Queen Elizabeth II is a direct descendant from Queen Victoria and traces her lineage through her father King George VI, grandfather King George V, great grandfather Edward V11 and great-great grand-mother Queen Victoria. Edward V11’s wife Queen Alexandra was related to King Christian 1X of Denmark. Prince Philip also descends back to Queen Victoria through his mother (sister of Lord Mountbatten), grandmother and great-grandmother. Upon the death of William IV on June 20, 1837, Victoria at 18 years of age became queen. She married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in 1840. She wore a white dress and she seems to be credited with popularizing the fashion of white wedding dresses — still in vogue today. During her reign, while the monarch had no political power, she showed benevolent political influence in some domestic reform such as raising the minimum working age to reduce the deplorable child labour practices in England. She became known as “Mother of the British Empire” and is known in Treaties with First Nations of Canada as “Great Mother.” While she did not travel to Canada, she kept abreast of political developments and favored Confederation. In 1867, Victoria selected Ottawa as capital of the Dominion of Canada, which she had already selected ten years before when Canada was known as the Province of Canada. There are numerous places in the Commonwealth countries named after her, one being Regina, Saskatchewan. Shortly after she died in 1901, the Dominion Government made her birth date, May 24th a statutory holiday, although it was already celebrated 1since 1845.
