The First Council of Queen Victoria is an oil painting by Sir David Wilkie. It was painted in 1838 and it belongs to the Royal Collection. This copy of Wilkie's original is on display in the Enchanted Palace exhibition at Kensington Palace. Sir David Wilkie (1785-1841) was a Scottish painter and a member of the Royal Academy. He made his name in the first half of the 19th century with genre painting, observing glimpses of scenes from everyday life. Victoria had spent her childhood at Kensington Palace. It was at Kensington where she was woken early on a June morning in 1837 to hear that her uncle, King William IV, had died. As the King’s niece and only legitimate heir, she inherited the throne.

The scene depicted in this painting shows the first meeting of Queen Victoria and her council. The painter has taken some artistic liberties and depicted Victoria in a white dress, when in fact she wore a black mourning dress as was appropriate for the occasion. This dress, now faded from black to a yellowish brown, is held at the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection at Kensington Palace.

This painting gives the viewer a glimpse of how young Victoria’s life had changed. Her quiet, protected childhood was over in an instant. She was now a teenage Queen, not yet married, taking full charge of government business. 

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