he appealed to the Queen, who told him "it would never do." Still, he went personally to the War Office, and received a staff assignment. Victoria warned him of the unhealthy climate of equatorial ...

“What use would Marie Downing have for a ‘court train six yards in length’ that Queen Victoria had worn at state functions, or an inlaid Egyptian marble paperweight, or a black parasol lined ...

Queen Victoria married Prince Albert from Germany ... She was so sad she decided to dress in black clothes for the rest of her life. Britain changed a lot during her reign. Steam railways spread ...

It's the heart of many a fairy tale — a young woman rising from humble beginnings to a life of luxury in a grand palace. But Marie Downing was Cinderella in reverse — leaving the opulence of Queen ...