THE ROYAL LOVE STORY
OF QUEEN VICTORIA
& PRINCE ALBERT

In an era of arranged royal marriages in the 18th century, the mutual interest and love between the young Queen and her Prince was highly fortunate and romantic, and not at least admirable to look back at.

After their first meeting as young adults they were introduced to each other by their older family members, and Queen Victoria was swept of her feet by Albert's many attractive features, and secretly described her love in private diaries.

The relationship kept evolving despite their distance, and the two kept exchanging letters to one another between England and Germany over a long period of time, all of which caused a blossoming romance and the start of a relationship that would turn out to be one of the most memorable in history.

In 1839, the pair were reunited for Albert's visit to Britain, and after only a couple of days spent together at the Queen's residential Windsor, Victoria proposed to Albert.

Although Albert deeply wished to ask the Queen for her hand himself, he knew he could not do so, but he greatly accepted her proposal.

At their engagement, Albert commissioned an orange blossom brooch for his bride-to-be, a symbolic gift expressing true love in an era of arranged royal marriages.

Victoria in turn adorned herself in orange blossom at their marriage, by wearing a unique orange blossom inspired headdress at their wedding on February 10th 1840 in St James's Palace chapel.

The orange blossom became an emblem for the royal couple, forming many gifts from Albert to Victoria.

William Sparks Thomson, the founder of The Crown Perfumery, Clive Christian predecessor, created a scented the custom-made corsets he created for Queen Victoria with orange blossom, an ode to her favourite scent inspired by her love for her husband. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and their illustrious court were among the Crown Perfumery's most renowned customers, and the pair had perfumes created as gifts for one another as a symbol of their mutual adoration.

The elegant and unassuming Orange Blossom flower became not only a symbol for the royal couple but started a trend for love stories all over the world.

The couple enjoyed several years together, and became a golden couple to the outside world, symbolic of power, wealth, family values and love.

Despite it being a true love match, the couple experienced ups and downs like everyone else, but managed to preserve their passionate love for each other and the royal family.

But as all fairy tales, this royal love story came to an end sooner that wished for, when Prince Albert passed away in 1861, leaving a devastated Queen Victoria behind.

It's written in the history that the Queen never recovered from her deep sorrow and took a step back from public life, she wore black for the rest of her life, as an ode to her deep mourning of the passing of the love of her life.

This unique and everlasting love story will always be of the most importance to the brand Clive Christian. The Crown Perfumery Company was a historic perfume house that once boasted the patronage of Queen Victoria, who in 1872 graciously gifted the company the use of the image of her crown in perpetuity such was her love for the Crown Perfumery.

That is why, this spring, we bring to life two new limited edition perfumes inspired by the symbolic orange blossom, 1872 Mandarin & X Neroli. Each perfume has been expertly crafted and individually numbered, a limited quantity of each perfume is available to the symbolic amount of 1872 pieces, to celebrate the year Queen Victoria granted the Crown Perfumery Company the honour for its products to bear her crown in perpetuity from 1872 to today.

In honour of this memorable and unique story, the brand's newest perfume launches, 1872 Mandarin & X Neroli pay homage to the deep connection of the royal couple, and to the year in which Queen Victoria gave the Crown Perfumery Company permission to use the crown on its bottles in perpetuity.