In Chapter 1 of How to Murder a Duke, Sarah the dowager Duchess of Applegate mentions “the Queen be damned she’d throw off her widow’s weeds and celebrate.” What do you think I meant by this? Are you familiar with the Victorian rules for mourning and why they were so strict?

1. After Queen Victoria’s husband Albert died in December of 1861, Victoria remained in mourning the rest of her life.
2. The Victorians had strict rules for mourning, especially for the higher classes.
3. Widows were expected to mourn their husbands for 2 full years. The first year was full mourning. They were expected to socially isolate themselves except for church, and wear only black, including a full veil in public. During their last six months of mourning, they were allowed to wear gray and lavender. Even the children were expected to wear black for a full year after the death of a parent or sibling. Men, however, were only required to mourn for three months, and a widower with children was on the marriage market before the ground could even settle on the grave.

Mourning – Victorian Era The Australian Museum https://australian.museum/about/history/exhibitions/death-the-last-taboo/mourning-victorian-era/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/understanding-grief/201812/death-and-mourning-practices-in-the-victorian-age

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/05/28/39293-2/

Victorian Era Mourning Period Rituals, Clothes to wear

https://books2read.com/How-to-Murder-a-Duke