On 4th April 1900 Queen Victoria arrived in Ireland for the final time in her 63 year reign. During her lifetime Victoria only visited Ireland four times, with her final visit being perhaps the most significant.
In October 1899 the second Boer War had begun and in February 1900 Victoria met a fourteen-year- old bugler named James Dunne, who had been wounded in the arm and chest while serving with The Royal Dublin Fusiliers in Colenso. As a Queen, mother and grandmother, Victoria found herself shaken by what she has witnessed. By mid-March there had been further reports on attacks on her Irish troops, many of which had been fatally wounded. Wanting to show her support, the eighty-year-old Queen decided that she would “pay a visit to Ireland to thank those brave Irishmen” by completing a tour of the country.
Victoria, who was almost completely blind and limited to a ‘rolling chair’, arrived at Kingstown Harbour at 11:30am on 4th April 1900 with her two daughters, Princesses Helena and Beatrice. Like always, the Queen was dressed in black mourning, with a matching black bonnet, veil and sunglasses. However, what makes this outfit particularly special was the ‘spray of brilliants [diamonds] formed in clusters of shamrock’, which decorated her bonnet. In addition to this, Queen Victoria’s bonnet and parasol had been embroidered with silver shamrocks specially for the occasion. A fashion choice that couldn’t help but go down well with the Irish people.
From the day she arrived, Victoria’s visit proved to be a success, with vast crowds gathering along the procession routes, cheering loudly and waving their hats and handkerchiefs in the air. Despite the overwhelming noise of screaming, Victoria appeared overjoyed with the positive reception she received, describing it in her journal as “wonderful” and “most gratifying”.
© Queen.Victoria.Roses 2026
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