Ready to unwind after Pride? Try these relaxing LGBTQ+-friendly getaways

01-07-2025

From the first Pride—a bold blend of protest and celebration held in New York on June 28, 1970, to mark the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising—to today's vibrant festivities, Pride Month continues to be a powerful time for the LGBTQ+ community. As a gay man, frequent traveler, and co-author of the book Out in the World from National Geographic, I'm always moved by the global expressions of unity, identity, and visibility that define this season.
Pride Month is also one of the busiest times of the year. After the parades, marches, drag shows, and community events, many participants are ready for a break. Here are a few LGBTQ+-friendly destinations where you can relax, recharge, and continue celebrating who you are. The Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village was the site of the 1969 Stonewall riots. Photograph By David 'Dee' Delgado/REUTERS/Redux The Berkshires, Massachusetts
An artists' enclave in Western Massachusetts—the first U.S. state to legalize gay marriage—the Berkshires blends charming towns, scenic hills, and a top-tier arts and culture scene. In Lenox, the 524-acre Tanglewood is built for picnics and concerts under the stars. Nearby, bibliophiles and fans of the Gilded Age will love The Mount, Edith Wharton's former summer retreat.
An hour north, the Williamstown Theatre Festival presents world premieres and classic revivals, often attracting stars such as Audra McDonald and Mary-Louise Parker. For art lovers, MASS MoCA offers 250,000 square feet of galleries and stages showcasing contemporary art, music, dance, and film.
Meanwhile, outdoor enthusiasts will appreciate hiking at Mount Greylock or Monument Mountain, as well as boating on Otis Reservoir. In Stockbridge, the former home of Norman Rockwell, you'll find his namesake museum, a quaint Main Street, and the historical Red Lion Inn, where front porch rocking chairs offer the perfect spot to slow down and watch the world go by.
(Add a detour to your next vacation—starting with these classic destinations) Concerts at Tanglewood, exploring Edith Wharton's summer estate, and hiking Mount Greylock make the Berkshires an ideal summer getaway. Photograph By Pat & Chuck Blackley / Alamy Malta
Spanning less than 100 square miles, this Mediterranean gem is consistently ranked among Europe's most LGBTQ+-friendly destinations. It's especially welcoming to the trans community, who have been protected under anti-discrimination laws since 2015.
More than 30 beaches line the island's coast, from the soft sands and striking views of Golden Bay to the calm, clear waters of the Blue Lagoon. Mellieħa Bay is a hub for watersports, while Wied il-Għasri's cliff-lined inlet attracts snorkelers. On Malta's sister island, Gozo, the Blue Hole—a collapsed limestone sinkhole—entices divers with its underwater arches and marine life, but swimmers and snorkelers are also welcome.
(A guide to Valletta, the Maltese capital with an eye for art and entertainment)
Beyond the beach, Valletta, the baroque capital and a UNESCO World Heritage site, is home to impressive sites such as St. John's Co-Cathedral, where Caravaggio's The Beheading of St. John the Baptist is on display, Upper Barrakka Gardens, and Casa Rocca Piccola. For a break from the sun, the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, located 15 minutes from Valletta, is an underground prehistoric burial site with interconnecting rock chambers. Malta is consistently ranked among Europe's most LGBTQ+-friendly destinations. Photograph By BBA Photography, Shutterstock Fiji
