Massie's narrative follows Queen Victoria through 1900, the last full year of her reign. During the Second Boer War she read casualty lists, pressed ministers and officers for victory, reviewed departing regiments, and visited wounded soldiers. Against ministerial caution, she chose Dublin over the Riviera, honored Irish service with the shamrock and the Irish Guards, and received an enthusiastic welcome in the city sixteen years before the Easter Rising. Worsening sight, mobility, memory and fatigue accompanied the death of her son Alfred. When George Goschen requested retirement after years of strain at the Admiralty, Victoria accepted his need for rest while lamenting that her own responsibilities continued.
Chapter · 2:16:05-2:21:28
Queen Victoria's final full year amid war and Irish politics
Massie's narrative follows Queen Victoria through the South African War, her politically charged visit to Ireland, declining health, and the burdens she could not retire from.