Series 1 is about the early life of Queen Victoria. The show follows the young queen as she ascends to the throne at the age of 18-years-old in 1837, establishes a trusted friendship with Prime Minister Lord Melbourne (Rufus Sewell) and marries her German cousin Prince Albert (Tom Hughes) in 1840, while chronicling some of the early troubles she faces during her reign. The episodes are: 'Doll 123', 'Ladies in Waiting', 'Brocket Hall', 'The Clockwork Prince', 'An Ordinary Woman', 'The Queen's Husband', 'The Engine of Change' and 'Young England'. The second series (covering 18401849) follows Queen Victoria's struggles to balance her queenly role as the youngest monarch with her duties to her husband and children, various dramas within the English and German branches of the royal family, international relations with France, and such crises as the Anglo-Afghan ...