Duke of Cumberland / King of Hanover

The Duke of Cumberland is Victoria's uncle, a bristling relic of the old court who resents being passed over for a throne he still believes should have come to him. Loud, imperious and openly contemptuous of a teenage queen, he circles Kensington and Windsor looking for any weakness to exploit.

Peter Firth plays him without a flicker of self-doubt, which is what makes him so useful: he's the show's clearest embodiment of everything Victoria's reign is pushing against — patriarchy, entitlement, contempt dressed as tradition. He's never subtle, but his bluntness gives every scene with Victoria real teeth.