Queen Victoria's mother tongue was not English. Her mother spoke a different language in the home, and, even though Victoria ruled England for 64 years, she did it with an accent. What was her mother tongue?

For the first few years of her life, the future Queen of England barely spoke a word of English. Princess Victoria was raised in an entirely German-speaking household, a world shaped by her mother, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Her mother spoke little English herself and, along with Victoria’s beloved Hanoverian governess, Baroness Louise Lehzen, created a home environment where German was the primary language. Since Victoria’s English father died when she was less than a year old, she was completely immersed in German language and culture during her formative years.

Victoria eventually became fluent in English, of course, but it was learned as a second language. Many historians note that she retained a slight German accent for her entire life, a subtle reminder of her origins even as she became a powerful symbol of the British Empire. Her deep connection to her mother tongue (Review) was further cemented by her marriage to her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The devoted couple famously spoke German to one another in private, making it the language of their family life throughout their long and influential partnership.