The Succession Crisis of 1817 paved the way for Queen Victoria to ascend the throne after her father dies [Chapter 5, 234-235]. George IV acted as Prince Regent as his father dealt with serious mental illness and was unfit to rule. He had one child who became Princess Charlotte, whose child would one day gain the throne. Unfortunately, Charlotte and her child died during childbirth in 1817, which resulted in a desperate 'baby race' among King George's sons so that they could produce a legitimate heir. There were four marriages which occurred in 1818 as a result, yet Edward and his wife Princess Victoria were the first to produce a legitimate heir with the birth of their daughter (Alexadrina who was known by her middle name Victoria) on May 24, 1819. Since Edward was the oldest brother to have sired an heir, his daughter took precedence in the line of succession. After George III died in 1820, George IV ascended the throne until 1830, and passed the throne to his younger childless brother William who ruled for seven years until he died on June 20, 1837. After this entire crisis of succession that caused Victoria's birth, she ascended the throne at 18.

Woolf introduces Queen Victoria as the new female monarch of the 19th century and often compares her to Queen Elizabeth, the other female figurehead in the novel. The Succession Crisis of 1817 illuminates the complex nature of succession and the lengths that people would have gone to gain the throne.  (253 words)

Woold, Virgina. Orlando, Mariner Books 1928.

“How Victoria Became Queen: The Succession Crisis of 1817.” Sky HISTORY TV Channel, https://www.history.co.uk/articles/how-victoria-became-queen.