Victoria in Love: The Private Passion of a Queen Hardcover – May 5, 2026

The passionate, provocative story of Queen Victoria's relationship with her servant John Brown that reveals the secrets that royal historians have kept from us.From the moment John Brown arrived as a servant to Queen Victoria's household, he became known across the land as her loyal companion, her fierce protector, and her right-hand man: their friendship immortalized in print and later onscreen. But what if there was more to their relationship than we know? And what has history been hiding from us? Rumors have swirled around this relationship for years as historians have attempted to bring the truth to light. Now for the first time, Dr. Fern Riddell reexamines everything we thought we knew about one of Britain's most iconic women—and queens. Through unearthing groundbreaking new evidence, Riddell challenges the prevalent image of Victoria as a grieving widow to create a compelling human portrait of a woman in passionate midlife. Against a backdrop of court politics, family dynasties and the magic of the Highlands, Victoria in Love untangles the mysteries that the royal family have tried to keep hidden for generations, forcing us to question: Who really writes our history’? Both a timeless romance and the extraordinary story of the emotional life of a queen, this compelling work of history presents a remarkable narrative of a woman in love. Read more