“Truly fascinating… Anne Somerset has had the excellent idea of looking at Victoria’s relations with her prime ministers… All politics and personalities.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Somerset has a sharp eye for character and a strong narrative gift for making parliamentary politics exciting, while never losing sight of the ‘stout little widow in a black bonnet’ who ruled over a quarter of mankind.”—Air Mail
“A striking royal portrait. . . Little surprise that an era is named for her.”—The Wall Street Journal
“Delicious British political history with an unsettlingly assertive Victoria.”—Kirkus, starred
“Somerset, previous biographer of Elizabeth I and William IV, admirably details just how Victoria manipulated and was manipulated by these politicians… Those who know Victoria more from the perspectives of her marriage to Albert and relations with family will find here an astute and sophisticated queen.” —Booklist
“Highly recommended to readers of British history and particularly those interested in the political life of Britain during Victoria’s reign.”—Library Journal
“Fascinating . . . an exhilaratingly impressive account.”—Daily Telegraph (UK)
“Magnificent, disturbing, and innovative . . . This wonderful book is the result of immense research in ministers’ private papers as well as in the royal and national archives.” —Spectator (UK)
“[Anne Somerset] skillfully unpicks the human dynamic that colored many political decisions, a tale not without resonance today.” —Country Life (UK)
“Impressively well-researched . . . Anne Somerset has found a great deal of new material, which reveals a different Victoria—imperious, emotional, sometimes impossible.” —The Times (UK)
“A moving, meticulous and original explosion of the constitutional myths we’ve inherited.” —Literary Review (UK)
“This book is more than a study of the monarch and her ten Prime Ministers. It offers an overview of international relations in the Victorian Age.” —Church Times (UK)
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