Victoria reigned longer than any other British monarch, and while she was on the throne, Britain became the most powerful industrial nation in the world. Throughout her life, Victoria was faced with the problems of combining and reconciling her roles of devoted wife and mother with that of Queen – in the full light of national publicity. Dorothy Marshall sees this dilemma as the vital thread through the labyrinth of Victoria's life. Sustained by a steady belief in her own judgment, a singular honesty and great determination, Victoria grew in authority and overcame personal tragedy to become a very real power.

Dorothy Marshall read history at Girton College, Cambridge. She held a series of academic appointments, including that of Reader in History at the University of Wales. Among her books are Eighteenth Century England and Dr. Johnson's London.