1. Victoria was the very first British monarch to use Buckingham Palace as her main royal residence.
2. Victoria was not her first name, she was named Alexandrina after her godfather Tsar Alexander I. However this name was withdrawn at her wish when she ascended the throne, and instead she used her middle name Victoria, also her mother’s name.
3. In 2008 a pair of stockings worn by Queen Victoria sold at auction for £8,000, 40 times the list price. Earlier that year a pair of 50 inch waist bloomers belonging to the queen were bought for £4,500.
4. Victoria has received the nickname ‘the grandmother of Europe’ due to her extensive links throughout the royal families of Europe. Not surprising as she had nine children, 42 grandchildren and 87 great grandchildren.
5. Her first act as queen was to remove her bed from her mother’s room.