The need for a symbol--a symbol of England's might, of England's worth, of England's extraordinary and mysterious destiny--became felt more urgently than ever before.

The Crown was that symbol: and the Crown rested upon the head of Victoria.

Thus it happened that while by the end of the reign the power of the sovereign had appreciably diminished, the prestige of the sovereign had enormously grown.
Yet this prestige was not merely the outcome of public changes; it was an intensely personal matter, too.

Victoria was the Queen of England, the Empress of India, the quintessential pivot round which the whole magnificent machine was revolving--but how much more besides! For one thing, she was of a great age--an almost indispensable qualification for popularity in England.

She had given proof of one of the most admired characteristics of the race--persistent vitality.