She was Empress of India

You'd think, especially during Victoria's reign, that being the Queen of England was a significant accomplishment in and of itself. She was likely the most well-known person on Earth, and England was the largest superpower in the world. Still, there's always opportunity for development when you're a British king.

India came under British control in 1858. The nation was one of many that England had claimed over the years as its own from all over the world. It was difficult to simply declare that all Indians were now subjects of the British Empire since they were located so far away and were so different from one another in almost every respect.

An elaborate ceremony was organized in 1877 in an effort to try to smooth over tensions between Britain and India, which had several centuries of tense relations between them. India would formally congratulate the Empress Victoria, who would take over as sovereign.

There have been rumors that Victoria sought the title of Empress because she was envious of the titles her daughter possessed even though she never traveled to India. Regardless, Victoria would start using the title Queen-Empress Victoria as of 1877.