Queen Victoria described Belgian King Leopold I as, “That dearest of uncles who has always been to me like a father.” Leopold was actually her uncle as well as Prince Albert’s uncle and was one of the people most responsible for their marriage. Albert was the son of Leopold’s brother, Victoria was the daughter of his sister. He knew that theirs would be a fitting marriage and he worked to arrange the union. Both before and after Victoria’s ascension to the throne, King Leopold acted as her advisor and had a tremendous influence on her decisions, especially early in her reign.
This miniature on ivory was painted in 1840 by Miss Magdalena Dalton (née Ross) in London. Miss Dalton was Queen Victoria’s personal miniature painter and created a series of similar watercolor paintings on ivory of people that the queen dearly cherished.
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