Albert was dead and the Queen, stricken with grief, prepared to spend therest of her life mourning. Her Government and her family sought to bring herout of seclusion but she was determined to remain the Widow of Windsor. Theyears which followed were some of the most momentous in British history,some of the Queen's ministers the most famous. There was the greatPalmerston who managed to keep a mocking ascendancy over her; Mr. Gladstone,Grand Old Man and People's William, who prowled the streets at night in anattempt to lead prostitutes back to a life of respectability, and who was nofavorite of the Queen, unlike the witty Disraeli, who charmed hercompletely. She was surrounded by the colorful members of her family --sons, daughters, their wives and husbands, her grandchildren. There was thecensorious Vicky, Crown Princess of Prussia and Empress-to-be who sufferedgreat domestic tragedy; Louise who married outside royalty; Lenchen and babyBeatrice; there was Alfred whose amorous adventures caused his mother suchconcern and Leopold whose ill health was an even greater anxiety; there wasArthur who had inherited his father's goodness; and above all there wasBertie, Prince of Wales and heir to the throne. Suppressed in his father'slifetime, he was determined to pursue pleasure for the rest of his life andhis passions were racing and fascinating women. His adventures twice broughthim into the witness box to give evidence in famous trials which created thescandals of the decade, and brought sorrow and humiliation to Alexandra,whose happy childhood in the Yellow Palace of Denmark had ill prepared herfor life with the gay and charming philanderer whom she discovered herhusband to be. But Queen Victoria at Windsor, Balmoral, Osborne orBuckingham Palace cannot fail to dominate the scene. Her relationship withJohn Brown, the rough Highlander, gave rise to speculation, but she wasimpervious to scandal. All the fascinating characters of an unforgettableage rotate about her like planets round the sun; she remained the greatQueen until the moment of her death and the passing of an era.