A Media Monarchy? Queen Victoria and the Radical Press, 1837-1901
Author(s)
Plunkett, John
Abstract
Examines the new relationship between the monarchy and the press established with the ascension to the throne of GB’s Queen Victoria. The beginning of her reign in 1837 coincided with the expansion of the popular weekly press and the appearance of illustrated news periodicals. Focus here is on two of the most influential radical newspapers – the Northern Star and Reynold’s Newspaper – and their role in both shaping and challenging the “antiroyalist” attitudes and criticisms of the monarchy that characterized British society. The creation of Victoria as a media figure is described, and the often-contradictory nature of portrayals of her in the news is explored, demonstrating techniques used by the radical press that adulated her, on the one hand, and satirized royal pageantry, on the other. As the print media expanded throughout Victoria’s reign, press coverage of the monarchy kept pace and was a significant factor in the creation of a “royal culture industry” in 19th-century GB.