With 333 islands in the striking blue waters of the South Pacific Ocean and its warm 'bula' welcome, Fiji will instantly make you feel at ease. On Viti Levu (where most international flights arrive in Nadi), land-based activities include Sri Siva Subramaniya Swami Temple, the largest Hindu temple in the Southern Hemisphere, and the Garden of the Sleeping Giant, featuring over 2,000 varieties of orchids. Also on the island, the Coral Coast offers relaxing beaches and high-octane adventures such as diving with tiger sharks at Beqa Lagoon and hiking at Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Park.
From Viti Levu, scenic ferry rides take you to the Mamanuca Islands or Yasawa Islands, which have powder-soft beaches, resorts with overwater bungalows, and great snorkeling, including opportunities to spot reef sharks, manta rays, and tropical fish.
The lesser-traveled Taveuni Island, known as the Garden Island, offers a great trek to Tavoro (Bouma) Falls in Bouma National Heritage Park. The island of Kadavu features the Great Astrolabe Reef, one of the world's largest barrier reefs, where you may encounter whales, dolphins, and wrasses.
(In Fiji, these hotels put the guests to work—in a good way) A traditional fire dance performance at Shangri-La Yanuca Island, Fiji. Photograph By TOH GOUTTENOIRE/The New York Times/Redux Panama
Famed for its canal and the narrow isthmus linking two continents, Panama offers vibrant city life, stunning beaches, and natural wonders all within easy reach. In Panama City, the UNESCO-listed Casco Antiguo invites visitors to stroll winding streets lined with centuries-old architecture and leafy plazas. At Villa Ana 1928, you can dine in a beautifully restored mansion with a no-cellphone policy, while the inclusive Hotel La Compañía, set in a 17th-century Jesuit convent, features curated art, five globally inspired restaurants, and a rooftop pool.
The modern cityscape includes the Frank Gehry-designed Biomuseo, exploring Panama's rich biodiversity, and the Miraflores Visitor Center, where you can watch ships traverse the Panama Canal. Beyond the city, the Pearl Islands beckon with turquoise waters and secluded coves.
For a cooler retreat, El Valle de Antón—nestled in an extinct volcanic crater—offers thermal springs, mountain hikes, waterfall treks, scenic bike rides, and a laid-back atmosphere. At La Compañía del Valle, a restful and restorative experience includes a saltwater pool and sun deck with mountain views, inventive gastronomy with 'fire and earth' themes, and an upcoming 18,000-square-foot spa.
(Why Panama City's appeal goes far beyond its namesake canal) Hotel la Compañia, in Panama City's historic district, is housed in a former convent. Photograph By Toh Gouttenoire/The New York Times/Redux Rapid City, South Dakota
Though South Dakota leans conservative, Rapid City stands out for its queer-allied businesses and growing LGBTQ+ presence. The Black Hills Center for Equality offers community support, outreach, and sponsors a Pride festival and other community events.
Downtown, explore the haunted history of the Hotel Alex Johnson, browse Mitzi's Books for your next great read, and learn about the region's storied past at the Journey Museum, with exhibits on paleontology, archaeology, Native American culture, and pioneer life. The City of Presidents, featuring life-sized bronze statues of former U.S. presidents, adds a unique historic touch, while iconic Mount Rushmore is just 30 minutes away.
Rapid City also serves as a gateway to the Badlands, where hiking, wildlife spotting, and stargazing offer the perfect digital detox, and Custer State Park, where 1,300 free-roaming bison wander across 71,000 acres and scenic drives like Needles Highway reveal granite spires and sweeping views.
For food and nightlife, local queer-welcoming favorites include Murphy's Pub, Ugly Graffiti, Bokujo Ramen, Tally's Silver Spoon, Aby's, and the Brass Rail. Rapid City also serves as a gateway to the Badlands, where hiking, wildlife spotting, and stargazing abound. Photograph By Robert Harding Video/Shutterstock

