They first met in 1836, when Albert and his brother came to stay in England. she found their company delightful, but although she admired Albert, and was aware that it was hoped they might marry one day, she was not at that time thinking of matrimony. She became Queen the following year, 1837, and for the first two years of her reign she enjoyed herself very much and was not in a hurry to marry. She confided in Lord Melbourne that 'I dreaded the thought of marrying; that I was so accustomed to having my own way, that I thought it was 10 to 1 that I shouldn't agree with any one.'. however she agreed to a second visit by Albert, though she made it clear in advance that she would not have him if she did not care for him. When he arrived though everything changed. 'It was with some emotion that I beheld Albert - who is beautiful.' She admired his dancing too; 'It is quite a pleasure to look at Albert when he gallops and valses, he does it so beautifully and holds himself so well with that beautiful figure of his.'
The question of how to propose to Albert was a difficult one - as she was a reigning monarch, and he was only a prince, she had to be the one to propose. She discussed it with Lord Melbourne; 'After a little pause I said to Lord M . . . That I had made up my mind (about marrying dearest Albert) . . . then I asked, if I hadn't better tell Albert of my decision soon, in which Lord M. Agreed. How? I asked, for that in general such things were done the other way, - which made Lord M. Laugh.'
She arranged to be alone with Albert, and then:
'I said to him . . .that it would make me too happy if he would consent to what I wished (to marry me). We embraced each other, and he was so kind, so affectionate, I said I was quite unworthy of him - he said he would be very happy and was so kind, and seemed so happy, that I really felt it was the happiest brightest moment of my life.'
They married in February 1840, and had a short honeymoon at Windsor. The first evening, the Queen recorded, Albert's 'excessive love and affection gave me feelings of heavenly love and happiness'. Still, they were out walking very early the next morning, which the diarist Greville wrote 'was not the way to provide us with a Prince of Wales.'.
But in fact their first child, their daughter Vicky, was born in December 1840, just ten months after they married, and they had nine children altogether. They spent more time with their children than most upper class parents did in those days, they played with them and took them about with them and were very interested in them. Lady Lyttleton, who was governess to their older children, recorded 'this morning we had a very pretty and brilliant amusement. The Queen took the Princess Royal, with me to hold her, in the sledge, the prince driving. The sledge is quite pretty; beautiful grey ponies all covered with bells and sparkling harness; the gentlemen attending, and scarlet grooms preceding and following, over the dazzling snow, in the purest sunshine.'
Victoria had always loved London, but Prince Albert preferred the country, and Victoria found she liked it too, particularly Scotland. they bought a house at Balmoral in the Scottish highlands, and stayed there often. They loved the informality of life in the highlands, they went deerstalking, and enjoyed being incognito sometimes.
Albert was very clever, and took a great interest in science and technology and industry in particular. he was a great supporter of the Great Exhibiton of 1851, a massive exhibition of all that was new and exciting in technology and the arts.
Albert died in 1861, when he and Victoria had been married less than 22 years. Victoria was devestated, she never ceased to mourn him for the rest of her life, though she gradually recovered her interest in life and in her later years took to travelling abroad. She developed a close friendship with her Highland servant John Brown, though rumours that they had an affair are almost certainly untrue, it would have been quite impossible to keep such a thing secret.