Queen Victoria (Black Butler)

Note: In the manga, Queen Victoria was never involved in the arson of the Phantomhive Manor, and the true murderer is so far uncertain.

Queen Victoria in the manga.

“	What do you think about this? What if those monsters became our allies? That would be wonderful.	„
	~ Queen Victoria to John Brown, about the Bizarre Dolls

Although she is a heroic character in the Black Butler manga, Queen Victoria had become the secondary antagonist in the first season of the Black Butler anime, being the villainous Heavy and the mastermind of the Phantomhive Household's arson, and she takes responsibility for Ciel Phantomhive's parents' murder.

However, even if she did not turn evil in manga, Queen Victoria had a very mild glimpse of villainy appeared when she showed her interest in making the Bizzare Dolls her allies.

In the first series of the anime, she was served by the fallen angel Ash Landers instead of John Brown in the manga and the third anime series Kuroshitsuji: Book of Circus.

Manga synopsis

In the manga, the Queen is friendly to Ciel.

Early life

Starting her reign on 20 of June, 1837, Victoria becomes the ruler of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. However, a huge devastation overwhelms her when her beloved husband, Prince Albert, is killed by disease. She often cries in dismay when someone mentions Prince Albert. 

Jack the Ripper

Although she is not seen, Victoria has sent Ciel Phantomhive to investigate the matter of prostitutes being murdered on the streets. She is very disturbed by the killer's unconventional methods.

Later, Ciel solves the Jack the Ripper case, and stamps out the murderer so that Victoria could be at ease. However, he has never informed her of Jack the Ripper's true identity.

Curry Contest

Victoria, having been invited as a guest judge, arrives at the curry contest via a horse. As she comes to a stop, she tramples her aide, John Brown; albeit, he soon recovers and announces that the Queen has something to say, and helps her down from her horse. Victoria remarks that the show was exciting and the fragrance permeating throughout the entire room makes her feel nostalgic, as at a time she had curry with Prince Albert on White Island. Victoria then bursts into tears, reminded of her dead husband, and John impersonates Albert with a hand puppet in order to console her.

Once she calms herself, Victoria states that she is allowed one vote since she was invited to be a judge. She gives the trophy to Sebastian Michaelis, and proclaims him the winner because of the curry bun's ability to be consumed by anyone without utensils (in this perspective, it takes even children—the future, as she calls them—into account). Victoria tells the dismayed Agni that she has also enjoyed his curry.

Victoria later observes Soma making amends with Agni, and she is relieved. Ciel questions the reason behind her arrival, and she says that she came because she has not seen him in a while, as he only sends letters and never visits. Ciel answers that someone like him should not be seen around her, and she disagrees. She remarks that how despite his youth, he performs his duties so seriously just like his father. Then, she comments emotionally about her husband and breaks down crying, causing John to use his Albert puppet once again.

Subsequently, Victoria prepares to leave, and informs Ciel that she will have the Grand Chamberlain's office send the authorization documents for the Royal Warrant soon. She departs on her horse, and Ciel reminds John to accompany her.

Ciel later realizes that Victoria had John slip an envelope into his pocket; the said envelope contains a note and two tickets to the Noah's Ark Circus, as an investigative assignment.

Noah's Ark Circus Arc

While not yet seen in this part of the storyline, it is shown that Ciel was sent to retrieve the kidnapped children, alive. However, he instead has Sebastian set Baron Kelvin's manor on fire, killing the children in the process. Some of her subordinates are seen watching the burning manor, having also been sent by the Queen. However, they were simply ordered to watch and report back.

Phantomhive Manor Murder Case Arc

Displeased with Ciel's failure to return to the children, she sends Charles Grey and Charles Phipps to deliver a request from her to Ciel. She asks that he hold a banquet and that he entertain a guest in two weeks time. However, she requests this not of the Queen's Watchdog, but of the nobleman Earl Ciel Phantomhive. In order to regain some of his former esteem, Ciel accepts the request and welcomes an unnamed writer into his home. It is later revealed that the murder of Georg von Siemens was all planned according to her wish as she wanted to eliminate a rival to England i.e. him. She had also planned a "punishment" for Ciel for failing to return the kidnapped children by framing him for the initial murder.

Public School

By the end of Public School Arc, Victoria appears momentarily accompanied by her butlers John, Grey and Phipps. Later, when Ciel's investigation is finally done, and he reports personally to Victoria, mentioning the resurrection of the dead she already believes Ciel's words and comments that he should keep his nose sniffing around.