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What's planned for Pride month in Ottawa this August

Yahoo

9 hours ago

Yahoo

What's planned for Pride month in Ottawa this August

With August being Pride month, there is no shortage of events around Ottawa celebrating the breadth of the 2SLGBTQ+ culture and experience. This year, Capital Pride is doing its big parade event on Aug. 24. on Elgin and Laurier streets. In addition to that, other groups are holding their own events throughout the month. The following list is organized by date but it is not comprehensive; there are many events throughout the city and organizers near you may be planning celebrations. Love in a Dangerous Time: Canada's LGBT Purge Date: Aug. 1-31. Hosted by: National Arts Centre. Love in a Dangerous Time: Canada's LGBT Purge is a pop-up exhibit by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. It examines a period known as "the Purge," when the Canadian government instigated, harassed and expelled 2SLGBTQ+ members of the armed forces from the 1950s to the 1990s. The event is free. Afternoon Tea Dance Date: Aug. 3. Hosted by: Homo Phono and The Grove. Afternoon Tea Dance, held by Homo Phone, is an event inspired by tea dance events organized in the American gay community originating in New York in the 1950s and 1960s. The original dances included tea services rather than alcohol as it was illegal to serve alcohol to queer and transgender people, organizers of this event explain in the description. Masks are mandatory for this event, which is also substance-free and sober friendly. Queer Bike Club Backpacking Trip Date: Aug. 9-10. Hosted by: Queer Bike Club. Queer Bike Club Ottawa is doing a weekend bike packing trip to Merrickville, Ont. It will be a 55-kilometre overnight trip to the Merrickville lock station. There is a sign up deadline of Aug. 4. The group also has other events running in August, including a social ride from Strathcona Park to Rockcliffe Park on Aug. 18. Annual Pride Coffee House Date: Friday, Aug. 15. Hosted by: Tungasuvvingat Inuit and the Inuuqatigiit Centre. The Annual Pride Coffee House is a way for Inuit 2SLGBTQ+ people and allies to come together as a community for Pride. There's a call-out for performers to accompany the food and beverages that guests will enjoy. It's a free event but guests are asked to register if they plan to join the fun. Pride Family Picnic Date: Saturday, Aug. 16. Hosted by: Centre33. The Pride Family Picnic will be held in Kanata by a community organization that hosts year-round 2SLGBTQ+ programming. It's specifically targeted at families, so there will be plenty to keep kids — and their parents — entertained. Beach Bums Tournament Date: Saturday, Aug. 16. Hosted by: Pride Capital Volleyball. Pride Capital Volleyball is a community group of volleyball enthusiasts of all skill levels. It regularly hosts youth and adult drop-in games, plus several leagues for competitive players. Its special tournament in August is called Beach Bums and is aimed at "intermediate/advanced" players in teams of four. If you want to play, there's a registration fee and you'll need to confirm your roster by early August. Spectators are also encouraged to turn out to support the players. Pride Night Market Date: Saturday, Aug. 16. Hosted by: Little Jo Berry's and Venus Envy Ottawa. Pride Night Market will be held at the Parkdale Market and will feature over 60 small business vendors selling snacks, non-alcoholic drinks, art, and other products. On-leash dogs are welcome and the event will feature live music from local queer performers. Halo-Halo: All-Asian Drag Fiesta Date: Sunday, Aug. 17. Hosted by: Saboroso Bistro and DragSilog Collective. Halo-Halo: All-Asian Drag