‘That circle of courtiers and female sycophants who crowd about the sovereign’: Fictional Representations of the Women and Influence of Queen Victoria’s Court, 1839-1847

Throughout Queen Victoria’s lengthy reign, she endured nearly 100 intrusions on her privacy from individuals whom we would today call “stalkers”. These intruders included men and women of all ages and from across the United Kingdom and the wider world. While the specific reasons behind their intrusions varied, each intruder attempted to access the Queen. Some intruders approached the Queen when she appeared in public, but dozens more wrote letters or attempted to break into Buckingham Palace...