This letter written by Queen Victoria to her mother, the Duchess of Kent, in 1859 is one of thousands of private letters written between members of the Royal Family which are kept in the Royal Archives.

© Royal Archives, Windsor Castle

Click here to view a full-size image(1.32MB, JPG)

Click here to view a transcript (PDF, 40KB)

Tasks
8a. What do you think of Queen Victoria’s handwriting? Is it easy to read? How does it differ from modern handwriting?

8b. What kind of information can we get from private letters like this one, which might be difficult to find in other kinds of documents?