Fiesta is an event organized by DragSilog Collective, which holds events aiming to celebrate and uplift voices of queer people of colour. The event will celebrate queer Asian joy and diversity along with hot Filipino food. Dinner starts at 4:30 p.m. and the event starts at 5 p.m. ElderQueers (2SLGBTQIA+) Storytelling Workshop Date: Aug. 18-22. Hosted by: National Arts Centre. ElderQueers is a workshop event lead by actress Mary Ellen MacLean where attendees can work on their storytelling skills over the course of five sessions. Participants may use movement, puppets, music and the stories they tell can be serious, comic, or both. Tickets cover all five workshop sessions. Queers & Beers Date: Thursday, Aug. 21. Hosted by: Queering613 and Overflow Brewing. Queers & Beers is exactly what it sounds like: a party at a craft brewery with live music. This year, you can expect to see Montreal DJ BLK PRL (aka Sandy Duperval) and Ottawa-born musician OK Naledi. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and performances start at 8 p.m. You can get tickets online or at the door. Street Festival Date: Aug. 23-24. Hosted by: Capital Pride. The 2025 edition of the annual Capital Pride street festival will feature community organizations, political groups, and a craft fair. Drag & Balls Date: Saturday, Aug. 23. Hosted by: OQSL and Bruce House. Drag & Balls is an annual charity softball event organized to support Bruce House, a local organization which helps people in Ottawa living with HIV and AIDS. The event includes a drag softball game and party. /this year's theme is Drag & Balls: Disco Inferno, so guests will be treated to "fierce" '70s fashion and "groovy tunes" hosted by Ottawa's DJ POWRHAUS. Bliss Date: Saturday, Aug. 23. Hosted by: Lez Go and Queen St. Fare. If you're into Ottawa's lesbian scene, you might be familiar with Lez Go: a group of "lesbian+" people that hosts community events for its members. This Pride month, you can attend its Bliss party at Queen St. Fare in downtown Ottawa. The festivities start around 7:30 p.m., and its website says you can expect a raffle, designated singles tables and performers like Rachelle Behrens and Rëa. Ottawa Dyke March Date: Saturday, Aug. 23. Hosted by: Ottawa Dyke March. The Ottawa Dyke March will be held the day before Capital Pride's Pride Parade, by a community group of the same name which describes itself as "devoted to creating spaces for dykes and their families, friends and allies." It will start at Minto Park that afternoon and end with a community gathering with food, face painting and other activities. Pride Square Dance Date: Saturday, Aug. 23. Hosted by: Ottawa Date Squares The Ottawa Date Squares is a local square dancing group that hosts events throughout the year. If you're in the mood to shake your feet this Pride Month, consider attending their Pride Dance. This free event welcomes participants with any level of experience and doesn't require you to bring a partner. They teach you everything you need to know and let the music take it from there. Pride Parade Date: Sunday, Aug. 24. Hosted by: Capital Pride. The Pride Parade, held annually by Capital Pride, will take place on the first day of its two-day festival. Dozens of local groups march in the parade and everyone is invited to watch the spectacle. Drag Bingo Date: Sunday, Aug. 31. Hosted by: Hammond Golf and Broken Stick Brewery. A few kilometres east of Ottawa, the Hammond Golf and Country Club is hosting a drag bingo event, hosted by drag artist and former Ms. Capital Pride, Devona Coe. Admission includes four rounds of bingo with four cards per round. Funds raised will be donated to Family Services Ottawa's Around the Rainbow program, according to the website.

