I Read a Book: Victoria: An Intimate Biography
Written by Stanley Weintraub and published in 1992.
I knew little about the Queen who reigned in England for almost two thirds of the 19th Century, and much of what I did know was informed by the TV series run on Masterpiece starring Jenna Coleman, once an aide to Doctor Who. So, yes, reading about her dog Dash, or her teacher/governess/assistant Lehzen, and her romance with the comely Prince Albert who eventually produced the great Exhibition of 1851 rang lots of visual bells for me, but with greater detail.
The early chapters discuss the crazed methods of finding an heir to George III (the mad king who the US rebelled against in 1776) and George IV, who didn't hold the throne very long. Victoria was left standing as all of her father's older brothers failed to have any offspring. So, onto the throne she went, a relatively modern young woman in 1837 who, despite being attracted to cousin Albert of Coburg, tried hard to remain single for as long as she could. Once married, however, she loved her life, except for the part about being pregnant every time she turned around. Albert, for 24 years, served as a king without being called one, as she consulted with him but left him to do all the heavy lifting.
Then he died, probably of cancer, though they claimed it was typhoid. Victoria became despondent, and did as little as possible for several years. This allowed the Liberal government, run by one Gladstone who seems to be a fascinating character, to push through a lot of things she didn't much care for. Over the course of her reign, partially because of her own choices while she was in mourning, the process of shifting from an activist throne to a ceremonial one moved many steps towards the way we know it now. (To be fair, the Reform Act of the 1820s set it in motion).
Eventually, Disraeli - another fascinating character - found ways to lure her back into visibility and to do what work was left for her to do. Meanwhile, she had all those offspring to marry off, and then grandchildren to do the same. Soon enough, she had relatives on half the thrones of Europe.
Weintraub does a great job of telling the story, gathering as many details as possible for color. Early chapters set the scene for her ascension, but once she gets there, we follow pretty much everything she does for the next 64 years. She was an interesting woman, one who felt that poor people shouldn't be educated which would only make them want jobs they couldn't have. She also pushed hard for the expansion and continuance of the British Empire, which wouldn't last tremendously long after she died. She did have some views which were more sympathetic to people, but honestly, I've forgotten them at this point. There are 646 pages in this book.
Here she is in the last year of her life: