How did Queen Victoria's use of chloroform during childbirth influence acceptance of anesthetics?

Queen Victoria’s decision to use chloroform during the births of her children, Prince Leopold in 1853 and Princess Beatrice in 1857, served as a pivotal moment for the medical acceptance of anesthesia in Britain.12

By accepting the administration of chloroform from her physician, John Snow, the Queen provided essential royal sanction to the practice. At the time, the use of anesthetics for pain relief during labor faced significant opposition from both the medical establishment and the clergy. Snow’s success in safely administering the anesthetic to the monarch helped overcome these social and professional barriers, leading to a dramatic increase in the public and clinical acceptance of gaseous anesthesia.123

This endorsement was instrumental in legitimizing the use of pain-relieving agents in obstetrics, building upon the earlier work of Sir James Young Simpson, who had pioneered the use of chloroform for labor pains despite widespread resistance.3