Yahoo

10 hours ago

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What's planned for Pride month in Ottawa this August

The best evidence yet Queen Victoria had a secret "marriage"

National Geographic

17 hours ago

National Geographic

The best evidence yet Queen Victoria had a secret "marriage"

A portrait of Queen Victoria taken in honor of her Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Victoria was 78-years-old in the photograph, more than 30 years after her rumored affair with servant John Brown. Photograph By Press Association/ AP Images When Queen Victoria died in 1901, she was laid to rest with photographs of her family and mementos from her husband and consort, Prince Albert, who had passed 40 years earlier. Tucked into her coffin were Albert's handkerchiefs and a marble sculpture made from a cast of his hand. Her devotion into the grave is no surprise: Victoria has spent four decades publicly grieving his death, wearing mourning clothes, and lavishly commemorating Albert's life. But it wasn't just Albert's mementos she sought in death: she also wanted a photograph of her longtime servant John Brown, locks of his hair, and his mother's wedding ring. Brown, a Scot employed at Victoria's Scottish estate Balmoral, had spent almost two decades constantly at Victoria's side, emerging as her closest companion after Albert's death. At the time, only her doctor and ladies-in-waiting knew about her desire to be buried with Brown's effects, but nevertheless, for 160 years, rumors have swirled about the precise nature of the relationship between Victoria and Brown. Was he a particularly devoted servant? A platonic male shoulder to lean on in her grief? Or did the pair have a romantic relationship? The rumor has fascinated historians for over a century, each generation arguing over scraps of evidence, reinterpreting the relationship and reshaping their knowledge of Victoria and her era. Victoria's own writings have fueled the speculation, too: 'Perhaps never in history was there so strong and true an attachment, so warm and loving a friendship between the sovereign and servant,' she wrote in a letter after he died. Historian Dr. Fern Riddell recently entered the debate with her new book Victoria's Secret: The Private Passion of a Queen and its accompanying documentary, which claims to reveal new evidence about Victoria's and Brown's relationship. Riddell tells a compelling story filled with midlife passion, gossiping courtiers, and resentful adult children. 'It's got everything—it's tragedy, it's high romance, it's love across a huge social divide, it's the secrecy of it,' Riddell tells National Geographic. 'And when you look at it closely, it's the story of a man who was absolutely devoted to the woman that he loved. And that's very powerful for us today.' Riddell's cheekily named book is part of a 21st century attempt to correct the historical record. Since the moment she was laid in her grave, Victoria has been remembered as a stern, remote, even prudish monarch in voluminous black dresses. But her posthumous reputation is a far cry from the flesh-and-blood realities of her life. A 1864 photograph of Victoria and John Brown. Brown worked as a ghillie at Balmoral, the Queen's estate in Scotland, and was rumored to have had an affair with Victoria. The long-standing rumors about Mrs. Brown Limited Time: Bonus Issue Offer Subscribe now and gift up to 4 bonus issues—starting at $34/year. The rumors started shortly after Victoria was widowed. Avoiding the British public and frustrated with her ministers, she retreated to solitude at the picturesque Balmoral, an estate she'd built with Albert in 1852. Brown had worked at Balmoral for years as a ghillie, an attendant on hunting trips but, by 1864, Victoria had promoted him, giving him the official title of Queen's Highland Servant—'to remain constantly in attendance upon the Queen,' according to the memorandum Victoria issued to Brown. In the years that followed, Brown was constantly at Victoria's side, accumulating enormous sway within her household. Her courtiers started talking, and then the gossip spread into the boisterous print culture of 19th century London, with satirical magazines publishing sly items about Brown's omnipresence; The Tomahawk, for instance, published a cartoon of Brown leaning on an empty throne, gazing down on an attentive British lion. Most explosive was an 1866 report from the Swiss Gazette de Lausanne, which suggested that not only was Victoria—so thoroughly secluded since Albert's death, so far from the public eye, routinely missing important ceremonial occasionals like the opening of Parliament—involved with Brown, but more scandalously, she'd become pregnant. 'They say… she is in an interesting condition and if she didn't attend the Volunteers review and the unveiling of Prince Albert's memorial, that would be only to conceal her pregnancy,' the paper reported. Victoria did little to squelch the rumors. Instead, she commissioned a large-scale painting by one of Britain's most important painters, Edwin Landseer. Shown at the Spring Exhibition of the Royal Academy, a major cultural event, Her Majesty at Osborne (1866) showed Victoria in her customary black, atop a horse guided by Brown, official papers littering the ground, in full view of the titillated British public. 