Victoria’s Island

With dazzling characters and an atmospheric setting, a new look at Queen Victoria and her favorite place, the Isle of Wight.

Five years after their marriage, Queen Victoria, then the world’s most powerful monarch, and Prince Albert, the love of her life, bought an estate on the Isle of Wight called Osborne House, which they came to regard as their true home. The island was a magical place: a refuge for a royal family, a treasure trove of natural wonders, a magnet for luminaries of the Victorian age, and, alas, the site of a Dickensian prison for children.

In Victoria’s Island, author and scholar Donna M. Lucey tells this story for the first time. Drawing from private letters and journals, Lucey reveals a Victoria quite different from the monarch of mainstream histories. We witness her intimate family life at Osborne, as well as her transformative encounters with artists, diplomats, scientists, sailors, and everyday islanders. Rich in archival discoveries and vivid prose, Victoria’s Island is an unforgettable portrait of this enchanting island and its people.