Why One Former Queen Was Held "Prisoner" at Kensington Palace by Her Mother
She was forbidden "from reading popular books" or walking "downstairs without holding someone's hand."
Royal fans are likely enamored with the way of life the British Royal Family appears to experience. However, some of the current Royal Family's relatives endured difficult living conditions, with one former queen even finding herself basically "imprisoned" in Kensington Palace.
Queen Victoria had a long and successful reign, making it hard to believe that she was ever anything but in control of her life. However, when Victoria was just a princess, she was forced to follow a set of rules known as the "Kensington System."
Queen Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent, apparently relied on the advice of her late husband's equerry, John Conroy, via Historic Royal Palaces. Conroy was ambitious and reportedly hoped to make his mark on the Royal Family, with a view to gaining power if Victoria took the throne before she was 18 years old. If Victoria was still a child when she became queen, her mother Victoire would have been made Regent, something Conroy hoped would happen, as he was more easily able to influence her.
Queen Victoria at 11 years old.
Conroy "instigated a strict set of rules intended to bolster up the power and position of Victoria's mother, who was unpopular within the wider Royal Family," the outlet explained. "These rules became known as the Kensington 'System.'" However, Conroy's plan seemingly backfired, as "Victoria came to loathe" him and "his attempt to control her."
As a result of the "Kensington System," "Victoria grew up relatively isolated." She "was constantly supervised, not even able to walk downstairs without holding someone's hand in case she fell," the outlet explained.
A portrait of Queen Victoria.
Due to the "Kensington System," a young Queen Victoria was effectively held "prisoner" inside Kensington Palace, the Express reported. According to the outlet, the strict rules "forbade the young princess from reading popular books," and from "spending any time alone without her tutor or governesses."
Additional practical reasons for Victoria's isolation included her safety. "Behind the garden walls, she'd be isolated from both disease and assassination attempts," History Extra explained.
Ultimately, Queen Victoria's mother never became Regent, and didn't gain the control Conroy hoped she would. Basically, Queen Victoria didn't remotely have a normal childhood.