'If anyone will stand by this picture for a quarter of an hour and listen to the comments of visitors he will learn how great an imprudence has been committed,' wrote a contemporary art critic. Victorians widely gossiped about the Queen's romance and even a possible love child, dubbing Victoria 'Mrs. Brown.' The coverup In 1883, Brown died suddenly at the age of 56. Once again, Victoria mourned, closing Brown's rooms, pouring out her sadness in her correspondence, and commissioning various memorials, but unlike Albert, where her grief left a trail across modern London, posterity began minimizing Brown. First, her advisors talked her out of privately publishing a memoir about Brown (the draft was later destroyed); it was already bad enough that she'd dedicated the second volume of selections from her Highland journals to him. Then, when Victoria died, she left care of her journals to her youngest daughter who spent years heavily editing the volumes and burning the originals. Victoria's letters, meanwhile, were edited for publication by two men with their own agendas, who weren't interested in things like pregnancy or motherhood, shaping her image for decades to come. And her eldest son Bertie, who became Edward VII, immediately turned Brown's chambers into a billiard room and purged all the reminders of the Scottish servant, including the numerous paintings and busts that his mother had commissioned over the years. After her death, 'Victorian' came to be synonymous with prudery, while Victoria herself was reduced to a black-clad, elderly great-grandmother, head topped with a fussy bonnet, perpetually unamused, never mind that she did have nine children. John Brown circa 1865. His relationship with the Queen was the source of endless Victorian gossip, leading many to dub Victoria, "Mrs. Brown." Photograph by W. & D. Downey/Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's consort, photographed before his early death in 1861 at age 42. Victoria was buried with many of Albert's mementos, including a marble sculpture taken from a plaster cast of his hand. Photograph By Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis/Getty Images The rumors persist into the 20th century Despite the attempts by posterity to purge Brown from public memory of Victoria's reign, stories about 'Mrs. Brown' continued to fascinate. Tantalizing hints also emerged over the course of the 20th century, Victoria's contemporaries dead long enough that their diaries, letters, and other papers became public. The world could finally read politician Lord Derby despairing over her lack of propriety with Brown, rattling off in his journal about the relationship: Long, solitary rides, in secluded parts of the park: constant attendance upon her in her room: private messages sent by him to persons of rank: avoidance of observation while he is leading her pony or driving her little carriage. The princesses, Derby added, referred to Brown as 'Mamma's lover.' Tom Cullen's 1969 book, Empress Brown, included a facsimile of a letter from Victoria to Brown's brother after his death, recounting a conversation in which they pledged their devotion to one another: 'Afterwards I told him no-one loved him more than I did … and he answered 'nor you – than me … No-one loves you more.'' The book suggested the existence of more evidence from Brown's own family, but his descendants refused access to any of it, with rare exceptions. The evidence piled up, even as historians continued to express skepticism or at least to point out the difficulty of knowing exactly what these two meant to each other, like Victoria's instructions for her burial arrangements. But the steady drip of stories kept the notion of Mrs. Brown sufficiently alive that in 1997, it was fodder for a historical drama that garnered Judi Dench a Golden Globe for her performance as Victoria—though a review of the movie described it as 'willfully discreet.' (Screenwriter Jeremy Brock was one of the few people who got a look at the Browns' archives, until now.) Reassessing Queen Victoria, the woman In recent years, increasingly, there's been a reassessment of Victoria. Books like Yvonne M. Ward's Censoring Queen Victoria, Lucy Worsley's Queen Victoria, and Julia Bard's Victoria: The Queen, have attempted to excavate the woman from the monarch and her public image. They're increasingly frank about the realities of Victoria's life as a woman, including her desires, the toll taken by so many pregnancies, the postpartum depression, even her rocky experience of menopause. We know now, for example, that Victoria dreaded pregnancy and struggled with severe postpartum depression. She was physically very attracted to her husband: 'his love and gentleness is beyond everything, and to kiss that dear soft cheek, to press my lips to his, is heavenly bliss,' she wrote in her journal just days after they married. That reassessment extends to the topic of her relationship with Brown: 'There are few subjects as wildly speculated about and poorly documented as Queen Victoria's relationship with John Brown,' writes Baird. Still, she concludes: 'What is certain is that Queen Victoria was in love with John Brown.' Meanwhile, Worsley is skeptical that their relationship was a sexual one, chalking the scandal up to 'the unspoken belief that a widowed woman of middle age, as Victoria was, must inevitably become sexually insatiable.' The royal family is still staying silent on the topic of Mrs. Brown. As Baird revealed in her book, researchers who use the Royal Archives are required to agree that any quotes and 'all intended passages based on information obtained from those records' must be submitted for approval. And she was asked to remove 'large sections' from her book based on material found outside the archives, including Victoria's requests for the items in her coffin. Riddell enters the chat Riddell wades into the debate with a new approach, re-examining the existing evidence while looking much more closely at Brown, his family, and the community around Balmoral. 