Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
What was wrong with Queen Victoria’s blood, why did it make her a genetic time bomb and what was the royal disease she unwittingly caused? This is the tragic story of how Queen Victoria spread haemophilia through Europe’s royal families.
Haemophilia is an inherited blood disorder; a rare genetic condition that prevents blood from clotting properly, leading to excessive bleeding from even minor injuries. Today it is treatable, but in the 1800s it was often a death sentence. Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom is widely believed to have been a carrier of haemophilia B, likely caused by a spontaneous genetic mutation and not linked to the fact that she married her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Although she herself showed no symptoms, every time she became pregnant with one of their nine children, she risked passing the gene to them. A third of Victoria and Albert’s offspring got this piece of damaged royal DNA.
Queen Victoria’s son, Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, suffered from haemophilia and died at the age of 30 after a fall. Two of her daughters, Princess Alice and Princess Beatrice, were carriers. Through them, the disorder entered the royal houses of Germany, Spain, and Russia as royal strategic marriages allowed it to spread deeper into the descendants of the grandmother of Europe (which was Queen Victoria’s nickname).
One of the most famous cases was Tsarevich Alexei of Russia, the only son of Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra, Victoria’s granddaughter. Alexei’s haemophilia caused constant fear for the future of the Romanov dynasty and led Alexandra to rely on the mystic Rasputin, whose perceived ability to ease Alexei’s suffering damaged the credibility of the Russian monarchy and contributed to growing political unrest.
This British royal history documentary from History Calling explores the science behind haemophilia, Queen Victoria’s pivotal role, how a single faulty gene left a lasting mark on European history and why the royals of Europe don’t have haemophilia anymore.
#RoyalDisease #QueenVictoriaHaemophilia #TheRoyalDisease #RoyalDNA
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MEDICINE AND ILLNESS PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0E7oXrh07NVR_gi4CVgrSI1
LEARN MORE
Christopher Hibbert, Queen Victoria: A Personal History (2001).
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NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
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Please note that all my audios are read by a real human only (that’s me!) and no AI is used unless otherwise stated.
What was wrong with Queen Victoria’s blood, why did it make her a genetic time bomb and what was the royal disease she unwittingly caused? This is the tragic story of how Queen Victoria spread haemophilia through Europe’s royal families.
Haemophilia is an inherited blood disorder; a rare genetic condition that prevents blood from clotting properly, leading to excessive bleeding from even minor injuries. Today it is treatable, but in the 1800s it was often a death sentence. Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom is widely believed to have been a carrier of haemophilia B, likely caused by a spontaneous genetic mutation and not linked to the fact that she married her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Although she herself showed no symptoms, every time she became pregnant with one of their nine children, she risked passing the gene to them. A third of Victoria and Albert’s offspring got this piece of damaged royal DNA.
Queen Victoria’s son, Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, suffered from haemophilia and died at the age of 30 after a fall. Two of her daughters, Princess Alice and Princess Beatrice, were carriers. Through them, the disorder entered the royal houses of Germany, Spain, and Russia as royal strategic marriages allowed it to spread deeper into the descendants of the grandmother of Europe (which was Queen Victoria’s nickname).
One of the most famous cases was Tsarevich Alexei of Russia, the only son of Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra, Victoria’s granddaughter. Alexei’s haemophilia caused constant fear for the future of the Romanov dynasty and led Alexandra to rely on the mystic Rasputin, whose perceived ability to ease Alexei’s suffering damaged the credibility of the Russian monarchy and contributed to growing political unrest.
This British royal history documentary from History Calling explores the science behind haemophilia, Queen Victoria’s pivotal role, how a single faulty gene left a lasting mark on European history and why the royals of Europe don’t have haemophilia anymore.
#RoyalDisease #QueenVictoriaHaemophilia #TheRoyalDisease #RoyalDNA
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Join my mailing list (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
SECRETS OF QUEEN VICTORIA’S COFFIN | What was buried with Queen Victoria? Royal history documentary
youtu.be/TRdicIjC3dk
THE DEATH OF PRINCE ALBERT
youtu.be/r3aokJVmaaU
QUEEN VICTORIA’S CORONATION AND WHY IT WAS SO FUNNY
youtu.be/isfHxMtd7II
THE ROYAL BABY RACE: HOW VICTORIA BECAME QUEEN
youtu.be/aglCll3F7eo
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE RUSSIAN ROYALS?
youtu.be/EsHr13d14XU
SIX WIVES, ONE BLOODLINE | Were Henry VIII and his Queens too closely related for comfort?
youtu.be/ZDSrp9a58-o
YOU’RE ROYAL AND DIDN’T KNOW IT | HOW EMPEROR CHARLEAGNE IS YOUR ANCESTOR
youtu.be/rHZMJ_f6Tms
MEDICINE AND ILLNESS PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0E7oXrh07NVR_gi4CVgrSI1
LEARN MORE
Christopher Hibbert, Queen Victoria: A Personal History (2001).
amzn.to/4ea31rS
Want to watch/hear/read more about history (and a whole host of other topics)? Then you might benefit from a free Audible or Prime video trial. They are available from the following links:
AUDIBLE
amzn.to/44MvlMi
AUDIBLE PLUS & AUDIBLE PREMIUM PLUS
amzn.to/42rh3PF
PRIME VIDEO
amzn.to/3LW7ykg
GEAR USED
Apple MacBook Pro Laptop (for video editing): amzn.to/3S6IoRK
Blue Yeti Microphone: amzn.to/3FgEDYq
Go-Pro Hero 13 camera: amzn.to/41H4Xnt
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/3vaVxjU
Memory Card: amzn.to/3KeLZZs
DJI Drone: amzn.to/39hROZm
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Open Street Map copyright information
openstreetmap.org/copyright
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
Please note that all my audios are read by a real human only (that’s me!) and no AI is used unless otherwise stated.
