It taught her the importance of dissimulation.

00:04:53She always had to pretend to be obedient.

00:04:56She pretended to be obedient.

00:04:57That's what they thought.

00:04:58But in her mind, she was determined on independence.

00:05:04As Queen, Victoria experienced freedom for the first time, which she was quick to embrace.

00:05:12I think it was the most focused, liberating moment in her life.

00:05:16And she's a young woman.

00:05:18She's got all this power suddenly.

00:05:20She very clearly says, I'm now going to do what I want.

00:05:23And there's nothing you can do to stop me.

00:05:25And for the first year of her reign, she has the time of her life.

00:05:29She really does expect to be able to rule for some years on her own.

00:05:33But no, that's not happening.

00:05:35She's told in no uncertain terms, you need to get married because they want heirs.

00:05:40They want heirs to put the throne away from the dreaded Duke of Cumberland, her uncle.

00:05:45Victoria was under pressure to marry.

00:05:48And after a lifetime of control, she wanted someone she could trust by her side.

00:05:55Victoria first met Albert as a teenager.

00:05:58He came to her birthday party.

00:06:00And actually, when she saw him, you know, she said, he's beautiful.

00:06:03She was instantly smitten.

00:06:07Prince Albert Saxe-Coburg was from a minor German duchy, with little power and little money.

00:06:15But he made a lasting impression on Victoria.

00:06:19So what's wonderful about Victoria is we know how she felt about things throughout her life.

00:06:25Because actually, from her childhood, almost daily until her death, she kept a journal.

00:06:30Albert is extremely handsome.

00:06:32His hair is about the same colour as mine.

00:06:36His eyes are large and blue.

00:06:38And he has a beautiful nose and a very sweet mouth with fine teeth.

00:06:43But the charm of his countenance is his expression, which is most delightful.

00:06:49C'est à la fois full of goodness and sweetness.

00:06:53And very clever and intelligent.

00:06:56It is perfect for her.

00:06:57She has to get married.

00:06:59She has to come to the throne with her husband.

00:07:00And so Albert is the great candidate.

00:07:05Coming up, Victoria marries for love.

00:07:08But at Balmoral, a young Highland servant still catches her eye.

00:07:13And in her journal, she says,

00:07:14John Brown is very much a good-looking tall lad of 23 with fair curly hair.

00:07:20And it's John Brown who will go on to cause the greatest scandal of Victoria's reign.

00:07:26It's almost a moment where her throne is hanging by a thread.

00:07:37When Victoria came to the throne, she was determined to do exactly as she pleased.

00:07:43She very clearly says, I'm now going to do what I want.

00:07:46And there's nothing you can do to stop me.

00:07:48Marriage was expected.

00:07:50But who she married was her decision.

00:07:53Victoria has to be this rule-breaker and propose to Albert.

00:07:57But her headstrong passion would lead to a scandal that nearly brought down the empire.

00:08:02If Victoria had been found out to be actively sleeping with her servants,

00:08:07the whole royal family might well have come into question.

00:08:12Victoria is extremely passionate.

00:08:14She's binary.

00:08:15She's all or nothing.

00:08:16So for the first year of her reign, she says,

00:08:18I have to determine not to get married at all.

00:08:20Go away.

00:08:20I'm living the poem of my life.

00:08:22I'm Queen of England.

00:08:22And then she meets Albert, and within five days has proposed marriage to her.

00:08:29Royal marriages were usually cold, calculated affairs to secure dynasties.

00:08:34But in choosing Albert, Victoria followed her heart

00:08:38and made one of the first major decisions of her reign on her own terms.

00:08:45Albert is the great candidate, and of course he says yes.

00:08:48And that is the beginning of this devoted love affair.

00:08:51They both have difficult, unhappy childhoods,

00:08:54and all the love that they couldn't give to their family when they were children

00:08:57pours out and they give it to each other.

00:09:00In February 1840, Victoria married Prince Albert

00:09:04at the Chapel Royal in St James' Palace.

00:09:10Their wedding is like this perfect marriage.

00:09:14Victoria is absolutely besotted with Albert,

00:09:16and he clearly is affectionate towards her.

00:09:21Barely 20 years old,

00:09:24Victoria displayed her stubborn independence

00:09:26when she stood up to her royal advisers over her wedding vows.

00:09:32Of course, the traditional wedding vows are

00:09:34that the wife promises to love, honour, and obey,

00:09:37but she's the queen.

00:09:39The government very much wanted Victoria to remove obey from the marital vows

00:09:44because he's a foreign prince.

00:09:47Victoria is supposed to be independent.

00:09:49And so it did actually have constitutional issues,

00:09:52because if she's promising to obey Albert,

00:09:54then does that make him the sovereign?

00:09:57Victoria ignored the requests of Parliament

00:10:00and kept obey in her vows.

00:10:03It's the first of many defiant acts.

00:10:07She was trying to demonstrate to him

00:10:09that she will be a traditional wife in many ways.

00:10:12In the home, he will be the master,

00:10:14as Victorian husbands are.

00:10:16To the public,

00:10:17Victoria and Albert delivered a modern picture of monarchy,

00:10:21young, united, and in love.

00:10:24In private,

00:10:26they quickly got down to the urgent business

00:10:28of delivering heirs.

00:10:30When Albert comes on the scene,

00:10:32obviously they're very in love,

00:10:33and they,

00:10:34to not put a too fine apology,

00:10:36they spend a lot of time making babies.

00:10:39So there's a lot of sort of together time

00:10:41that needs to be done.

00:10:43The result?

00:10:44A rapidly growing royal family.

00:10:47Over the next 17 years,

00:10:49Victoria gave birth to nine children.

00:10:53But the marriage was not just productive,

00:10:56it was passionate.

00:10:58There's no doubt in my mind

00:11:00that her and Albert had a great sex life.

00:11:02Underneath those big gowns,

00:11:05she used to love wearing very saucy red stockings.

00:11:10She commissioned a portrait of herself

00:11:13that was a secret gift for Prince Albert.

00:11:16And she is in an informal pose.

00:11:19Her hair is half down, half up.

00:11:21Her shoulders are exposed.

00:11:23And that was very sexy.

00:11:25Because she was a married woman.

00:11:26Married women had their hair up at all times.

00:11:28And she's looking alluringly to the side.

00:11:31And she gave this to Prince Albert's birthday present

00:11:34when he was 24.

00:11:35And he absolutely loved it.

00:11:38Victoria's provocative portrait wasn't just a gift.

00:11:42It was a daring statement from a young queen

00:11:44breaking the rules.

00:11:46Although it was put up on display,

00:11:49in a private part of the castle,

00:11:50any servant could have seen it.

00:11:53Together, Victoria and Albert developed a delicate division of power.

00:11:58Victoria played the wife, but remained sovereign.

00:12:01She was the important one.

00:12:03The one that actually had to sign off and agree the laws,

00:12:05and so on and so forth.

00:12:07And he had to carve his own sort of public role.

00:12:10Things like managing the Great Exhibition,

00:12:13which was extremely successful in 1851.

00:12:15The Great Exhibition showcased the global industrial power of Britain

00:12:21and cast Albert as a figurehead of national progress.

00:12:25It's Albert's baby, effectively.

00:12:27It's his project.

00:12:28And I think it is not too much to say

00:12:31that it was effectively the greatest show on earth.

00:12:33It was this wonderful exhibition

00:12:34inside the great glass house in Hyde Park.

00:12:39And there was actually the largest building in the world

00:12:41when it was constructed.

00:12:42In fact, it enclosed some of the great elms from the park,

00:12:45so they didn't have to cut them down.

00:12:47It had exhibits from all over the world.

00:12:50Victoria went almost weekly during the point that it was open

00:12:54and just would go and marvel at what Albert had achieved.

00:12:58Victoria was riding high.

00:13:00She was in love and was loved by her public.

00:13:03But her deepest happiness was found

00:13:06in the wild freedom of the Scottish Highlands.

00:13:09Albert and Victoria find Buckingham Palace drafty,

00:13:12other palaces like Brighton Pavilion.

00:13:14Victoria just thinks they're crazy.

00:13:15So they buy property in Balmoral in Scotland.

00:13:20But Balmoral is also chosen

00:13:22because it's seen as a healthy place for them to be.

00:13:25And Albert, he wasn't a sickly person,

00:13:27but he'd always had sort of health issues.

00:13:29And I think they both thought that somewhere

00:13:32literally in the middle of the Highlands of Scotland

00:13:34was about as far away and pure and healthy as you could get.

00:13:41Victoria loves Scotland.

00:13:42She loved Balmoral.

00:13:44And I think they enjoy the freedom that Scotland gives them.

00:13:47She's never happier than taking out all her ladies

00:13:50on a nice, cold, windy walk.

00:13:53Balmoral became a refuge for Victoria,

00:13:55where she could walk the hills, breathe fresh air

00:13:59and trade portly flattery

00:14:01for the refreshing frankness of her Scottish servants.

00:14:06Victoria writes in her diaries

00:14:08that the Scots servants are much more honest.

00:14:11All the Highlanders are so free from anything like bluster,

00:14:14so straightforward, no flattery, so simple.

00:14:19And that she really values

00:14:20because in London, people lie to her face.

00:14:23They tell her everything is marvellous,

00:14:25she's marvellous, she looks marvellous.

00:14:27And she knows it's not true.

00:14:29She knows what life is like outside the royal bubble.

00:14:34Victoria's love of the rugged Scottish landscape

00:14:37was matched by her admiration for the sturdy gillies,

00:14:41who faithfully serve the Queen and her family.

00:14:44The gillie is someone who works on a highland rural estate

00:14:48and they would have all sorts of jobs.

00:14:50They might be in charge of the fishing,

00:14:52in charge of the horses, the deer stalking,

00:14:54anything outside and sporting,

00:14:56a gillie would have overseen.

00:14:58And we know that Prince Albert and Queen Victoria

00:15:01love this kind of highland pursuits.

00:15:05And one young gillie especially

00:15:08came to her attention.

00:15:17So, Victoria always likes a strong man.

00:15:20Even when she's happily married to Albert,

00:15:22she's describing men and men catch her eye.

00:15:24And there's one particular gillie

00:15:25who very much does during Albert's lifetime.

00:15:28And Albert's actually quite fond of him himself.

00:15:30And we have a reference

00:15:32to Victoria's highland gillie really early on.

00:15:35And in her journal, she says,

00:15:37I like the gillie John Brown very much.

00:15:40A good-looking tall lad of 23,

00:15:43with fair, curly hair.

00:15:45So very good-humoured and willing.

00:15:48Always ready to do whatever is asked.

00:15:51And always with a smile on his face.

00:15:54Yeah, you've got to imagine Victoria,

00:15:56you know, she had no experience of Scotland.

00:15:59And she was quite a nervous person.

00:16:01So people like Brown, I think,

00:16:02help her adapt to that new circumstance.

