I read every  excerpt of Victoria’s diaries when I was researching Prisoners in the Palace. I loved the authentic voice of the young Princess and even used actual diary entries to punctuate my story. Since the teenaged Victoria had to submit her journal ot her mother’s review, it wasn’t always honest.  To celebrate the Jubilee, the British Royal Family has decided to make Queen Victoria’s diaries available to everyone on this nifty website.

This is what they said:

These diaries cover the period from Queen Victoria’s childhood days to her Accession to the Throne, marriage to Prince Albert, and later, her Golden and Diamond Jubilees.

Thirteen volumes in Victoria’s own hand survive, and the majority of the remaining volumes were transcribed after Queen Victoria’s death by her youngest daughter, Princess Beatrice, on her mother’s instructions. It seems fitting that the subject of the first major public release of material from the Royal Archives is Queen Victoria, who was the first Monarch to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee.

It is hoped that this historic collection will make a valuable addition to the unique material already held by the Bodleian Libraries at Oxford University, and will be used to enhance our knowledge and understanding of the past.