"Early one morning, eighteen-year-old Alexandrina Victoria is roused from bed with the news that her uncle William IV has died and she is now Queen of England. The men who run the country--including her mother's venal advisor, and the power-hungry Duke of Cumberland--have doubts about whether this sheltered young woman, who stands less than five feet tall, can rule the greatest nation in the world. The young queen is no puppet, however. She has very definite ideas about the kind of queen she wants to be, and the first thing is to choose her name. Everyone keeps saying she is destined to marry her first cousin, Prince Albert, but Victoria found him dull and priggish when they met three years ago. She is quite happy being ruling with the help of her prime minister, Lord Melbourne, the first person to take her seriously"--Back cover.