https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/royals/article-14731777/assassin-Queen-Victoria-avoid-death-penalty-Australian-journalist-New-Mail-podcast.htmlHow did a would-be assassin of Queen Victoria avoid the death penalty and become an Australian journalist? New Mail podcast follows the long history of deadly plots against Britain's most famous monarch
PODCAST: Listen to the latest episode of Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things - Why did Prince Andrew drive into his own house?
By JOSEPH PALMER
Published: 05:00, 22 May 2025 | Updated: 11:08, 22 May 2025
On the latest episode of the Mail's 'Queens, Kings & Dastardly Things' podcast, Royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Kate Williams look back at the 7 assassination attempts survived by Queen Victoria, the most of any monarch in history. Prince Albert, Victoria's husband, once asked of his often-targeted wife: 'What's all this mania with Queen shooting?'
Across her 63-year reign, Queen Victoria had a record 7 brushes with death, the first when she was just 21 years old and the last as a 64-year-old Empress of a globe-spanning state. Her first would-be assassin, Edward Oxford, was a teenager when he attempted to murder the Queen. On the podcast, Hardman and Williams tell the bizarre story of his life and the lives of the many men who botched the killing of Britain's most famous monarch.
Edward Oxford and The First Assassination Attempt Against Queen Victoria
The year was 1840 and Queen Victoria, pregnant with her first child Vicky, took a relaxed carriage ride through Hyde Park. A waiter, Edward Oxford, just 18 years old, emerged from the crowds of people who came to the park to witness their new Queen, brandishing two pistols. His first shot missed, but as historian Williams explained, this is all part of his plan to alter the course of British history. 'Oxford's plan was for the carriage to stop and for those onboard to investigate the noise from the first shot. That would present a moment for him to fire at the Queen directly', Williams said. 'The carriage stopped, and Oxford takes the other gun out but he's not the best shot in history. We see a lot of these early Victorian shooters can't really use a gun. He's only a few feet away but somehow, Victoria is unhurt. The crowd then grabs Oxford, and he's arrested.'
It later transpired that Oxford was a part of a 'secret society', as Williams calls it, known as Young England. It is assumed he was seeking notoriety within the group by murdering the young Queen. Young England espoused an extreme form of Conservatism, desiring a stronger monarch with greater influence over politics. Oxford was then tried for treason, with the penalty for the crime in the 19th century being execution by hanging. He managed to escape his fate however, as Williams said: 'During the trial, when they looked at the scene of the crime, they can't find any bullets. So, the court thinks he just shot gunpowder at the Queen and it finds him not guilty on grounds of insanity. Victoria doesn't like this: she describes it in her journal as very stupid and doesn't believe Oxford was mad.'
After three years in Broadmoor Hospital, Oxford is released and sent to Australia, where he manages to rebuild his life. 'Oxford flourished in later life', Williams told the podcast.
'He married a widow with two children. He becomes a church warden, and he gets a job as a journalist.'
