Victoria: The Young Years a Queen ( The Young Victoria ) is a movie historic Anglo – American directed by Jean-Marc Vallée and released in 2009 , with Emily Blunt , Rupert Friend and Paul Bettany . This film traces the life of Queen Victoria of England , from her accession to the throne to her union with Prince Albert of Saxe – Coburg – Gotha . It was co-produced by Martin Scorsese and the Duchess of York .