AllMovie

"Engines of Change" (Part 1 of four) recalls the first three decades of the British monarch's life (1819-1901), which coincided with "the birth of the modern world," says narrator Donald Sutherland. "Steam," he adds, "was the genie of the modern age, and it was the British who let it out of the bottle." Victoria, who ascended the throne at age 18, was no techie, but her German-born husband, Prince Albert, was.