00:16:06He always leads my pony

00:16:08and attends me out of doors.

00:16:10And such a good, handy, faithful,

00:16:12attached servant I have nowhere.

00:16:15It is quite a sorrow for me to leave him behind.

00:16:19Brown, he's born in 1826 in Aberdeenshire,

00:16:22son of a tenant farmer and a gillie.

00:16:25And he very quickly finds a job at Balmoral

00:16:29before the royal family acquires the estate.

00:16:31So he comes with the estate.

00:16:34Clearly born into that lifestyle

00:16:37and had absolutely a natural feel

00:16:40for the rhythms of Highland life.

00:16:43And there are drawings that Victoria does.

00:16:45Victoria is an artist.

00:16:47She draws the people who are close to her.

00:16:49And John Brown starts to appear in her drawings.

00:16:51And the hair is clearly something that draws her attention.

00:16:53And also kind of the muscularity, the strength.

00:16:56I think she sees John Brown as fitting into that sort of slightly romantic Scottish fantasy

00:17:03about what an outdoor Scotsman should be.

00:17:06But the key thing about Brown,

00:17:07and I think that comes over very early on in her diaries,

00:17:10is that it makes her feel safe.

00:17:14In 1852, Victoria and Albert embraced the informality at Balmoral with the gillies' ball,

00:17:21where servants and sovereigns danced as equals.

00:17:26Albert and Victoria liked the idea that the hierarchy seems to be much more overturned.

00:17:30What was unusual and new was that it was an occasion

00:17:33that two classes could come together on equal terms.

00:17:37That hadn't really happened before.

00:17:39And there was Scottish dancing and lots of reeling and bagpipes

00:17:43and all the men in kilts and a lot of whiskey was drunk.

00:17:47At Balmoral, Victoria and Albert found their happy place.

00:17:51But in 1861, Victoria's world came crashing down.

00:18:00Albert dies when he's 42, and Victoria's overwhelmed by grief.

00:18:05She can't believe it.

00:18:06She's a young mother.

00:18:07She's got young children.

00:18:09He was in the prime of his life.

00:18:11She could have expected him to live for easily another 20, 30 years.

00:18:14And she's become increasingly devoted to him,

00:18:17increasingly dependent on him.

00:18:19And suddenly he's gone.

00:18:22He may have had stomach cancer.

00:18:24He may have had typhoid.

00:18:26No one knows for certain what caused his death.

00:18:29Albert is like a father to her.

00:18:31When he dies, she writes,

00:18:32I've lost my father.

00:18:34I've lost my friend.

00:18:35You know, he was everything to her.

00:18:38She's beyond heartbroken.

00:18:40Albert was her stay, was her love.

00:18:43She felt as if she was a very unloved child.

00:18:45She had no good relations.

00:18:47And Albert really was her father, her mother,

00:18:50her lover, her husband, everything.

00:18:53Albert's death shattered Victoria.

00:18:56She was plunged into overwhelming grief.

00:18:59She was no longer a wife.

00:19:01And the joy and passion in her life was replaced with silence.

00:19:07She feels like her life is over.

00:19:08And she retreats into seclusion.

00:19:13Victoria makes Albert's room into a shrine.

00:19:16Nothing has changed.

00:19:18His outfit is still laid out every day.

00:19:21She had a plaster cast made of his hand.

00:19:24She wore black for the rest of her life.

00:19:28So, after Prince Albert died,

00:19:30Queen Victoria famously went into a very deep mourning,

00:19:34a deep depression,

00:19:35where she retreated to Windsor Castle

00:19:36and was not visible to the public.

00:19:39Overnight, Victoria changes from

00:19:41young, vibrant mother of nine,

00:19:43a busy, busy woman,

00:19:45to being seen as the widow of Windsor.

00:19:50And on top of this,

00:19:52there's no way that Victoria will be allowed to marry again.

00:19:56She now knows that she is going to be single

00:19:58for the rest of her life.

00:19:59And for a woman who was so happily married,

00:20:01for a woman for whom companionship meant everything,

00:20:04she feels very much alone.

00:20:06When Albert dies,

00:20:07it is immediately a catastrophic moment in Victoria's life.

00:20:11I mean, first of all,

00:20:12she lost a husband that she loved,

00:20:14a father of her children.

00:20:15Albert had been so effective

00:20:17at managing her whole life.

00:20:22Without that presence,

00:20:25it's clear she has no idea what to do.

00:20:28And she responds to it

00:20:30by almost doing as little as possible.

00:20:34And initially, people are sympathetic.

00:20:36She's a new widow.

00:20:38Victorian wives are supposed to grieve their husbands.

00:20:40They're supposed to go into mourning.

00:20:42But when it's been a year

00:20:44and the queen's still wearing black,

00:20:45she won't come and open parliament.

00:20:47She won't appear in public.

00:20:49She travels in a closed carriage.

00:20:51She travels in a closed train.

00:20:53People can't see her.

00:20:55They don't know where she is.

00:20:57They don't know what's happening.

00:20:58And there becomes increasing concern

00:21:01and increasing anger

00:21:03because the monarch has a role to play.

00:21:06It's almost a moment

00:21:07where her throne is hanging by a thread.

00:21:11The presence of the monarch

00:21:13was fundamentally important

00:21:14to how the whole system ran.

00:21:16You've basically got

00:21:17a kind of aristocratic government.

00:21:20And the position of the aristocracy

00:21:22depends on their proximity to the monarch.

00:21:26Now, if you suddenly take the monarch

00:21:28out of day-to-day politics,

00:21:30it just disappears.

00:21:31Then, quickly,

00:21:33cracks begin to show in the whole system.

00:21:37Coming up,

00:21:38only one man

00:21:39can bring Victoria out of mourning.

00:21:42So John Brown is brought down

00:21:44to the south coast

00:21:45to Osborne House

00:21:46and it works.

00:21:48But their growing intimacy

00:21:49leads to a scandal

00:21:51that could bring down the empire.

00:21:53The idea of her actually marrying him

00:21:55would have caused an absolute earthquake.

00:22:04history remembers Victoria,

00:22:06a stern and doer.

00:22:07Victoria, famously said,

00:22:09we know we are not amused.

00:22:10But she was deeply passionate

00:22:11and her scandalous relationship

00:22:13with the servant

00:22:14put the monarchy at risk.

00:22:16Potentially there would have been

00:22:17a revolution.

00:22:18Who knows?

00:22:20In 19th century Britain,

00:22:22a monarch had to be visible.

00:22:24If Victoria's absence continued,

00:22:26she risked losing the confidence

00:22:28of her parliament

00:22:29and her public.

00:22:38She should do things

00:22:40like open parliament,

00:22:41which she refused to do

00:22:42for a number of years.

00:22:44She was almost shirking

00:22:45her royal duties.

00:22:46She became really unpopular

00:22:48very quickly,

00:22:49which is why we needed

00:22:50to get her back out.

00:22:53You've got to remember

00:22:54the political climate

00:22:55at the time.

00:22:56We're not that far away

00:22:58from America being taken away

00:23:01from the monarchy

00:23:02and also the French Revolution.

00:23:05These are all things

00:23:07in living memory

00:23:08for the Victorians.

00:23:09So anything that could

00:23:11bring the house down

00:23:12would be a major threat

00:23:14to the existence

00:23:16of the royal family.

00:23:18Seeing her mother

00:23:20slipping deeper

00:23:21into silence,

00:23:22Victoria's daughter

00:23:23Alice intervened.

00:23:25Her plan,

00:23:26to revive the pony rides

00:23:28Victoria had loved

00:23:29at Balmoral,

00:23:30bringing them south

00:23:31to Osborne House

00:23:32on the Isle of Wight.

00:23:34The ponies were quickly

00:23:36dispatched from Scotland,

00:23:37accompanied by John Brown,

00:23:39the Highland ghillie

00:23:41who had caught

00:23:42Victoria's eye

00:23:43some years before.

00:23:44So John Brown

00:23:45is brought down

00:23:45to the south coast

00:23:46to Osborne House,

00:23:48dressed in his

00:23:49Highland getup

00:23:50with a Highland pony

00:23:52and they try and see

00:23:53if this will shake

00:23:54Queen Victoria

00:23:55out of her mourning

00:23:55and it works.

00:23:59John Brown

00:24:00was a living reminder

00:24:01of Balmoral

00:24:02and the happiness

00:24:03Victoria had known there.

00:24:05Queen Victoria

00:24:06and John Brown

00:24:07I think bonded

00:24:08over their love

00:24:09for Scotland.

00:24:10They shared a love

00:24:11of the outdoors.

00:24:12Victoria wrote

00:24:13to her uncle Leopold,

00:24:15I continue to ride

00:24:16daily on my pony

00:24:17and it is a real comfort

00:24:19for Brown is devoted

00:24:20to me,

00:24:21so simple,

00:24:22so intelligent,

00:24:24so unlike

00:24:24an ordinary servant

00:24:25and so cheerful

00:24:27and attentive.

00:24:29He would say,

00:24:30you know,

00:24:30come along woman

00:24:31and have a drop

00:24:32of whiskey

00:24:32and you know,

00:24:33and he didn't treat her

00:24:34with particular deference.

00:24:37I think that he had

00:24:38that almost rough

00:24:40and ready Scottishness

00:24:41to him

00:24:42which I think

00:24:43Victoria really found

00:24:44soothing and comforting

00:24:45during her widowhood

00:24:47and he was somebody

00:24:48that she could

00:24:49really confide in.

00:24:51He knew her husband

00:24:53so well.

00:24:53They can talk about

00:24:54the happy times together

00:24:55and he's very sympathetic

00:24:56to her grief.

00:24:57He's not saying

00:24:58go out and about

00:24:58but he's also

00:25:00very honest with her

00:25:01and says he doesn't

00:25:01agree with her,

00:25:02he tells her what's what.

00:25:04She promotes him.

00:25:06He comes with her

00:25:06on her carriage.

00:25:07Soon,

00:25:08they're almost inseparable.

00:25:09The arrangement

00:25:10with Jay Brown

00:25:11is an immense comfort to me.

00:25:13He is indeed

00:25:14one in a thousand

00:25:16for he has feelings

00:25:17and qualities

00:25:18which the highest prince

00:25:19might be proud of.

00:25:21John Brown was with

00:25:22Victoria the whole time

00:25:24so he would be with her

00:25:26and when she woke up

00:25:27throughout her whole day

00:25:29he would bring her letters

00:25:30he would help her

00:25:32with her correspondence.

00:25:34Increasingly,

00:25:35John Brown also protected

00:25:37the Queen

00:25:37from the outside world.

00:25:40There's definitely a sense

00:25:41that he restricts access

00:25:43to her

00:25:43and he can restrict access

00:25:45even to some of the

00:25:46most important politicians

00:25:47in the land.

