Queen Victoria's Secret

Today is the Victoria Day holiday for our neighbors in Canada. This is a sort of iconic picture of her, and we tend to think of her in those terms. Plump and stolid.

Well, if you had to sit perfectly still for 10 or 15 seconds for the photograph to be taken, you'd probably look pretty somber too. Ever try to hold a smile for 10 seconds? As for plump, give her a break. By the time of this photo she had been queen for 50 or 60 years. You should look so good at that age.

Besides, with all that satin and lace on display, can you really believe she was confined in tidy whities underneath? I mean she was passably cute as a young woman, but she went on to have nine children while still running the largest empire the world has ever seen. No doubt she took her comfort where she could find it.

Somehow, I doubt that was to be found in massive underwires and thongs as at today's Victoria Secret, or in rough linen or wool with drawstrings.

So, what was her secret?