Queen Victoria fell in love with the Riviera when she discovered it on her first visit to Menton in 1882.

Her enchantment with this 'paradise of nature' endured for almost twenty years. Victoria's visits helped to transform the French Riviera by paving the way for other European royalty, the aristocracy and the very rich, who were to turn it into their pleasure garden.

Michael Nelson paints a fascinating portrait of Victoria and her dealings with local people of all classes, statesmen and the constant stream of visiting crown heads. In the process, we see an unexpected side to Victoria: not the imperious, petulant, mourning widow but rather an exuberant girlish old lady thrilled by her surroundings.

Queen Victoria and the Discovery of the Riviera is an absorbing and revealing account that makes an important contribution to both our understanding of Victoria's character and personality and our view of the late Victorian period.

Michael Nelson is an historian of the French Rivera. He was General Manager of Reuters.

Lord Asa Briggs is former Provost of Worcester College, Oxford, and is President of the Victorian Society.