Movie Review: Young Victoria

This historical film chronicles the life of a youthful Queen Victoria. Until recently, the mass of movies involved Queen Victoria in her later years. The bulk of the plot involves the sporadic romance of Victoria and Prince Albert of Germany. Intrigues abound as Victoria’s mother, the Duchess of Kent, and her lover, Sir John Conroy scheme to steal the power of the monarchy from her prior to reaching her majority. Byzantine plottings between the two political parties of the era confound Victoria’s plans for empire and matrimony.

Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend excellently portrayed Victoria and Albert. The two are destined to marry, but protocol demands that Albert may not ask her hand in marriage until Victoria gives permission to do so. The settings and cinematography are above average. Some license is taken with the historic facts, but all without destroying the essence of the story.