After Ciel left, Victoria is seen with John Brown, and she voices her worries about moving corpses and asks what would John do and he replies that he would protect her in place of Albert. She then wonders if these monsters become their allies, and she thinks that it would be wonderful.

Anime biography

The younger Queen Victoria in anime

However, in the first season of anime series, the Queen became different to her original manga counterpart.

In a period of time a fallen angel named Ash Landers somehow became the Queen's "White Butler". Ash (and his female counterpart Angela Blanc) help Queen Victoria come back to youth by sewing her together with Prince Albert's corpse, due to the Queen's wish to stay forever with her dead husband.

Later, Queen Victoria ordered Ash Landers to burn down the Phantomhive Manor at the day of Ciel Phantomhive's birthday. The fallen angel orders its henchmen to kidnap Ciel and burn a Seal of the Beast on Ciel. Later, Ciel summons a demon whom he names Sebastian Michaelis, and they escape from the living nightmare.

Curry Contest

Instead of arriving after the contest, the Queen arrives before, with a speech from Ash marking the beginning of the contest. While the judges deliberate, she tries a bit of Sebastian's curry, and gives it the same rave review through Ash. However, Mina, who has succumbed to the effects of the spice curryma that responds to people's darkness, insults the queen and moves in to attack her, but is stopped by Sebastian, Agni and to some extent, Prince Soma. After Sebastian's curry cures those afflicted, she declares him the winner.

Conspiracy and Revenge

Before the unveiling of the Queen's true nature, Lau informs Ciel that Queen Victoria is trying to start a war, which prompts Ciel to go to the exposition to meet with her.

He encounters her in the Eiffel Tower's elevator, where she shares that she would like to kill everything that is unclean and have a new creation born from the destruction. The way she speaks, however, prompts Ciel to suspect that she is responsible for his parents' deaths, which when confronted, she confirms. However, she finds Ciel's anger astonishing, and when Ash arrives, she orders him to kill Ciel. When Ciel orders Sebastian to slay Ash and the Queen, she becomes visibly distressed, and blames Ciel for the resulting fight, asking why he does not stop it. When Ciel notices that the fight is endangering the citizens below, he orders Sebastian to stop, and Ash takes advantage of the opportunity to carry Queen Victoria away.

Back at Buckingham Palace, Prince Albert's flesh continues to bother her, but when she does not want it changed, Ash abandons her. She is seen crying blood while rubbing the rotten flesh on her face, and later, it is shown that she succumbs to the rot and dies. Later, she is replaced by a fake Queen Victoria.

Appearance

In the manga, Victoria appears to be a strong and capable elderly woman. As she is inclined to fashion, she dons stylish clothing, to which Baldroy has expressed surprise about upon her first appearance.

In the anime, however, Victoria is a small, sickly woman who always dresses in black; often, she wears a black veil that covers her face. When she removes the said veil, she appears to be a young girl with long, curly, and gray hair. She also has part of her late husband's flesh attached to her, which continues to rot and causes her to suffer daily pain.

Personality

In the manga, Victoria is a kind and considerate elderly woman. A prestigious leader, she has crafted the most brilliant time of Great Britain's history; as she is the political drive behind the idea of expanding the territories, Great Britain is coined as the empire on which the sun never sets. She is prominent in the fields of fashion at social events, and often leads the trends. Victoria is immensely popular and well-loved among her people.

Victoria is a very virtuous individual, who greatly adheres to rectitude and good morals. She is constantly worried for the stability of regular society, and thus, she sends Ciel Phantomhive to help her subdue criminals.

Victoria is still deeply in love with her deceased husband, Prince Albert, and she frequently needs to be cheered up by her aide, John Brown, who keeps a Prince Albert hand puppet. She also has a tendency to call Ciel "boy," as she says he will always be a cute little boy to her. Despite her somewhat odd tendencies, she has garnered a lot of respect from most characters.

The anime's portrayal of her character is the polar opposite. Victoria speaks through her aide, Ash Landers, where she has him use the Royal we, and appears to be unable to function without his presence. When she does speak, she has a vision of destruction, similar to Angela Blanc, and describes a willingness to kill everything, including Ciel—and yet, she expects Ciel to remain loyal to her, and is surprised when he does not. In the anime, she also claims responsibility for his parents' deaths, as it was part of her vision to get rid of that which is "unclean." As a result of these psychotic desires, she has notably more enemies in the anime than in the manga.

Trivia

• Queen Victoria and her late husband Prince Albert were real individuals who lived and ruled in the same time Kuroshitsuji is set in.