00:25:48But,

00:25:49I always think it's because

00:25:50he knows that

00:25:52there's a certain

00:25:53vulnerability to her.

00:25:54She may be tired,

00:25:55she may be ill

00:25:56and some of the time

00:25:58she just can't be bothered

00:25:59to see these people

00:25:59and I think that's when

00:26:01he does his

00:26:02gatekeeping brutality.

00:26:04But Victoria's

00:26:05intimate bond

00:26:06with a servant

00:26:07seven years younger

00:26:08was considered

00:26:09beyond the pale.

00:26:11He's a servant.

00:26:12Why is the Queen

00:26:12spending so much time

00:26:14with John Brown?

00:26:15And he's also

00:26:16quite blunt with her.

00:26:17He will tell her

00:26:18if he doesn't like

00:26:19her outfit

00:26:19very bluntly.

00:26:21They have a very

00:26:21companionable relationship,

00:26:23a very close relationship.

00:26:24He doesn't address her

00:26:25as your majesty.

00:26:27If people are

00:26:28around her

00:26:29and being

00:26:30he feels boring

00:26:31or not entertaining enough

00:26:33he tells them to shut up.

00:26:34Even prime ministers.

00:26:35So she appears to have

00:26:37given him this

00:26:38extraordinary licence

00:26:39to talk to the Queen

00:26:41in a way that

00:26:43no one else did.

00:26:45The extraordinary familiarity

00:26:46between Victoria

00:26:48and John Brown

00:26:48did not go unnoticed

00:26:50and rumours spread

00:26:52throughout the household.

00:26:56It was a hive

00:26:57of gossip

00:26:58and there was

00:27:00much behind

00:27:01stairs

00:27:02and below stairs.

00:27:03Queen has taken

00:27:04to this young man

00:27:05and also

00:27:06he's a servant.

00:27:07He was one of them.

00:27:08And above stairs

00:27:10there was growing

00:27:11anger about the Queen

00:27:12and John Brown's

00:27:13inappropriate friendship.

00:27:15Victoria's own family

00:27:17don't like him.

00:27:18Only an aristocrat

00:27:19attendant

00:27:20or lady-in-waiting

00:27:21should be so friendly.

00:27:22She's not being attended

00:27:24by this person

00:27:25or that person

00:27:25or this aristocrat

00:27:26or that aristocrat.

00:27:28This wasn't just

00:27:29a personal dislike.

00:27:30By elevating John Brown

00:27:32Victoria was unsettling

00:27:34the rigid order

00:27:34of the royal court.

00:27:36So many people's jobs

00:27:38are dependent

00:27:39on their place

00:27:40in the kind of

00:27:41access and proximity

00:27:42to the monarch.

00:27:43The whole system

00:27:44runs on that basis.

00:27:45And to suddenly have

00:27:47a highland servant

00:27:48come in

00:27:49and sit almost

00:27:51to the apex of that

00:27:52immediately puts

00:27:53everyone's nose

00:27:53out of joint.

00:27:54Their increasing intimacy

00:27:56also caused alarm.

00:27:58You know,

00:27:58there's flirting going on

00:27:59and there is this one time

00:28:01when Victoria injures

00:28:02her knee

00:28:03so it has to be bandaged

00:28:04and John Brown

00:28:06has to lift her

00:28:06in and out of bed

00:28:08and there is a little

00:28:09little bit of flirtation

00:28:11that is spotted

00:28:11by her doctor

00:28:12who records it

00:28:13in his journal

00:28:13that she says

00:28:15John Brown

00:28:16one day lifts up

00:28:17his kilt

00:28:17and he says

00:28:17oh I thought it was here

00:28:18pointing to his

00:28:19showing his thigh

00:28:20and Victoria says

00:28:22no it's here

00:28:23and lifts up her dress

00:28:25and you know

00:28:26it's her knee

00:28:27and well

00:28:28noticed by the doctor.

00:28:31The remarkable intimacy

00:28:33that was plain

00:28:34for all to see

00:28:35very quickly

00:28:36goes right to rumours

00:28:37about their relationship.

00:28:40Even Queen Victoria's

00:28:41own children

00:28:41start to call him

00:28:42mother's lover.

00:28:43gossip escalated

00:28:45to the corridors

00:28:46of power

00:28:47and a cruel nickname

00:28:49took hold.

00:28:51She's soon been

00:28:52called Mrs Brown

00:28:53which is another

00:28:54one of those nicknames

00:28:55that very much sticks.

00:29:00Even in Parliament

00:29:01she was referred to

00:29:02as Mrs Brown.

00:29:04Lord Derby

00:29:05the future

00:29:06foreign secretary

00:29:06wrote in dismay

00:29:08about Queen Victoria

00:29:09and John Brown.

00:29:10The affair

00:29:11has become a joke

00:29:12throughout Windsor

00:29:13where Her Majesty

00:29:14is talked of

00:29:15as Mrs Brown

00:29:16and if this keeps up

00:29:18it'll grow into a scandal.

00:29:20What started as a joke

00:29:22within the palace

00:29:23soon became public ridicule

00:29:25and the press

00:29:26were quick to seize on it.

00:29:28Well press of course

00:29:30loves gossip

00:29:30so magazines like punch

00:29:35and that obviously

00:29:36came from the household

00:29:37so somebody was leaking

00:29:39this to the media

00:29:40as well.

00:29:42There's no libel laws

00:29:43or defamation

00:29:45but people did still

00:29:47have to be quite careful

00:29:48what they wrote

00:29:48you know

00:29:49the Times newspaper

00:29:50for example

00:29:50they could be quite brutal

00:29:52but they still have

00:29:52to be quite careful

00:29:53but when it comes

00:29:55to visual humour

00:29:56cartoons and jokes

00:29:57it's almost as if

00:29:59they had much freer

00:30:00license to be

00:30:01absolutely brutal.

00:30:03They were making fun

00:30:04of the fact

00:30:04that she was spending

00:30:05so much time

00:30:06with a servant.

00:30:08So here we have

00:30:10Victoria in the bath

00:30:11wearing her crown

00:30:12with John Brown

00:30:13just sort of lurking

00:30:14in the background

00:30:15and of course

00:30:16she's naked.

00:30:17But the rumours

00:30:19appeared to stiffen

00:30:20Victoria's resolve

00:30:21when she ordered research

00:30:23to silence the sneers.

00:30:25She was searching

00:30:26into his ancestry

00:30:27she believed

00:30:29that he was from

00:30:30aristocratic Scottish stock

00:30:33and she's trying

00:30:34to legitimise

00:30:35her relationship

00:30:36with John Brown

00:30:37and solidify it.

00:30:39I think also

00:30:40the attraction

00:30:40for Queen Victoria

00:30:42is that John Brown

00:30:43he was kind of safe

00:30:45he never wanted

00:30:46to climb the social ladder

00:30:47he wasn't like

00:30:49a lot of these

00:30:50kind of royal consorts

00:30:51who want to be

00:30:52given titles

00:30:53or palaces

00:30:53or political power

00:30:55he never wanted that.

00:30:57Brown's role

00:30:58was simple

00:30:58to look after

00:30:59the Queen

00:31:00he had done so

00:31:01from the moment

00:31:02she first came

00:31:03to the Highlands

00:31:03and again

00:31:04when he was summoned

00:31:05to comfort her

00:31:06in grief

00:31:06and at Balmoral

00:31:08in 1863

00:31:09a dramatic event

00:31:11would further

00:31:12deepen their bond.

00:31:13They are driving

00:31:14through Balmoral

00:31:15it was evening

00:31:16and you know

00:31:17the carriage driver

00:31:18was a bit inebriated

00:31:19a little too inebriated

00:31:20and the carriage

00:31:21actually overturns

00:31:23and John Brown

00:31:23sees this happening.

00:31:26Victoria recorded

00:31:27the incident

00:31:28in her diary

00:31:28I'd just had time

00:31:30to reflect

00:31:31whether we should

00:31:32be killed or not

00:31:33and thought

00:31:33there were still

00:31:34things I had not

00:31:35settled

00:31:35and wanted to

00:31:36I came very hard

00:31:39with my face

00:31:40on the ground.

00:31:42He immediately

00:31:43jumped down

00:31:43and rescued the Queen

00:31:44and her daughters.

00:31:46After that night

00:31:47Victoria and John Brown

00:31:49were inseparable.

00:31:52I think there was

00:31:53a real sense

00:31:54you know

00:31:54he was her protector

00:31:55he was devoted

00:31:56to her

00:31:57because he absolutely

00:31:57was.

00:31:58There's no doubt

00:31:59that John Brown

00:31:59adored Queen Victoria

00:32:01and wanted to

00:32:02keep her safe.

00:32:04Victoria drew

00:32:05John Brown

00:32:05ever closer

00:32:07uncomfortably

00:32:08close for some

00:32:09in particular

00:32:10her now

00:32:11foreign secretary

00:32:12Lord Darby

00:32:12who wrote privately

00:32:14about his disapproval.

00:32:16He's not writing

00:32:16for publication

00:32:17it's a secret diary

00:32:18which only came to light

00:32:19in the last couple

00:32:20of decades

00:32:21and there's one

00:32:21key line

00:32:22where he describes

00:32:24a source

00:32:24telling him

00:32:25that John Brown

00:32:26sleeps in a room

00:32:28adjoining Queen Victoria's bedroom

00:32:30and he writes

00:32:31this is contrary

00:32:32to all etiquette

00:32:33and even decency.

00:32:35I mean

00:32:35so

00:32:36if these reports

00:32:38are going around

00:32:38at the time

00:32:38I think

00:32:39it's pretty reliable.

00:32:43and then there's

00:32:44another report

00:32:44from the dean

00:32:45of Windsor

00:32:45who tells

00:32:47Lord Darby

00:32:47that Queen Victoria

00:32:48is often alone

00:32:50with John Brown

00:32:50for two hours

00:32:52nearly every day.

00:32:54The mind boggles

00:32:55I mean

00:32:56we shouldn't go there

00:32:57but why not?

00:32:58And then he also adds

00:32:59that when she travels abroad

00:33:00for example

00:33:00in this case

00:33:01he's mentioning

00:33:02in Germany

00:33:02that John Brown's room

00:33:04must always be next to her

00:33:06so

00:33:07we know that

00:33:08Queen Victoria

00:33:08asked John Brown

00:33:09to be in charge

00:33:10of her security

00:33:10but

00:33:11if you're being suspicious

00:33:13is that cover

00:33:14for some kind of

00:33:16physical proximity

00:33:17all day

00:33:17and every day?

00:33:18Who knows?

00:33:19If Victoria

00:33:20had been found out

00:33:21to be actively

00:33:21sleeping with her servants

00:33:23the whole royal family

00:33:25might well have come

00:33:25into question

00:33:26potentially there would

00:33:27have been a revolution

00:33:28who knows?

