Plot Synopsis

Season 1 of VICTORIA is an eight-episode story that follows Victoria from the time she becomes Queen in 1837 at the age of 18 through her relationship with Lord Melbourne, her first prime minister and intimate friend, and her courtship and marriage to Prince Albert. Famous for her candor and spirit, she was the first woman who seemed to have it all: a passionate marriage, nine children and the job of being queen of the world's most important nation. Her often tumultuous reign lasted for 63 years. PBS aired the U.S. premiered of this series on Sunday, January 15, 2017 at 9pm (check local listings). On Sunday, January 14, 2018 from 9-11pm (check local listings), PBS aired the U.S. premiere of the seven-episode second season of VICTORIA. Joining the cast in the new season is legendary actress Dame Diana Rigg, who plays the Duchess of Buccleuch, the court's new Mistress of the Robes -- a fount of old-fashioned good sense for the queen, who is now in the throes of motherhood. Season 2 finds Victoria adapting to motherhood after the birth of her first child, a daughter (to the disappointment of many). Meanwhile, the disaster of the Anglo-Afghan War unfolds abroad, and the catastrophic Irish potato famine begins to wreak havoc. In other foreign affairs, a royal state visit to France is in the offing. Most intriguing to Prince Albert is the budding Industrial Revolution, which is now sweeping England. There is Charles Babbage's mechanical calculator, a collaborative project with the bewitching Ada Lovelace, daughter of the scandalous Lord Byron. Then there is William Fothergill Cooke's miraculous electrical telegraph, not to mention Marc Isambard Brunel's daring -- and dangerous -- Thames Tunnel.
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Season 3 of VICTORIA premiered on Sunday, January 13, 2019 at 9pm on PBS (check local listings). It is 1848, and revolution is breaking out across Europe. In Britain, one woman stands between order and chaos: Queen Victoria.

As Season 3 gets underway, Victoria is pregnant with her sixth child. But she has much else on her mind, chiefly the Revolutions of 1848, when the downtrodden throughout Europe begin agitating for the overthrow of aristocratic rule. In England, this discontent leads to Chartism, a set of demands for universal male suffrage, the secret ballot, equal representation for voters and other reforms that were considered radical by leading political figures during Victoria's reign. As with many crusades, passions are aroused on both sides -- sometimes violently. At the time, who knew if events might turn out like the French Revolution, which resorted to widespread use of the guillotine? Passion is also an issue in the bedroom at Buckingham Palace, where Victoria is reluctant to risk more pregnancies. Parents now of six, Victoria and Albert find themselves at odds about their offspring, especially the troubled Bertie, the role of the monarchy, and increasingly with each other.

Season 3 introduces fascinating new historical characters, including Laurence Fox as the vainglorious Lord Palmerston, who crosses swords with the queen over British foreign policy. Also vexing the queen this season is Kate Fleetwood as Victoria's devoted but troubled half-sister, Princess Feodora, who seeks refuge at Buckingham Palace due to political unrest back home in Germany. Other new characters include John Sessions as reformist Prime Minister John Russell, and Lily Travers as the beguiling Duchess of Monmouth. Returning are Tom Hughes as Victoria's devoted, obsessive husband, Prince Albert; Nell Hudson as the queen's chief dresser, Nancy Skerrett; Ferdinand Kingsley as Charles Francatelli, the royal chef and cookbook king; plus a host of others