Bestselling historical biographer Matthew Dennison lays bare the contradictions at the heart of Britain’s longest-serving monarch.  He shows how, even in her contradictions, she represented the spirit of the age. Victoria was a strong monarch, but submissive wife; she feared intellectualism but was excited by technology; and her romantic longing was set against prudishness.  He portrays a Victoria who embraced photography, rail travel and modern art but who resisted compulsory education for women and suggested a ‘good whipping’ for a female rights campaigner.

Dennison is author of three other acclaimed works of non-fiction, The Last Princess: The Devoted Life of Queen Victoria’s Youngest Daughter, Empress of Rome: The Life of Livia, and The Twelve Caesars.