00:33:29For the monarchy

00:33:30appearances were everything

00:33:32if the rumours were true

00:33:34the consequences

00:33:35would be severe

00:33:36inside the storm

00:33:38the speculation grew

00:33:39not just that Victoria

00:33:41may have been in love

00:33:42with John Brown

00:33:43but that she may have

00:33:44taken things

00:33:45even further

00:33:47Within the royal household

00:33:49it suggests that they

00:33:49are already privately

00:33:51secretly married somehow

00:33:52Actually a secret marriage

00:33:54would make a lot of sense

00:33:55because

00:33:56Victoria is a religious woman

00:33:58as is John Brown

00:34:00as a religious man

00:34:01and actually

00:34:02they wouldn't necessarily

00:34:03want to have an illicit union

00:34:05There's certainly precedent

00:34:06for unequal marriages

00:34:08in the British royal family

00:34:09There's a concept

00:34:10of morganatic marriages

00:34:11which is where

00:34:12unequal spouses

00:34:13are legally married

00:34:14but the spouse

00:34:16the lower ranking spouse

00:34:17doesn't get the higher status

00:34:19through the marriage

00:34:20and the children

00:34:20don't have succession rights

00:34:22So Victoria would be

00:34:23very familiar with that

00:34:24So it does seem

00:34:26quite likely

00:34:27that they would consider

00:34:27undergoing some sort

00:34:28of marriage ceremony

00:34:31I think the thing is

00:34:33that this is a world

00:34:34where morality

00:34:35and societal structure

00:34:37was really set

00:34:38and to suddenly have

00:34:41the monarch

00:34:42having a relationship

00:34:44it seemed

00:34:44even rumours

00:34:46of secret marriages

00:34:47with her highland servant

00:34:48was so explosive

00:34:50to the natural order

00:34:51of things

00:34:51how they perceived it

00:34:53that this

00:34:53the rumours

00:34:55kind of start

00:34:56almost in the sense

00:34:57of oh my god

00:34:58can you believe it

00:34:59But the actions

00:35:00of Victoria

00:35:01and John Brown

00:35:02suggested the marriage rumours

00:35:04could have substance

00:35:05He began to wear

00:35:07a signet ring

00:35:07on his finger

00:35:08that Victoria

00:35:08had given him

00:35:09and she also

00:35:11he gave her

00:35:12his mother's wedding ring

00:35:13which she wore

00:35:14and actually had

00:35:15buried with her

00:35:16which

00:35:17I mean that

00:35:18it's clearly

00:35:19a wedding ring

00:35:19it may not be

00:35:20Victoria's wedding ring

00:35:21but it might

00:35:22very well be

00:35:24She gives

00:35:25John Brown

00:35:26the same watch

00:35:27that she'd given

00:35:28Albert from

00:35:28the same watchmaker

00:35:29exactly the same

00:35:30type of watch

00:35:31which again

00:35:32sort of suggests

00:35:33a husband-wife

00:35:34relationship

00:35:34so I think

00:35:35the evidence

00:35:35is likely

00:35:36although impossible

00:35:37to prove

00:35:38Coming up

00:35:39a damning new

00:35:41testimony

00:35:42comes to light

00:35:43Reverend McLeod

00:35:44relayed to

00:35:45his family

00:35:47that he had

00:35:48secretly

00:35:49married Queen

00:35:50Victoria

00:35:50and John Brown

00:35:51in a ceremony

00:35:52in Scotland

00:35:53and a more

00:35:54shocking scandal

00:35:55emerges

00:35:55which could rock

00:35:56Britain

00:35:57to its core

00:35:58It's rumoured

00:35:59that Queen Victoria

00:36:00is pregnant

00:36:01with John Brown's

00:36:02baby

00:36:09Victoria had

00:36:10a dual reputation

00:36:11but her true

00:36:13passion was evident

00:36:14in her love

00:36:15for John Brown

00:36:16The remarkable

00:36:17intimacy that

00:36:17was

00:36:18plain for all

00:36:19to see

00:36:19very quickly

00:36:21goes right

00:36:21to rumours

00:36:22about their

00:36:22relationship

00:36:23And speculation

00:36:24escalated

00:36:25that their bond

00:36:26was even more

00:36:27shocking

00:36:28So within the

00:36:30royal household

00:36:30it suggested

00:36:31they are already

00:36:32privately

00:36:33secretly married

00:36:34somehow

00:36:34If true

00:36:35the scandal

00:36:36could bring down

00:36:37the monarchy

00:36:39So quite

00:36:40quite dramatically

00:36:41there was a

00:36:41deathbed confession

00:36:42by Reverend

00:36:43MacLeod

00:36:44and he was

00:36:45the chaplain

00:36:46in Scotland

00:36:47to Queen Victoria

00:36:49and during this

00:36:51deathbed confession

00:36:52he is obviously

00:36:55a very Christian

00:36:56man

00:36:56and he wanted

00:36:57to relieve himself

00:36:58of any burdens

00:36:59in his life

00:37:00and he relayed

00:37:02to his family

00:37:04that he had

00:37:05secretly

00:37:05married

00:37:06Queen Victoria

00:37:07and John Brown

00:37:08in a ceremony

00:37:09in Scotland

00:37:10The Reverend

00:37:11confessed this

00:37:12to his sister

00:37:13who then told it

00:37:14to a member

00:37:15of the royal court

00:37:16Mary Ponsonby

00:37:17and Mary Ponsonby

00:37:19told this

00:37:19to the home secretary

00:37:20whose son

00:37:21wrote about it

00:37:22in his diary

00:37:23so it's like

00:37:23Chinese whispers

00:37:24it went through

00:37:25four sources

00:37:26and there's no telling

00:37:27what the chaplain

00:37:28said

00:37:29actually said

00:37:29on his deathbed

00:37:31As the marriage

00:37:32rumour travelled

00:37:33the story grew

00:37:34darker

00:37:35and even more

00:37:36scandalous

00:37:36with consequences

00:37:38that could threaten

00:37:39the future

00:37:40of the empire

00:37:41So the foreign press

00:37:43actually can be

00:37:44much more blunt

00:37:44about Queen Victoria

00:37:46and about rumours

00:37:47because they're not

00:37:47governed by

00:37:48the British government

00:37:49and we have

00:37:50this wonderful article

00:37:51from a Swiss paper

00:37:52where it actually says

00:37:54if we look down here

00:37:55that it's rumoured

00:37:56so this is 1866

00:37:58five years after Albert's death

00:37:59it's rumoured

00:38:00that Queen Victoria

00:38:01is pregnant

00:38:02with John Brown's baby

00:38:06So the rumour

00:38:07was that

00:38:07maybe Queen Victoria

00:38:08had a child

00:38:09with John Brown

00:38:09at the age of 46

00:38:11in secret

00:38:12Whether this is true

00:38:13or not

00:38:14is of course

00:38:14up for speculation

00:38:18For Victoria

00:38:19to have had a child

00:38:20with a servant

00:38:21it would have been

00:38:22the biggest scandal

00:38:23of the 19th century

00:38:24and I think

00:38:25that's not an exaggeration

00:38:27Kings

00:38:28can have

00:38:29illegitimate children

00:38:30but it's very

00:38:30very different

00:38:31for a Queen

00:38:32because there's a sense

00:38:34that Queens

00:38:34have to be above

00:38:35suspicion

00:38:36and

00:38:37it would

00:38:38almost certainly

00:38:39have been

00:38:39the end of her reign

00:38:40not just giving birth

00:38:41to an illegitimate child

00:38:42but also giving birth

00:38:43to the child

00:38:44of a servant

00:38:44is just

00:38:45it's an unfathomable scandal

00:38:51You can't just

00:38:52have a child

00:38:53in Windsor Castle

00:38:54and people

00:38:55not know definitely

00:38:56I mean

00:38:57there are her maids

00:38:58will know

00:38:58she is going

00:38:59to miss her period

00:39:00and you know

00:39:00these things

00:39:01are noticed

00:39:01there is no privacy

00:39:03in the castle

00:39:05everyone is around you

00:39:06Keeping a secret

00:39:07was a challenge

00:39:08within the royal court

00:39:09but could Victoria

00:39:11have carried

00:39:11the deception

00:39:12She's in her late 40s

00:39:14by this stage

00:39:15it's not impossible

00:39:16by any means

00:39:17you know

00:39:17if we look at the photos

00:39:18of Queen Victoria

00:39:18she's wearing

00:39:19these enormous dresses

00:39:20she has shoes

00:39:21over her shoulders

00:39:22she's not a slight woman

00:39:23by this stage

00:39:24in her life either

00:39:25you know

00:39:25I mean Queen Victoria

00:39:26actually defies convention

00:39:28by discarding her corsets

00:39:30by her middle age

00:39:31and just going

00:39:31not going to wear them

00:39:32they're uncomfortable

00:39:33so it's not beyond

00:39:35the realms of possibility

00:39:36that she could have

00:39:37concealed a pregnancy

00:39:38The claim of Victoria's

00:39:40secret child

00:39:40has long been rejected

00:39:42and the story

00:39:43went no further

00:39:44until recently

00:39:46when the historian

00:39:47Fern Riddell

00:39:48rediscovered

00:39:49a potentially

00:39:50explosive document

00:39:51A new birth certificate

00:39:53has been

00:39:54brought to light

00:39:55it is

00:39:561866

00:39:58the child was born

00:39:59and was called

00:40:00Mary Ann

00:40:00and actually

00:40:02this birth certificate

00:40:03was attached

00:40:04to John Brown's

00:40:05brother

00:40:06and his sister-in-law

00:40:07and they emigrated

00:40:09quite dramatically

00:40:11to New Zealand

00:40:13and the rumours are

00:40:14that Mary Ann

00:40:16this child

00:40:17is John Brown

00:40:18and Victoria's child

00:40:19and was sent away

00:40:21to the colonies

00:40:23to be brought up

00:40:24by his brother

00:40:26and sister-in-law

00:40:27in secret

00:40:28The potential

00:40:30of a secret child

00:40:31was not just

00:40:32a damaging scandal

00:40:33but a threat

00:40:34to Victorian Britain

00:40:35itself

00:40:36a nation dependent

00:40:37on duty

00:40:38order

00:40:39and succession

00:40:41I think what you have

00:40:42to understand

00:40:42is this is a whole

00:40:43political structure

00:40:44which is built

