A Chartist uprising in Newport underlines the instability of the monarchy. King Leopold suggests to Victoria that she consider Prince Albert as a possible consort, a development that results in the young queen being surrounded by suitors.

Prince Albert arrives in England for the first time, and he and Victoria take an instant dislike to each other in an awkward first encounter. Below stairs, Albert's valet clashes with the royal servants, while Skerrett is visited by a girl in need of money.

Melbourne warns Victoria that Parliament will not be happy about her marrying a German prince, a prediction that proves all too accurate when the Privy Council refuse to grant Albert a royal title. The prince fears for his future in England, while Victoria succumbs to paranoia, becoming convinced that he only intends to marry her for the financial independence he will gain.

A heavily pregnant Victoria is frustrated by both Albert and her mother's attempts to confine her to the Palace. Cumberland arrives in London, hoping that Victoria may die in childbirth, as he is still the heir Presumptive. Determined to show herself in public, Victoria goes for a drive and is accosted by an unhinged admirer, desperate to free her from her ‘German tyrant'. Whilst Victoria is taken aback, she is resolute that it will not frighten her and despite Albert's misgiving, goes out again.

New mother Victoria is impatient to return to the business of ruling a nation, while Albert attempts to protect her from bad news in Afghanistan.

Victoria realises that she is pregnant again, and her equilibrium is threatened by Albert's burgeoning friendship with female mathematician Ada Lovelace.

The royal court celebrates the birth of the Queen's second child, but Victoria alone is unhappy as she struggles to bond with her newborn son. A crisis compels Albert to return to Coburg, separating the couple for the first time since their wedding. Skerrett makes a disastrous mistake, while Drummond's relationship with Lord Alfred comes under threat.

Albert resents Lehzen's influence over the queen, and fears she is putting the health of their child at risk. The prince also unwittingly creates problems for Peel, who is facing the most important battle of his political career as he takes a stand against the corn laws, only to find that Albert has played into their enemies' hands. When tragedy strikes, personal and political sacrifices must be made. Last in the series.

It is Christmas 1846 and Victoria is uncharacteristically sad as she prepares to face her first Christmas without her beloved Baroness Lehzen, while Albert transforms the palace into a magical festive wonderland as he is gripped by an obsession with staging the perfect family Christmas. But tensions between the couple mount when the prince invites house guests to join the celebrations. Meanwhile, Skerrett inherits a large estate from an estranged uncle.

A Georgian ball at the Palace could not come at a worse time as private pictures of the Royal family are made public.