By the effort of the then-Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, the title “Empress of India” was added to Queen Victoria’s regality by the Royal Titles Bill passed in Parliament in the summer of 1876. The act paints a very particular and potentially romanticized, on the British part, view of the relationship between the imperial power and the subcontinent. The theatrical and political nature of the title drew criticism in England, and saw Disraeli lambasted as a corrupting influence. A grand celebration of her assumption of the title was held in Delhi, India in 1877. The institution of the title changed the relationship between the Crown and the Colony only minimally -- rupee coins were changed to read “Victoria Empress” rather than “Victoria Queen” -- but the addition publicly advertised British control and influence on an international level. It marked a transition of authority and control from the original merchant companies to the crown, though the actual conferment predates the title.
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