00:40:46on rules

00:40:47and etiquette

00:40:49and people

00:40:50knowing their place

00:40:51democracy is beginning

00:40:52to emerge

00:40:53but it's a long

00:40:53long way away

00:40:54from

00:40:54one person

00:40:56one woman

00:40:57one man

00:40:58one vote

00:41:00everything about

00:41:02the way society

00:41:03worked

00:41:03depended on people

00:41:04respecting the boundaries

00:41:06within it

00:41:06with growing

00:41:07anti-royalism

00:41:08Victoria's personal life

00:41:10could be exposed

00:41:11politically

00:41:11a Scottish Republican

00:41:13Alexander Robertson

00:41:14published a pamphlet

00:41:16using the rumours

00:41:17of a secret child

00:41:18to argue that the crown

00:41:19had lost its legitimacy

00:41:22so the politicians

00:41:23of course

00:41:24tried to warn her

00:41:24but the queen

00:41:25wasn't going to listen

00:41:26to them

00:41:26she was her own person

00:41:28she was going to do

00:41:29exactly what she wanted

00:41:30and she didn't care

00:41:31you know

00:41:31fiddlesticks

00:41:32she just sent

00:41:34nothing

00:41:34she wasn't going to

00:41:35ever be bullied

00:41:35Victoria's refusal

00:41:37to relinquish

00:41:38her relationship

00:41:39with John Brown

00:41:40and her continued

00:41:41absence from public life

00:41:43was becoming

00:41:44a constitutional crisis

00:41:45and this was not

00:41:47a safe time

00:41:48for kings and queens

00:41:49to disappear

00:41:50from view

00:41:50so Victoria's withdrawal

00:41:53from public life

00:41:53in the early 1860s

00:41:55coincides with a moment

00:41:57across Europe

00:41:57where monarchic governments

00:41:59are falling

00:42:00so there is

00:42:01a massive threat

00:42:02of republicanism

00:42:03the queen

00:42:04continued to live

00:42:05for life of seclusion

00:42:06in her royal palaces

00:42:08and the British

00:42:09establishment feared

00:42:10it could trigger

00:42:11a revolution

00:42:12what's the point

00:42:13in having a monarch

00:42:14if you

00:42:14the ordinary member

00:42:16of the public

00:42:16can never get to see them

00:42:17so it's interesting

00:42:18that with a constitutional monarchy

00:42:20a large part of their role

00:42:21is actually to be visible

00:42:23to be seen

00:42:24in ceremonies

00:42:26such as state opening

00:42:27in the 19th century

00:42:28in the British political system

00:42:30the monarch opening parliament

00:42:32delivering the queen's speech

00:42:34was one of the most important

00:42:35political moments of the year

00:42:36so between Albert dying

00:42:37in 1861 and 1866

00:42:40she doesn't do it at all

00:42:42republican voices grew louder

00:42:44arguing that Britain

00:42:46no longer needed a queen

00:42:47they barely saw

00:42:48and their anger

00:42:50moved beyond pamphlets

00:42:51and spilled onto the streets

00:42:53in 1872

00:42:55that fury was manifested

00:42:57when an Irish republican

00:42:59came terrifyingly close

00:43:01to Victoria herself

00:43:02Arthur O'Connor

00:43:04he jumps over the rails

00:43:06at Buckingham Palace

00:43:06and stands right by Victoria's coach

00:43:09and John Brown wrestles him away

00:43:10and he's found to have a gun

00:43:11it was John Brown

00:43:13who reacted first

00:43:14he confronted the would-be assassin

00:43:16seized his gun

00:43:17and dragged him away

00:43:19Victoria was absolutely

00:43:22beside herself

00:43:24but actually quite thrilled

00:43:25that it was John

00:43:27John Brown

00:43:28how could Victoria fail

00:43:29to fall in love with him

00:43:30he saved her

00:43:31he rescued her

00:43:32he threw himself

00:43:33in harm's way

00:43:34because

00:43:35this is a young

00:43:36strong man

00:43:37with a gun

00:43:38he could have killed

00:43:39John Brown

00:43:40he could have shot him

00:43:41and John Brown

00:43:42risks his life

00:43:42to save Victoria

00:43:45so the Queen

00:43:46wanted to thank him

00:43:47after this second

00:43:48brave rescue

00:43:48and she issues

00:43:50a special medal

00:43:51for him

00:43:52and it's a gold medal

00:43:53for the Faithful Service Award

00:43:55came with 25 pounds as well

00:43:57which was a lot of money

00:43:58in those days

00:43:59John Brown

00:44:00became a national hero

00:44:02and Victoria's

00:44:03unshakable trust in him

00:44:05gave him more authority

00:44:07controlling access

00:44:08to the Queen

00:44:09even in matters of war

00:44:11and peace

00:44:12there's a moment

00:44:13where we nearly

00:44:14go to war with Russia

00:44:14and the Foreign Secretary

00:44:16Lord Derby

00:44:17is advised to go

00:44:18and talk to John Brown

00:44:20if he wants to

00:44:21persuade the Queen

00:44:22that we shouldn't

00:44:23go to war with Russia

00:44:24in that one moment

00:44:25some people in the system

00:44:26do suggest

00:44:27that Brown's gatekeeping

00:44:29could have helped

00:44:31to get access to Victoria

00:44:33and change her mind

00:44:34but for her children

00:44:36John Brown's

00:44:37unstoppable elevation

00:44:38only deepened

00:44:40their resentment

00:44:43they dislike

00:44:45John Brown

00:44:45intently

00:44:46partly because

00:44:47he's quite

00:44:47over familiar

00:44:48with them

00:44:48he gets involved

00:44:50in fights

00:44:51between Victoria

00:44:51and her daughter

00:44:52Princess Louise

00:44:53for example

00:44:53in a kind of

00:44:54almost stepfatherly way

00:44:56which really annoys

00:44:58the princess

00:44:58and her brothers

00:45:02to them

00:45:03he was completely

00:45:04beneath them

00:45:04as a royal family

00:45:05and shouldn't be

00:45:06overstepping

00:45:07that bound

00:45:09but ultimately

00:45:10it was the Queen's decision

00:45:11so they had to go

00:45:12along with it

00:45:13Victoria

00:45:13she wasn't that fond

00:45:14of her children

00:45:15she wasn't a very

00:45:16maternal person

00:45:17I mean she

00:45:18she says quite early on

00:45:20she always found it

00:45:21difficult to relate

00:45:21to children

00:45:22she preferred the

00:45:23company of adults

00:45:24someone says to her

00:45:25oh isn't it amazing

00:45:27when you give birth

00:45:28to a new life

00:45:28and she says

00:45:29well I just

00:45:30felt like a cow really

00:45:33so she's quite detached

00:45:34from her children

00:45:35from the outset

00:45:38Brown was an unwelcome

00:45:39intruder

00:45:40to the royal household

00:45:42but for Victoria

00:45:43it was always

00:45:44about trust

00:45:45and he came to

00:45:46carry more weight

00:45:47than a prince

00:45:51there's a great

00:45:52incident where

00:45:53he complained to her

00:45:54that he had to

00:45:55stay up late

00:45:56at Balmoral

00:45:56because her sons

00:45:57were staying

00:45:58in the smoking room

00:45:58too late

00:45:59and he couldn't

00:45:59go to bed

00:46:00until they'd

00:46:00gone to bed

00:46:01so she told her sons

00:46:02to go to bed

00:46:02early

00:46:03in future

00:46:07even her

00:46:08close family

00:46:09have to shake him

00:46:10by the hand

00:46:11and that's very

00:46:12uncomfortable

00:46:12because all of a

00:46:14sudden

00:46:14you have this

00:46:15working class

00:46:16individual

00:46:17who's

00:46:18from the

00:46:19Scottish Highlands

00:46:20being treated

00:46:22with respect

00:46:23almost being

00:46:24treated on an

00:46:25equal plane

00:46:26but you certainly

00:46:27get a sense

00:46:28of the way

00:46:29that the

00:46:30relationship

00:46:30with Brown

00:46:31so winds

00:46:32up her family

00:46:32and I'm sure

00:46:34she enjoyed

00:46:35that

00:46:35I'm sure she

00:46:36enjoyed puncturing

00:46:37the pomposity

00:46:38and keeping

00:46:39everyone sort of

00:46:40not quite knowing

00:46:42where they were

00:46:43you didn't get into

00:46:45Victoria's world

00:46:46simply because you

00:46:47were a prince

00:46:48or one of her children

00:46:49you had to

00:46:50slightly earn your

00:46:51place

00:46:51and Brown

00:46:52becomes a really

00:46:53key part of that

00:46:54Victoria may have

00:46:56enjoyed herself

00:46:56but her children

00:46:58were definitely

00:46:59not amused

00:47:01and they also

00:47:02were potentially

00:47:02quite jealous of him

00:47:04you know maybe

00:47:04they saw him as

00:47:05trying to muscle in

00:47:06and replace their

00:47:07dead father

00:47:08but ultimately

00:47:10it was the queen's

00:47:11decision

00:47:12Victoria would not

00:47:13be separated

00:47:14from Brown

00:47:15she had him

00:47:16follow her

00:47:16everywhere

00:47:17into a world

00:47:18that could not

00:47:19have been more

00:47:19alien to him

00:47:20there was no

00:47:22wild freedom

00:47:23and highland hills

00:47:24just royal rivalries

00:47:26and constant

00:47:27criticism

00:47:28and the strain

00:47:30was beginning

00:47:31to show

00:47:34he was a highlander

00:47:35through and through

00:47:36so when he went

00:47:37to Windsor

00:47:37he probably felt

00:47:38a bit lonely

00:47:38a bit isolated

00:47:39he might have

00:47:40drunk a little bit

00:47:41more

00:47:41he was certainly

00:47:43nervous about

00:47:43people attacking

00:47:44the queen

00:47:45both from within

00:47:46the system

00:47:46and without

00:47:47in the form

00:47:48of assassins

00:47:49and he

00:47:50you get the idea

00:47:52that he's

00:47:52permanently on edge

00:47:53by the spring

00:47:55of 1883

00:47:56that fear

00:47:57was constant

00:47:57when a report

00:47:59came in of

00:47:59intruders

00:48:00inside the grounds

00:48:01of Windsor

00:48:01Brown was

00:48:02immediately on alert

00:48:03driven by a

