Victoria visited mainland Europe regularly for holidays. In 1889, during a stay in Biarritz, she became the first reigning monarch from Britain to set foot in Spain when she crossed the border for a brief visit. By April 1900, the Boer War was so unpopular in mainland Europe that her annual trip to France seemed inadvisable. Instead, the Queen went to Ireland for the first time since 1861, in part to acknowledge the contribution of Irish regiments to the South African war. In July, her second son Alfred ("Affie") died; "Oh, God! My poor darling Affie gone too", she wrote in her journal. "It is a horrible year, nothing but sadness & horrors of one kind & another."
Who was the first reigning monarch from Britain to set foot in Spain? What year did Queen Victoria first set foot in Spain? What year did Victoria stop her annual visits to Spain due to the Boer war? Where did Victoria visit instead of Spain during the Boer war? What year did Victoria's second son Alfred die? Where did Victoria stay in Spain in 1889?  What war prevented Queen Victoria from taking her annual trip to France in 1900? What country did Victoria visit instead of France during the Boer War?  Which of Queen Victoria's children died in July of that year?  Where did Victoria often go for holiday? In 1889, what was Victoria the first reining monarch from Britian to do? Why did Victoria visit Ireland in 1861? Why was Victoria advised not to visit France in April of 1900? What tragedy did Victoria face in July of 1900?