Queen Victoria had all died, leaving no surviving legitimate children. The United Kingdom was already an established constitutional monarchy, in which the sovereign held relatively little direct political power. Privately, Victoria attempted to influence government policy and ministerial appointments; publicly, she became a national icon who was identified with strict standards of personal morality. Victoria married her first cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1840. Their nine children married into royal and noble families across the continent, tying them together and earning her the sobriquet "the grandmother of Europe". After Albert's death in 1861, Victoria plunged into deep mourning and
Wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha slippers she wore matched the white colour of the dress. The train of the dress, carried by her bridesmaids, measured long. Queen Victoria described her choice of dress in her journal thus: "I wore a white satin dress, with a deep flounce of Honiton lace, an imitation of an old design. My jewels were my Turkish diamond necklace & earrings & dear Albert's beautiful sapphire brooch." Wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha The wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha ("later Prince Consort") took place on 10 February 1840 at Chapel