00:48:04single instinct

00:48:05to keep the

00:48:06queen safe

00:48:07so that fear

00:48:09of people

00:48:10trying to

00:48:10assassinate

00:48:11Victoria

00:48:11which was real

00:48:13I think that

00:48:14drives him so much

00:48:15that ultimately

00:48:15he has to

00:48:16you find him

00:48:17going out into

00:48:18the woods

00:48:19in Windsor

00:48:19at night

00:48:20I certainly

00:48:21think you can

00:48:22get a sense

00:48:23that the

00:48:25almost secretive

00:48:26world in which

00:48:27him and Victoria

00:48:27had to live

00:48:28their life

00:48:30developed

00:48:30almost into

00:48:32a sense

00:48:32of paranoia

00:48:35coming up

00:48:36John Brown

00:48:37and Victoria's

00:48:38unceasing devotion

00:48:39was a risk

00:48:40to crown

00:48:41and country

00:48:42she says

00:48:43perhaps never

00:48:43in history

00:48:44was there

00:48:45so warm

00:48:45and loving

00:48:46a friendship

00:48:47between the

00:48:47sovereign and

00:48:48servant

00:48:48this is sort

00:48:49of historical

00:48:49dynamite

00:48:50but for the

00:48:51second time

00:48:52Victoria faced

00:48:53a devastating

00:48:54loss

00:48:55we have

00:48:56her

00:48:56account of

00:48:58receiving the

00:48:58news

00:48:58actually in

00:48:59her journal

00:48:59and it's

00:49:00just absolutely

00:49:01tragic

00:49:09by 1883

00:49:10John Brown

00:49:11had been

00:49:12by Victoria's

00:49:13side

00:49:13for over

00:49:1320 years

00:49:14John Brown

00:49:16was with

00:49:16Victoria

00:49:17the whole

00:49:18time

00:49:18but scandalous

00:49:19rumours of

00:49:20marriage

00:49:20and even

00:49:21a secret

00:49:22child

00:49:22had put

00:49:23the monarchy

00:49:23at risk

00:49:24for Victoria

00:49:25to have had

00:49:25a child

00:49:26with a servant

00:49:26it would have

00:49:27been the

00:49:27biggest scandal

00:49:28of the

00:49:2919th century

00:49:30and now

00:49:31Brown's

00:49:31devotion

00:49:32was beginning

00:49:33to take

00:49:33its toll

00:49:34increasingly

00:49:35concerned

00:49:36about threats

00:49:36to the

00:49:37Queen

00:49:37he was

00:49:37constantly

00:49:38on the

00:49:38lookout

00:49:39for danger

00:49:41at Windsor

00:49:42he stayed

00:49:43out till

00:49:43dawn

00:49:44homing the

00:49:45frozen estate

00:49:45for threats

00:49:46that might

00:49:47never appear

00:49:48he fell

00:49:49ill

00:49:49and was

00:49:50too weak

00:49:50to attend

00:49:51to Victoria

00:49:52the next

00:49:52day

00:49:53this has

00:49:53a massive

00:49:54impact

00:49:55on Queen

00:49:55Victoria

00:49:57vexed

00:49:57that Brown

00:49:58could not

00:49:58attend on me

00:49:59today

00:49:59not being

00:50:00at all

00:50:01well

00:50:01with a

00:50:02swollen

00:50:02face

00:50:03which it

00:50:03is feared

00:50:04is

00:50:04erysipelas

00:50:05the following

00:50:06day

00:50:07his condition

00:50:08worsened

00:50:09he gets

00:50:10some kind

00:50:11of strange

00:50:11skin infection

00:50:12and within

00:50:13two days

00:50:14he has

00:50:15an awful

00:50:16fever

00:50:16had not

00:50:18a good

00:50:18night

00:50:18poor Brown

00:50:19no better

00:50:20in fact

00:50:21worse

00:50:22and his

00:50:22mind

00:50:23rather wandering

00:50:25John

00:50:25John Brown

00:50:26never recovered

00:50:27he died

00:50:28on the

00:50:2827th of

00:50:29March

00:50:301883

00:50:31aged 56

00:50:33it's a

00:50:34it's a

00:50:34tragic

00:50:34it's a

00:50:35tragic end

00:50:36I mean

00:50:36it's

00:50:36Shakespearean

00:50:37in a way

00:50:37isn't it

00:50:39we have

00:50:40her account

00:50:41of receiving

00:50:42the news

00:50:43actually in

00:50:43her journal

00:50:43and it's

00:50:44just

00:50:44absolutely

00:50:45tragic

00:50:46she says

00:50:47she was

00:50:47terribly upset

00:50:48by the loss

00:50:49of who was

00:50:50so devoted

00:50:51and attached

00:50:51to my service

00:50:52and who did

00:50:53so much

00:50:54for my personal

00:50:54comfort

00:50:55and she refers

00:50:56to him in this

00:50:57journal entry

00:50:57as a real

00:50:57friend

00:50:58and this

00:50:59doesn't really

00:51:00look as though

00:51:01he is a lover

00:51:02or a husband

00:51:02from her

00:51:03wording

00:51:03but I think

00:51:04we have to

00:51:04remember that

00:51:05she does

00:51:05have an eye

00:51:06on posterity

00:51:07in her

00:51:07journal

00:51:08entry

00:51:09nearly 120

00:51:11years after

00:51:12John Brown's

00:51:12death

00:51:12a discovery

00:51:14was made

00:51:15revealing that

00:51:16Victoria's love

00:51:17for him

00:51:17was far

00:51:18deeper

00:51:19than had

00:51:20previously

00:51:20been imagined

00:51:22so I was

00:51:23doing some

00:51:23research for

00:51:24a PhD

00:51:25in Victorian

00:51:25politics

00:51:26and I came

00:51:27across

00:51:27this one

00:51:28letter of

00:51:29Queen Beatrice

00:51:29which was

00:51:30just a couple

00:51:31of days

00:51:31after John

00:51:32Brown had

00:51:33died

00:51:34she writes

00:51:34that her

00:51:35life for the

00:51:36second time

00:51:37has become

00:51:38most trying

00:51:40and sad to

00:51:41bear

00:51:41deprived of

00:51:42all she so

00:51:43needs

00:51:43the blow

00:51:44has fallen

00:51:45too heavily

00:51:45not to be

00:51:46very heavily

00:51:47felt

00:51:47the key line

00:51:48is where she

00:51:49says that

00:51:50life for the

00:51:50second time

00:51:51has become

00:51:52most trying

00:51:52and sad to

00:51:53bear

00:51:53because she's

00:51:54elevating

00:51:55John Brown's

00:51:55death

00:51:56to that

00:51:57of her

00:51:57husband

00:51:58Prince

00:51:58Albert

00:51:58some decades

00:51:59earlier

00:51:59I thought

00:52:00this is

00:52:01this is

00:52:02sort of

00:52:02historical

00:52:02dynamite

00:52:03Queen

00:52:04Victoria

00:52:05definitely

00:52:05loved

00:52:06John Brown

00:52:06I mean

00:52:06there is

00:52:07no doubt

00:52:07about that

00:52:08she writes

00:52:09that she

00:52:10can't stand

00:52:10she can't

00:52:11sit

00:52:11she's lost

00:52:12her closest

00:52:13friend

00:52:14Victoria's grief

00:52:15didn't fade

00:52:16it hardened

00:52:17as she tried

00:52:18to keep

00:52:19John Brown

00:52:19present

00:52:20in her

00:52:20life

00:52:21so

00:52:22Victoria

00:52:22also

00:52:23memorializes

00:52:24John Brown

00:52:24as she did

00:52:25with Albert

00:52:25she actually

00:52:26has a cast

00:52:26made of his

00:52:27hand

00:52:27just as she

00:52:28had done

00:52:28for Albert

00:52:29and she

00:52:30keeps his

00:52:30room

00:52:31exactly as

00:52:31it was

00:52:32again as

00:52:33she'd done

00:52:33for Albert

00:52:35she makes

00:52:36a life-sized

00:52:36statue of

00:52:37John Brown

00:52:38in his

00:52:38guild

00:52:38standing tall

00:52:39and looking

00:52:40good

00:52:40and she

00:52:41also leaves

00:52:41mementos

00:52:42and memorials

00:52:42in Osborne

00:52:43and in

00:52:44Windsor

00:52:44so in

00:52:45all the

00:52:45royal palaces

00:52:46there is

00:52:47something to

00:52:47honour

00:52:48John Brown

00:52:48but John

00:52:49Brown's

00:52:50death

00:52:50was a

00:52:51relief

00:52:51to her

00:52:51children

00:52:52and the

00:52:52politicians

00:52:53bringing an

00:52:54end to

00:52:54the scandalous

00:52:55rumours

00:52:55that had

00:52:56put the

00:52:56empire

00:52:57at risk

00:52:57Victoria

00:52:58as she

00:52:59grows

00:52:59older

00:52:59is so

00:53:01sad

00:53:01because

00:53:01she's

00:53:01outliving

00:53:02everybody

00:53:02her

00:53:03friends

00:53:03her

00:53:04mother

00:53:04dies

00:53:05then

00:53:05Albert

00:53:05dies

00:53:06and

00:53:06then

00:53:06John

00:53:07Brown

00:53:07dies

00:53:07and

00:53:08early

00:53:09Joie de

00:53:09Vivre

00:53:09is difficult

00:53:10to hold

00:53:11when you

00:53:11see so

00:53:12many

00:53:12people

00:53:12dying

00:53:12and you

00:53:13feel

00:53:13increasingly

00:53:14isolated

00:53:14in the

00:53:15world

00:53:15now in

00:53:16her late

00:53:1760s

00:53:17Victoria

00:53:18had lost

00:53:19the people

00:53:19and the

00:53:20intimacy

00:53:21that steadied

00:53:21her world

00:53:22what she

00:53:23sought now

00:53:24was not

00:53:24passion

00:53:25but the

00:53:26reassuring

00:53:26presence

00:53:27of people

00:53:27who were

00:53:28dependable

00:53:28and kind

00:53:29James

00:53:30Reed

00:53:30becomes

00:53:31the Queen's

00:53:32position

00:53:32in 1881

00:53:33and it's

00:53:35quite interesting

00:53:35he's another

00:53:36Scot

00:53:36she loves

00:53:37these kind

00:53:38of authoritative

00:53:39Scottish figures

00:53:40that she can

00:53:41confide in

00:53:42and rely on

00:53:42and by this

00:53:43point

00:53:44Victoria

00:53:45is starting

00:53:45to physically

00:53:46hail

00:53:46so she

00:53:48spends a lot

00:53:48of time

00:53:49with him

00:53:49she's

00:53:49vulnerable

00:53:50and he

00:53:51is someone

00:53:51that she

00:53:52can confide

00:53:53in and

00:53:53trust

00:53:54and in

00:53:551887

00:53:55during her

00:53:56golden jubilee

00:53:57the Queen

00:53:58put her

00:53:59faith in

00:53:59another young

00:54:00man

00:54:00sent from

00:54:01India

00:54:01to serve

00:54:02her

00:54:02Abdul Karim

00:54:06she writes

00:54:06about the

00:54:07first meeting

00:54:07in her

00:54:08journals

00:54:08she goes

00:54:09on to

00:54:09describe

00:54:10Abdul Karim

00:54:11and she

00:54:12says

00:54:12tall

00:54:13and with

00:54:13a fine

00:54:14serious

00:54:15countenance

00:54:16yeah well

00:54:16the next day

00:54:17she's writing

