(Credit: Netflix)

Are you also one of those people who accidentally came across Victoria while they were looking for something similar to watch after Bridgerton? But then it hits you… Does this show legit history or just very expensive fanfiction?

Because the vibes Victoria gives are strong and the drama is immediate. And please don’t even get us started on palace politics because it is messier than the dramatiest of dramas. But then you see Jenna Coleman walk in as the new queen, and the show starts feeling real enough that you start Googling before the first episode even ends. Victoria first aired in the year 2016 and ran for three seasons before it ended in 2019.

The setup of the show hooks you fast, just like the real story of Queen Victoria. One day, an 18-year-old wakes up and realises that she is the new queen of England. While half the palace is trying to control her every move.

Her mother’s team wants power. Her uncle wants influence. Everyone thinks she is too young. And through all of it, she is slowly figuring out how to make decisions without getting swallowed by the pressure. In short, it is a young woman entering the spotlight while everyone around her expects her to fail.

Then the relationships start forming. Lord Melbourne walks in, and Victoria starts trusting him the way people trust their one friend who always knows what’s going on. And just when you get comfortable, Prince Albert enters the story, and the show drops you into a royal love arc that feels classic and fresh at the same time.

At this point, the question becomes unavoidable: okay… but did any of this actually happen?

So… is Victoria actually based on true events?

The answer is a big fat “Yes!” Victoria pulls directly from real history, especially the early years of Queen Victoria’s reign. She really did become queen at 18. She really did grow up in a controlled environment that left her unprepared for the political storm waiting for her. Her mother and Sir John Conroy really did push for a regency so they could manage the throne through her. None of that tension is invented for TV.

Her connection with Lord Melbourne is also rooted in real life. He was her first steady guide in the political world, and she relied on him far more than people expected. The show adds emotion because drama is drama, but their bond existed for real, and it shaped how Victoria learned to rule.

The Albert storyline stays close to the truth as well. Their early awkwardness between the two and the way their relationship becomes deeper is a classic mix of both history and romance. The way their partnership became a major part of British public life… all of that lines up with documented history. The series, though, has compressed some events and smoothed out the timeline, but the emotional beats match the broad facts.

Where the show gets creative is in the polish. Of course, the real-life politics ran much slower than the show, and the arguments, of course, were longer. But if you talk about the milestones, the ones that compile the show’s timeline, they all sit in the right place.

So yes, Victoria is history which is told with more glam. Think of it as the real story with the boring pauses removed so you can follow the arcs without getting lost in old paperwork.