Pencil sketch by Queen Victoria depicting the side profile of her cousin and future husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, dated 1839. At half past seven on Thursday 10th October 1839, Princes Ernst and Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha arrived at Windsor Castle, three years after meeting Queen Victoria for the first time. In her journal the Queen tentatively wrote that ‘it was with some emotion that I beheld Albert – who is beautiful.’
Clearly smitten with Albert’s improved looks, the twenty-year-old Queen detailed every ‘charming’ element of his appearance in her journal, particularly his ‘pretty mouth and delicate moustachios and slight but very slight whiskers’ and his ‘beautiful figure’, which consisted of broad shoulders ‘and a fine waist’.
Within a couple of days, the Queens feelings towards the prospect of marriage had ‘a good deal changed’ thanks to Albert’s presence. On 14th October, she told Lord Melbourne that her mind was made up ‘about marrying dearest Albert.’
As the Queen, it was protocol that Victoria had to be the one to propose. With this in mind, Victoria turned to Lord M. for advice on how she should do it, ‘for that in general such things were done the other way’.
At half past twelve on the 15th October, Queen Victoria experienced the ‘happiest brightest moment’ in her life when she sent for Albert to meet her alone in her Closet. After a few minutes she told him that it would ‘make me too happy if he would to consent to what I wished (to marry me)’.
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