00:54:17in her

00:54:18journals

00:54:18that you

00:54:19know

00:54:19it was

00:54:19a lovely

00:54:20day

00:54:20she's not

00:54:21that tired

00:54:21anymore

00:54:22she's got

00:54:22some new

00:54:23people

00:54:23some excitement

00:54:24in her

00:54:24life

00:54:26he treats

00:54:27Victoria

00:54:27as a human

00:54:28being

00:54:29then he

00:54:29cooks her

00:54:30these curries

00:54:30something more

00:54:31exciting

00:54:32Victoria loved

00:54:33her food

00:54:33easy way

00:54:34to get to

00:54:34her heart

00:54:35cook her

00:54:36a curry

00:54:37all of a

00:54:38sudden

00:54:38Abdul Karim

00:54:40is moved

00:54:41into

00:54:41John Brown's

00:54:42quarters

00:54:43not just

00:54:44at Windsor

00:54:44but at

00:54:45Balmoral

00:54:48and actually

00:54:49this comes out

00:54:49in the gossip

00:54:50columns as

00:54:50well

00:54:51they start

00:54:51calling him

00:54:52the Brown

00:54:53John Brown

00:54:54the royal

00:54:55family had

00:54:56seen this

00:54:56before

00:54:57a trusted

00:54:58servant

00:54:59elevated

00:55:00by affection

00:55:00moving

00:55:01closer

00:55:02to the

00:55:02centre

00:55:03of the

00:55:03Queen's

00:55:03private

00:55:04life

00:55:04and they

00:55:05felt the

00:55:06threat

00:55:06keenly

00:55:07so

00:55:08Victoria's

00:55:09children

00:55:09hated

00:55:10Abdul Karim

00:55:11just as

00:55:11they'd

00:55:11hated

00:55:12John Brown

00:55:12before

00:55:13and they're

00:55:14clearly

00:55:14very wary

00:55:15of him

00:55:15I think

00:55:16they see

00:55:16him as

00:55:17an upstart

00:55:18they are

00:55:18concerned

00:55:19about his

00:55:20influence

00:55:20over the

00:55:21Queen

00:55:21and within

00:55:21a year

00:55:22she gives

00:55:23him a

00:55:23title

00:55:23Secretary

00:55:24of India

00:55:25and he's

00:55:26looking at

00:55:26her papers

00:55:27and he's

00:55:27also whispering

00:55:28in her ear

00:55:29to make

00:55:29sure that

00:55:30he can

00:55:30influence

00:55:31things that

00:55:32are happening

00:55:32in India

00:55:33the Queen's

00:55:34friendship

00:55:34with Abdul Karim

00:55:35is even

00:55:36more of a

00:55:37challenge to

00:55:37authority

00:55:38than her

00:55:38friendship

00:55:38with John

00:55:39Brown

00:55:39this is

00:55:40very different

00:55:40she's with

00:55:41Abdul Karim

00:55:42he's an

00:55:42Indian man

00:55:43he's from

00:55:43another country

00:55:44people panic

00:55:44if the Queen

00:55:45listens to

00:55:46Abdul Karim

00:55:47too much

00:55:47she might want

00:55:48to start

00:55:49doing things

00:55:49like giving

00:55:50the Indians

00:55:51more power

00:55:51she might

00:55:52start going

00:55:53against the

00:55:53idea of

00:55:54the Indian

00:55:54Empire

00:55:55really

00:55:56there is

00:55:57huge panic

00:55:58about the

00:55:59Queen's interest

00:56:00in Abdul Karim's

00:56:01conversation

00:56:01there is huge

00:56:02panic

00:56:02the ministers

00:56:03her family

00:56:04they really

00:56:05try and

00:56:05drag her

00:56:06away from

00:56:06him

00:56:06coming up

00:56:08after Victoria's

00:56:09death

00:56:09her children

00:56:10brutally

00:56:11dispatch with

00:56:12Abdul Karim

00:56:13they raid his

00:56:15house and

00:56:16then he's given

00:56:16his marching

00:56:17orders

00:56:17he's deported

00:56:18and they attempt

00:56:19to erase any

00:56:20documentation of

00:56:21Victoria's involvement

00:56:22with John Brown

00:56:24the amazing thing

00:56:25about all the

00:56:26evidence of

00:56:26Queen Victoria's

00:56:27relationship with

00:56:28John Brown

00:56:28is that her

00:56:29family went

00:56:30to so many

00:56:31lengths to

00:56:32destroy so

00:56:33much of

00:56:33our evidence

00:56:41Victoria's

00:56:42love for

00:56:42John Brown

00:56:43had put the

00:56:43empire at

00:56:44risk

00:56:44and after

00:56:45his death

00:56:46she risked

00:56:47scandal again

00:56:47through her

00:56:47attachment

00:56:48to an

00:56:49Indian

00:56:49servant

00:56:50Abdul Karim

00:56:51all of a

00:56:51sudden

00:56:52Abdul Karim

00:56:53is moved

00:56:55into

00:56:55John Brown's

00:56:56quarters

00:56:56not just at

00:56:57Windsor

00:56:58but at

00:56:58Balmoral

00:56:59and just as

00:57:00before

00:57:00the royal

00:57:01family were

00:57:02desperate to

00:57:03discredit him

00:57:04Victoria's

00:57:04children

00:57:05hated

00:57:06Abdul Karim

00:57:06just as

00:57:07they'd

00:57:07hated

00:57:08John Brown

00:57:08before

00:57:09so the

00:57:10households

00:57:11do

00:57:11everything

00:57:12they can

00:57:12to bring

00:57:14Abdul down

00:57:14there's like

00:57:15a conspiracy

00:57:15going on

00:57:16first they say

00:57:17he's a thief

00:57:18then they say

00:57:19he's a spy

00:57:20they have him

00:57:20followed in

00:57:21India

00:57:22but as

00:57:23with John

00:57:23Brown

00:57:24Victoria kept

00:57:25Abdul close

00:57:26in defiance

00:57:26of a court

00:57:27that resented

00:57:28his rise

00:57:28and her son

00:57:29Bertie

00:57:30the Prince

00:57:30of Wales

00:57:31saw his

00:57:32chance to

00:57:32make an

00:57:33extraordinary

00:57:33power move

00:57:35he detests

00:57:36Abdul Karim

00:57:37and this also

00:57:38to him

00:57:38is an opportunity

00:57:39he'd always been

00:57:40kept away from

00:57:41power by his

00:57:41mother

00:57:42she never thought

00:57:42he was very

00:57:43intelligent

00:57:43never thought

00:57:44he was very

00:57:44capable

00:57:45and he does

00:57:46see Abdul Karim

00:57:46as possibly

00:57:47a route for

00:57:47him to take

00:57:48power from

00:57:49Victoria

00:57:49to say

00:57:50you know

00:57:50actually

00:57:50she's under

00:57:51the thrall

00:57:51of this

00:57:52Indian

00:57:52servant

00:57:53and so

00:57:54Bertie

00:57:54actually

00:57:55attempts to

00:57:55get

00:57:55Victoria's

00:57:56doctor

00:57:56to certify

00:57:57that she's

00:57:58mad

00:57:58because of

00:57:59the relationship

00:57:59with Abdul Karim

00:58:00because it's so

00:58:01unusual

00:58:01why would she

00:58:02be so interested

00:58:02in this man

00:58:04and it doesn't

00:58:05work

00:58:05and Victoria

00:58:06clearly has

00:58:07all her marbles

00:58:08intact by the

00:58:09end of her life

00:58:10but in his

00:58:11attempts to dethrone

00:58:12Victoria

00:58:13Bertie weakened

00:58:14his own position

00:58:15there's no doubt

00:58:16that certain

00:58:17members of the

00:58:19British monarchy

00:58:20were not the

00:58:21brightest

00:58:21so when he's

00:58:22thinking about

00:58:22having his

00:58:23mother declared

00:58:23mad

00:58:24he's definitely

00:58:25not thinking

00:58:25things through

00:58:27you know

00:58:28Victoria's own

00:58:29grandfather

00:58:29George III

00:58:31had gone mad

00:58:32or as we say

00:58:33these days

00:58:33mentally unwell

00:58:35and this was

00:58:36a hereditary

00:58:37disease

00:58:37so he should

00:58:39have been a

00:58:39little bit more

00:58:40careful I think

00:58:42Victoria at the

00:58:43beginning of her

00:58:44life was surrounded

00:58:44by her mother

00:58:45trying to seize

00:58:46power

00:58:46and now at the

00:58:47end of her life

00:58:48she's surrounded

00:58:49by her children

00:58:50trying to seize

00:58:50power

00:58:51it's no wonder

00:58:51that Victoria

00:58:52had friendships

00:58:52with her servants

00:58:53who were so loyal

00:58:54because her family

00:58:55weren't loyal

00:58:57in one of her

00:58:58last diary entries

00:58:59on New Year's Day

00:59:001901

00:59:01she wrote

00:59:02another year begun

00:59:04and I am feeling

00:59:05so weak and unwell

00:59:06that I enter upon

00:59:07it sadly

00:59:08soon after

00:59:10Victoria's long reign

00:59:11finally came to

00:59:13an end

00:59:13after a series of

00:59:15strokes she died

00:59:16on the 22nd of

00:59:17January

00:59:17in the Isle of Wight

00:59:25I think she would

00:59:26be very happy

00:59:27to have died

00:59:28at Osborne House

00:59:29it's a place

00:59:29where her and

00:59:30Albert had

00:59:30brought a family

00:59:31up together

00:59:32and also this

00:59:33is the place

00:59:34where she brings

00:59:35John Brown

00:59:36and much later

00:59:37in life

00:59:38Abdul Karim

00:59:39she lived a long

00:59:40life till 81

00:59:41at that age

00:59:42nine children

00:59:44in a man's world

00:59:4563 years

00:59:47on the throne

00:59:48so yeah

00:59:49good for her

00:59:52while Victoria lived

00:59:53her will

00:59:54had been law

00:59:55but once she was gone

00:59:57her children

00:59:58were free

00:59:58to take charge

00:59:59not just

01:00:00of the royal court

01:00:01but of Victoria's

01:00:03legacy

01:00:05so after Queen

01:00:06Victoria's death

01:00:07I mean she always

01:00:08knew the vultures

01:00:09were circling

01:00:10and they came down

01:00:10hard

01:00:11so within hours

01:00:13of her funeral

01:00:14which happens

01:00:15at Windsor

01:00:16early morning

01:00:17there's a knock

01:00:18on Abdul Karim's

01:00:19door

01:00:19and standing outside

01:00:21are Princess Beatrice

01:00:22and Queen Alexandra

01:00:23and a lot of tough

01:00:24guards

01:00:25and they just

01:00:26push him aside

01:00:27they come into the

01:00:28house

01:00:28and they raid

01:00:29his house

01:00:30they take out

01:00:31every

01:00:31you know

01:00:32they're just

01:00:32looking for letters

01:00:33written by Queen

01:00:34Victoria

01:00:34and they take

01:00:35everything from his

01:00:37desk

01:00:37outside the place

01:00:38take everything

