Queen Victoria Never Visited Hong Kong

Walking down the streets of Hong Kong Island, you will be reminded at every turn that Hong Kong Island was ceded to the British during Queen Victoria’s reign. There is Victoria Harbour, the life and blood of Hong Kong; Victoria Peak, the most prominent mountain on Hong Kong Island; and even the Central and Western District, which used to be known as the City of Victoria, or simply Victoria.

In fact, between 1841, the year British sailors took possession of Hong Kong Island, and 1901, the year Queen Victoria died, she reigned over Hong Kong for 60 years. In doing so, she will forever remain the longest-reigning British monarch over Hong Kong.

Yet, in those sixty years, Queen Victoria never visited the colony of Hong Kong. However, one can hardly blame Queen Victoria for not visiting her Chinese acquisition. In the nineteenth century, Hong Kong was not the global hub it is today.

Moreover, intercontinental travel in the nineteenth century was an extremely hazardous endeavor, even for a monarch; and traveling from Europe to Asia took anywhere between two and four months.

Hong Kong should not feel unjustly neglected, however. Indeed, Queen Victoria never traveled outside Europe and, consequently, never visited any of Britain’s colonies.