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Albert became a dominant influence on the young queen, with her seeking his approval in most matters. In 1839, Victoria became romantically involved with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, her first cousin, and married him on February 10, 1840. Victoria vehemently declined to agree with the wishes of Peel, thus leading to his declining to accept the office of Prime Minister, and allowing Lord Melbourne to, sheepishly, take back on his duties in the position. He requested of the queen that her “Whig”, Lord Melbourne’s party, ladies of the bedchamber, be replaced with Tories, to reflect the new parliament under Peel. Lord Melbourne resigned his post as Prime Minister in 1839, after political defeat, and Sir Robert Peel took over his position. Shortly after this, the second crisis, “the bedchamber crisis”, of her young reign occurred. When the populace learned that Victoria had been wrong in her accusations, they gossiped vigorously about her and her decisions. The Queen forced Hastings to undergo an examination for pregnancy, out of her distaste for Lady Hastings and John Conroy.
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The Hastings affair occurred in 1839 when Lady Hastings, one of Victoria’s mother’s consorts, developed a growth on her abdomen that many believed was an out of wedlock pregnancy with John Conroy. Her relationship with Melbourne, however, did lead to two crises early in her reign. She did however gladly accept the guidance of Lord Melbourne, who was Prime Minister when she ascended to the throne. Immediately upon her coronation, she cut off as much communication with her mother as possible, refusing to be under her influence any longer.
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In 1837, William the fourth passed away, leaving the 18-year-old Victoria as the new Queen of a global Empire. It also prevented her from spending time around the courts. These rules forced her to be reliant upon the various older gentlemen in her life, namely John Conroy, for nearly everything. While she was an energetic and outgoing child, her mother placed protective, and excessive restraints, known as the Kensington System, on her. Edward passed away when Victoria was not yet a year old, moving her closer to the throne. Upon her birth, she was fifth in line for the throne, after her father’s three older brothers (None of whom had children which survived into adulthood), and her father. Victoria was born on May 24th, 1819, to Edward, Duke of Kent, and Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.