01:00:40make a bonfire

01:00:41outside his house

01:00:42and burn it

01:00:43well

01:00:44then he's given

01:00:45his marching orders

01:00:46he's deported

01:00:48and then

01:00:49all of a sudden

01:00:50all traces of him

01:00:53are erased

01:00:54from Queen

01:00:54Victoria's

01:00:56past and memory

01:00:57it's

01:00:58it's quite brutal

01:01:00very brutal

01:01:01this ruthless

01:01:03erosion of evidence

01:01:04didn't stop

01:01:05with Abdul

01:01:05the Queen's

01:01:07children also

01:01:08sought to wipe

01:01:08out every hint

01:01:10of intimacy

01:01:10between their

01:01:11mother and

01:01:12John Brown

01:01:13the amazing

01:01:14thing about

01:01:15all the evidence

01:01:16of Queen Victoria's

01:01:17relationship with

01:01:18John Brown

01:01:18is that her

01:01:20family

01:01:20went to so

01:01:22many lengths

01:01:22to destroy

01:01:23so much of

01:01:24that evidence

01:01:24the journals

01:01:25fell into the

01:01:26hands of her

01:01:26youngest daughter

01:01:27Princess Beatrice

01:01:28who absolutely

01:01:28butchered them

01:01:29removing any

01:01:30reference really

01:01:31to John Brown

01:01:32that she thought

01:01:32was problematic

01:01:34references to

01:01:35other relationships

01:01:36Victoria had

01:01:37during her life

01:01:38and so the

01:01:38journals

01:01:39the picture we

01:01:39have in the

01:01:40journals

01:01:40is very much

01:01:41mediated through

01:01:42Princess Beatrice's

01:01:43eyes

01:01:44as a historian

01:01:45this is the bit

01:01:45that really makes me

01:01:46weep in the whole

01:01:47Brown story

01:01:48we know

01:01:49vast amounts of

01:01:50stuff were destroyed

01:01:51and one of the

01:01:52reasons we know

01:01:53this is that

01:01:53recently

01:01:54the historian

01:01:55Fern Riddell

01:01:55discovered

01:01:56a little extract

01:01:57from Victoria's

01:01:59diary

01:02:00that she had

01:02:01copied out

01:02:02and sent

01:02:02to Brown's

01:02:03family after

01:02:04she died

01:02:04which revealed

01:02:05the true extent

01:02:06of their love

01:02:07for each other

01:02:08when you look

01:02:09today

01:02:10in Queen Victoria's

01:02:11surviving diaries

01:02:12that extract

01:02:13is not there

01:02:13so it just gives

01:02:15you a tiny glimpse

01:02:16of how much

01:02:17was removed

01:02:18I think it's

01:02:19reprehensible

01:02:20that that happened

01:02:20but the fact

01:02:21that they destroyed

01:02:22so much

01:02:23only reveals

01:02:24to me

01:02:25that the

01:02:27relationship

01:02:28was as explosive

01:02:29as you would

01:02:30assume it would

01:02:31have been

01:02:31if they had

01:02:32had a relationship

01:02:36in many ways

01:02:37we kind of

01:02:37have this

01:02:38very

01:02:40dour picture

01:02:41of Queen Victoria

01:02:42but I think

01:02:43that if we

01:02:44actually

01:02:44manage to have

01:02:45her surviving

01:02:46journals

01:02:47we might think

01:02:48of her

01:02:49in a

01:02:49more interesting

01:02:50light

01:02:53again this is

01:02:54an attempt

01:02:55to control

01:02:55her reputation

01:02:56to ensure

01:02:57that nothing

01:02:58that would be

01:02:59seen as problematic

01:03:00survived

01:03:00that could be

01:03:01published

01:03:01and it's a

01:03:03real tragedy

01:03:04because it

01:03:05takes away

01:03:05part of

01:03:06the real

01:03:07Victoria

01:03:07and we're

01:03:08left slightly

01:03:09scratching around

01:03:09for the details

01:03:10of her life

01:03:11which were

01:03:12considered to be

01:03:12more scandalous

01:03:13and it's a real shame

01:03:15while Beatrice

01:03:16rewrote her

01:03:16mother's journals

01:03:17Victoria's son

01:03:19Bertie

01:03:19now King

01:03:20Edward VII

01:03:20instructed

01:03:22that anything

01:03:23John Brown

01:03:23had recorded

01:03:24about his

01:03:24relationship

01:03:25with the Queen

01:03:26was also

01:03:27eradicated

01:03:27not only

01:03:29are Victoria's

01:03:30diaries

01:03:30rewritten

01:03:31and partly

01:03:32destroyed

01:03:32after her

01:03:33death

01:03:33John Brown's

01:03:34diaries

01:03:35are destroyed

01:03:35and then

01:03:36there are

01:03:37certain

01:03:37ongoing

01:03:38kind of

01:03:39efforts

01:03:39to gather

01:03:40records

01:03:40and destroy

01:03:41them

01:03:41so for

01:03:41example

01:03:41in 1905

01:03:43someone tries

01:03:44to blackmail

01:03:45Edward VII

01:03:46with a series

01:03:48of 300

01:03:48letters

01:03:50which are

01:03:50said to be

01:03:51written by

01:03:52Victoria

01:03:52to one

01:03:53of her

01:03:53factors

01:03:53about

01:03:54moral

01:03:55which

01:03:55contain

01:03:56all sorts

01:03:56of

01:03:56compromising

01:03:57information

01:03:58about

01:03:58John Brown

01:03:59and these

01:04:00letters are

01:04:01retrieved

01:04:02and have

01:04:02never been

01:04:03seen

01:04:03since

01:04:04but in

01:04:05one final

01:04:06act of

01:04:06defiance

01:04:07Queen Victoria

01:04:08put the

01:04:08greatest

01:04:09evidence

01:04:09of her

01:04:09love

01:04:10for John

01:04:10Brown

01:04:10beyond

01:04:11anyone's

01:04:12reach

01:04:12and she

01:04:13did so

01:04:14with the

01:04:15help of

01:04:15her trusted

01:04:16personal

01:04:16physician

01:04:17Dr.

01:04:18James

01:04:18Reed

01:04:19I think

01:04:20it's so

01:04:20telling

01:04:21that before

01:04:21she dies

01:04:22she instructs

01:04:23James

01:04:24Reed

01:04:24with this

01:04:25really important

01:04:26list of

01:04:26things she

01:04:27wanted to

01:04:27be buried

01:04:27with

01:04:28she was

01:04:28not

01:04:29prepared

01:04:29to entrust

01:04:31her family

01:04:31with this

01:04:32and she

01:04:33asks Reed

01:04:34to make

01:04:34absolutely

01:04:35certain

01:04:36that she

01:04:36is buried

01:04:36with a

01:04:37certain

01:04:37number of

01:04:37things

01:04:37related to

01:04:38John Brown

01:04:38and the

01:04:39most important

01:04:40of these

01:04:40is a

01:04:41ring

01:04:42a gold

01:04:42ring

01:04:42which had

01:04:43been

01:04:44John Brown's

01:04:45mother's

01:04:45wedding ring

01:04:46and after

01:04:48Brown's

01:04:49mother died

01:04:50John Brown

01:04:51wears it

01:04:51himself

01:04:52and after

01:04:53Brown dies

01:04:54Queen Victoria

01:04:56wears it

01:04:56herself

01:04:57for the rest

01:04:57of her life

01:04:57and she

01:04:58insists

01:04:59that this

01:05:00goes in

01:05:01the coffin

01:05:01with her

01:05:02another

01:05:03really key

01:05:04item I think

01:05:04is not only

01:05:05is there a

01:05:05number of

01:05:05photographs

01:05:06of Brown

01:05:07and Victoria

01:05:08says there's

01:05:09more than

01:05:09one photograph

01:05:10and she's

01:05:10marked the

01:05:11rest with

01:05:12an X

01:05:12so she's

01:05:13thought

01:05:13carefully

01:05:14about the

01:05:15photographs

01:05:15of Brown

01:05:16that she

01:05:16wants in

01:05:16the coffin

01:05:17and then

01:05:18the other

01:05:18really telling

01:05:19one is

01:05:20that she

01:05:20wants two

01:05:21handkerchiefs

01:05:21to be put

01:05:22on top

01:05:22of her

01:05:22body

01:05:23one had

01:05:24belonged

01:05:24to her

01:05:25first husband

01:05:26Albert

01:05:26and the

01:05:28second

01:05:28had belonged

01:05:29to John

01:05:30Brown

01:05:32and of

01:05:33course we

01:05:33know that

01:05:34this is a

01:05:34secret world

01:05:35she doesn't

01:05:35want her

01:05:35family to

01:05:36know

01:05:36and so

01:05:37James Reed

01:05:37he has

01:05:39respect for

01:05:39this and

01:05:40he disguises

01:05:41it so he

01:05:41puts it in

01:05:42her left hand

01:05:43covers it

01:05:43with tissue

01:05:44puts lilies

01:05:45on it

01:05:46sent by

01:05:46Princess

01:05:47Alexander

01:05:47and covers

01:05:49it so the

01:05:50family don't

01:05:50know about

01:05:51it

01:05:51in her dying

01:05:52wishes

01:05:53Victoria showed

01:05:54one last time

01:05:55how she was

01:05:56driven by

01:05:56passion

01:05:57firstly for

01:05:59Albert

01:05:59but equally

01:06:00for a servant

01:06:01that meant so

01:06:02much to her

01:06:02she was willing

01:06:03to put the

01:06:04empire at risk

01:06:05and as in

01:06:07life

01:06:07she defied

01:06:08everyone

01:06:09even her

01:06:10own family

01:06:10for the

01:06:11sake of

01:06:12love

01:06:13and they

01:06:14had no

01:06:14idea that

01:06:15you know

01:06:16Queen

01:06:16Victoria

01:06:16in this

01:06:18coffin

01:06:18where she

01:06:18has Albert's

01:06:19memorabilia as

01:06:20well but in

01:06:21her left hand

01:06:22is clutching

01:06:23John Brown's

01:06:24photograph

01:06:26that is

01:06:27something that

01:06:28tells you how

01:06:29much she

01:06:29loved him

01:06:34it seems

01:06:35just too

01:06:35convenient

01:06:36when a

01:06:36student about

01:06:37to reveal a

01:06:38devastating

01:06:38secret

01:06:39ends up

01:06:39dead

01:06:39DCI

01:06:40Alice will

01:06:41not let

01:06:41this slide

01:06:42new drama

01:06:42Tuesday and

01:06:43Wednesday at

01:06:44nine

01:06:44stream the

01:06:45series so

01:06:45far on

01:06:45five

01:06:46brand new

01:06:47next Saturday

01:06:48at nine

01:06:48conspiracy

01:06:48theories have

01:06:49been banging

01:06:50on about this

01:06:50for decades

01:06:51the mystery

01:06:52of the Duke

01:06:52of Kent

01:06:53what did

01:06:53happen to

01:06:54this forgotten

01:06:55prince

01:06:56next 1979

01:06:57those were

01:06:59the days

01:07:02really

01:07:02that

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