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Royal Family: Queen Victoria was forced to sleep in the same room as her mum until she became monarch

he Royal Family has always had to follow strict rules. Even now, some restrictions, such as not being allowed to wear certain shades of nail polish, may seem excessive. But in the past, certain royals had it especially difficult when it came to what they were and weren't allowed to do.

One such royal was Queen Victoria, who was born in 1819 in Kensington Palace. She died aged 81, making her the longest reigning monarch in British history prior to Queen Elizabeth II. Undeniably, Queen Victoria achieved plenty in her life - the monarch spoke several languages, her face was the first to grace the postage stamp, and she was the first British Royal to travel by train.

The Kensington System had been devised by Victoria’s mother, Victoria the Duchess of Kent, alongside her attendant, Sir John Conroy. The elaborate set of rules were created to govern the empire’s future monarch and prevent the young royal from doing activities such as meeting with people whom her mum disapproved of.

Other bizarre rules included having to avoid public appearances, only walking downstairs while holding the hand of an adult to avoid falling, logging her behaviour in a ‘Behaviour Book’ everyday, and refraining from dancing the waltz as it was considered too scandalous at the time.

But arguably the most concerning rule of all was that Victoria was not allowed to spend time by herself and always had to sleep in her mum's room until she became the monarch. Some sources even claim the strain of the Kensington System became so intense for Victoria that, upon becoming Queen, the first thing she did was ask for an hour to be alone.

Unsurprisingly, Victoria herself went on to describe her childhood as lonely and unhappy later in life. But despite her controlled upbringing, Victoria went on to have a happier adult life. She married Prince Albert in 1840 and the pair went on to have nine children and a whopping 42 grandchildren. 

Reference: My London: Kat Pirnak