![]() ![]() ![]() Ernest thinks Albert needs a little more “experience” with women before he takes to the bed of the queen … so to a house of ill repute they go! Albert is appalled, but Ernest tells him to think of it as a “university of love.” A university, you say? Albert can get down with that. Victoria’s head would really explode if she knew about Ernest’s wedding present to his little brother. So when she begins to hear about all the money the men around her - including her father! - have spent on their mistresses, Victoria draws her own conclusions. “I have enough for both of us,” she tells Lord M and King Leopold. She can’t understand why Albert would want for anything when he’s married to the queen of England. But Albert should be careful about wearing his unhappiness on his sleeve - it’s really starting to bug Victoria. Albert takes this decision as a sign that the English people as a whole don’t like him, which is admittedly heavy stuff. Some of the disappointment is understandable. but Albert still winds up very disappointed. Their letters to one another may contain some unbridled 19th-century heat - he is her “dearest angel,” her image fills his whole soul, etc. (Only 30,000 pounds! Poor thing.) Victoria sends him the news. Thanks to Parliament, Albert will receive no title and only 30,000 pounds a year as his husband allowance, or whatever you want to call it. Ignoring the hilarious notion that Parliament gets to approve of the queen’s husband, none of this goes very well for Prince Albert. This, compounded by the fact that Leopold is spending his money on his actress mistress, he’s German, and he’s rumored to be Catholic makes the sell to Parliament extremely difficult. When King Leopold married Princess Charlotte, he was granted 50,000 pounds a year - an allowance he’s still receiving, even after Charlotte’s death 20 years ago. Albert would like a title that gets him a seat in the House of Lords, he would like the ability to choose his own household, and he wants some sweet, sweet English money. Once his uncle and father get ahold of him, though, he does have some newfound requests. Maybe Albert should think less about his financial independence and more about showing some gratitude.Īt least initially, Albert seems content to be a good husband. Here’s my question: What does Victoria get out of this thing? Sure, she’s marrying her One True Love, but she’s also signing up for a lifetime of ’stache rash. ![]() Apparently, marrying someone who lives in a palace and has an infinite supply of handkerchiefs is not enough. Yes, it seems Albert’s side of the family is very preoccupied with what the prince will get out of this whole deal. And you thought picking the perfect color scheme was tough! There is so much to be done, too: Victoria has to pick a dress (she goes with white, starting the trend), choose which of her weirdo uncles will give her away, and figure out how to preserve her fiancé’s ever-dwindling masculinity in the face of marrying the most powerful woman on the planet. Victoria and Albert need all the alone time they can get for kissing and such because he’s headed back home to Coburg for six weeks, until the wedding. “Shrubs are my specialty,” Harriet tells Ernest, as they wander off, because Harriet is a professional lady-in-waiting, and also that should be on a T-shirt. So much so, in fact, that Ernest picks up on the glowing-ness and feigns an interest in some shrubs to give our two lovebirds some alone time. “An Ordinary Woman” picks up the morning after that downright swoon-y proposal, and both parties involved are glowing. Wedding bells are ringing, people! The countdown to the union of Victoria and Albert is on. Tom Hughes as Prince Albert, Jenna Coleman as Victoria. ![]()
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