The White Queen

Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!

The White Queen

This is the White Queen’s response to Alice, who refuses to believe the impossible fact that
the beautiful and ethereal White Queen is in fact 101 years old. This wonderful Wonderland
quote is just another in a long long series of unique and whimsical utterances from some of
the most beloved fictional characters from (without a doubt!) the most magical world ever
created.

We first encounter the White Queen in Through the looking glass, where she quickly joins
the ranks of a whole range of characters who help Alice make her way through the
mysterious and often perplexing world of Wonderland. She encourages Alice to learn how to
remember and react to things before they happen, and later transforms into a sheep and
carries her across a river on her back.

The White Queen’s role becomes way more prominent and important in the 2010 Tim Burton
movie adaptation. With Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, she becomes instrumental in
helping Alice slay the Jabberwocky, a huge dragon-like creature controlled by the evil Red
Queen, and restore peace to Wonderland. The Burton film also explores the relationship
between the White and Red Queens, including how the Red Queen resents the White
Queen for being kind and loved by her subjects.

While the inspiration for this character isn’t clearly known, many have speculated that her
tendency to believe in the paradoxical and nonsensical was inspired by Carroll’s own life, as
he himself had a love for that which confounds the mind.

You can meet the benevolent White Queen for yourself at the Churnet Valley Railway Mad
Hatter Tea Party experience. Who knows –perhaps you will leave believing in more of the
impossible in this world!