Lord Melbourne was Queen Victoria's first Prime Minister. Barely eighteen when she came to the throne, Victoria was only just breaking free from the domineering influence of her mother, the Duchess of Kent, and her mother's adviser, Sir John Conroy. Over the next four years Melbourne trained her in the art of politics, and the two became friends: Victoria was quoted as saying she considered him like a father (her own father had died when she was only eight months old, and Melbourne's son had died at a young age). Tutoring Victoria was the climax of Melbourne's career; he spent four to five hours a day visiting and writing to her, and she responded with enthusiasm and grew in wisdom. Melbourne was given a private apartment at Windsor Castle, and for a time there were unfounded rumours that Victoria would marry Melbourne, who was 40 years her senior.
In Daisy Goodwin's TV series, Victoria did actually propose marriage to Lord Melbourne. There is no evidence of this ever happening in reality.
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