'I've always been fascinated by the idea that there was this man from a crofting farmer's family who stood at Victoria's side, the most powerful woman in the world, at this point, for 20 years, and we knew so little about him,' Riddell says. And she finally confirms the existence of that letter from Victoria to Brown's brother, as well as the Brown family archive, hinted at in Cullen's Empress Brown, much of which is now accessible at local archives in Aberdeen — and reveals much more about its content. For instance, Victoria had a cast made of Brown's hand just after his death, nearly identical to the one she had made of Albert's. There's also a New Year's card inscribed, 'To my best friend JB / From his best friend V.R.I.' (V.R.I was Victoria's royal cypher, meaning 'Victoria Regina Imperatrix.') Pointing to an account of a deathbed confession by Victoria's royal chaplain of marrying the pair and Victoria's documented behavior regarding Brown, including her demands that her sons shake his hand, as though he were their social equal, Riddell makes the case that Victoria and Brown likely had an 'irregular' marriage. Scottish marital customs were notoriously flexible at the time, and it had become common for couples to 'marry' by simply swearing vows. 'We'd only ever considered this possibility of a marriage from an English lens—there had to be a priest, there had to be marriage banns, there had to be a church wedding,' says Riddell. 'No one had ever considered it from his community's perspective.' Most interesting is Riddell's discovery of an enduring Brown family story which tells of a child. Angela Webb-Milinkovich, a pierced and tattooed care worker from Minnesota descended from Brown's brother Hugh tells Riddell: 'We were always told that we were the illegitimate line.' Hugh and his wife emigrated to New Zealand in the mid-1860s and registered a daughter's birth, the couple's only child. The couple stayed for only a decade, returning to the United Kingdom in the 1870s, child in tow. Their return trip was paid for by Victoria. There are plentiful reasons to be skeptical about a potential secret child—family stories about lineage are often unreliable, and Victoria was in her early 40s when her relationship with Brown developed. Plus, Victoria suffered from a painful injury, a prolapsed uterus, that her doctor discovered only after her death. But Riddell argues that none of that rules out the possibility that Victoria had another child. 'There's no evidence to support the idea that she had a prolapsed uterus immediately after [her youngest child's] birth,' Riddell says, and it's common for the injury to happen later in life. Nor was she too old: 'Many women in this period have their last baby between 45 and 47,' Riddell says. Plus, a pregnancy would have been easier than many might assume to conceal. Victoria was deep in seclusion, wearing voluminous mourning gowns. 'No one saw the queen naked. No one touched her body, apart from the four women who were her dressers,' says Riddell. Of course, there are Victoria's own words. She was famously vocal about her difficulties with pregnancy and doctors had advised Victoria not to have any more children over concerns about postpartum depression. But after Albert's death, Victoria longed, one of her daughters wrote, 'for another child.' Proof, though, would be difficult to establish. When it comes to DNA, 'it's much more complicated and much more delicate than television and culture has given us the impression of,' says Riddell, who makes no definitive claim regarding the story, simply presenting the evidence for and against. But what does become clear in Riddell's book is that Brown's own family understood that a relationship existed. The rumor of Mrs. Brown will no doubt endure; it's just too tempting to speculate about the private lives of the powerful, particularly when the details are so at odds with the public image. What Victoria's contemporaries saw between the monarch and her Highland Servant says as much about their society's fears, preoccupations, and messy realities as it does about these two individuals, and the modern fascination is no different. Everybody wants to know what happens behind closed doors, especially palace doors.

Ready to unwind after Pride? Try these relaxing LGBTQ+-friendly getaways

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What's planned for Pride month in Ottawa this August

What's planned for Pride month in Ottawa this August

The best evidence yet Queen Victoria had a secret "marriage"

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