On June 20, 1837, in the early hours of the morning, Victoria was approached by the archbishop of Canturbury with the news that William IV had died, leaving her with the throne. She was eighteen years old, and said to have a cool and assuring demeanor in front of the Privy Council the same morning of William IV's death (Royal Family). At the time of Victoria's coronation, she was immensely popular. The concept of a young woman accessioning the throne was a heavily romanticized event. Though she was popular for her first few months as Queen, she quickly was chastised for her possible relations with Lord Melborne, the Prime Minister (Britannica). 

This event marks one of the first times a young woman was on the throne without a Regency taking place. By being crowned when she was eighteen, Victoria was greeted with an exceptional amount of freedom, which she used to distance herself from her mother and do as she pleased. Many people of England found this to be refreshing at first, as a young person as monarch was rare, but then she became heavily criticized for scandals she was involved in and her tendancy to gossip (Britannica). 

"Queen Victoria." The Royal Family, https://www.royal.uk/queen-victoria. 

"Victoria- Accession to the Throne." Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Victoria-queen-of-United-Kingdom/Ac...