Who has owned The Queen Victoria pub in EastEnders? From Sharon and Phil Mitchell to Den and Angie Watts
EASTENDERS’ Queen Victoria is one of the most iconic pubs in TV history and has had a string of landlords and landladies over the years.
With current owners Mick and Linda Carter preparing to sell the Vic to Phil Mitchell, who were the previous queens and kings?
Den and Angie Watts
When EastEnders first catapulted on to our screens back in 1985, the owners of the Queen Vic were none other than Den and Angie Watts.
But a pub probably wasn’t the best home for fiery alcoholic Angie and things went downhill from there pretty quickly.
Tension between Dirty Den and Angie came to a nasty head when Den famously and savagely handed Angie divorce papers over Christmas dinner in the pub.
Frank Butcher and Pat Harris
Following the reign of Den and Angie, Frank Butcher and his girlfriend Pat Harris became the new managers of the pub in 1988.
But their reign over the Queen Vic lasted only two years before their happiness was compromised by crippling debts.
Frank then disappeared in 1994, leaving Pat to pick up the pieces.
Eddie Royle
Former police officer Eddie Royle became the next owner of the pub in 1990, renting a room to barmaid Sharon Watts.
But Eddie's copper past meant he had a hard time winning over the trust of the locals.
The landlord met an unfortunate end when he was stabbed to death by nasty Nick Cotton while walking his pet poodle Roly.
Sharon Watts and the Mitchell brothers
Sharon bought the Vic in 1991 and moved in with her husband Grant and brother-in-law Phil following Eddie’s death.
But she was quick to put a spanner in the works by having an affair with Phil right under Grant’s nose.
After Sharon’s marriage with Grant crumbled, Peggy Mitchell took over the reigns of the pub.
Dan Sullivan
Phil sold his share of the pub to dodgy dealer Dan Sullivan in 1999 for a measly fiver - just to spite his mum Peggy - after failing to get his booze problem under control, making Dan the co-owner with Peggy.
But Dan turned out to be an evil character when he romanced Carol Jackson while having an affair with her daughter Bianca.
Phil eventually bought back his share of the pub from Dan after challenging his nemesis to a card game.
Steve Owen
Steve Owen then muscled in on the pub’s ownership just to spite Phil.
Everyone was stunned when Steve was revealed as Sharon’s business partner when she bought the pub back off debt-ridden Peggy in 2001.
But Steve was eventually forced to sell his stake back to the Mitchells when his wife Mel was abducted by Dan Sullivan as revenge for Phil tricking him out of being joint landlord in the card game.
Chrissie Watts
In 2004, Den Watts blackmailed his way back into the pub.
But a few months after he moved in with his wife Chrissie, she hit Den over the head with an iron doorstep before secretly burying him.
When Den’s body was dug up, Chrissie made plans for a quick escape and sold the pub to Ian Beale.
Ian Beale
Unfortunately for Ian, his ownership of the pub was ripped away from him when Chrissie admitted to faking Den’s signature on the documents after bumping Den off.
Peggy Mitchell
With Ian out of the picture, Sharon inherited the pub from Den and signed it over to Peggy who became the landlady yet again.
Archie Mitchell
On Christmas Eve in 2009, Peggy’s estranged husband Archie Mitchell and his new fiancee Janine Butcher took over the pub.
But on Christmas Day, Archie was murdered by Stacey Fowler - then Branning - after raping her.
Roxy Mitchell
Archie’s death left the pub in the hands of his daughter Roxy.
But after a few months of struggling with the reigns, Roxy admitted she wasn’t up to the job and handed the pub back to Peggy.
Alfie Moon
After Phil set fire to the pub in 2010 in a drug-fuelled rage, Peggy left the Square with her tail between her legs and signed ownership over to Phil.
Phil then got his act together and renovated the pub before renting it to Alfie Moon and his wife Kat.
Alife and Kat enjoyed several years as the landlords of the pub.
But Phil decided to sell the pub to get one over on Alfie when he treated his cousin Roxy badly in the wake of his split from Kat.
The Carters
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Mick Carter bought the pub off Phil on Christmas Day in 2013.
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But with Linda battling a drinking problem that was threatening to rip the Carters apart, in March 2020 Mick decided the best thing for her recovery would be to move on to pastures new.
EastEnders fans know that Phil has his eye on the pub as a fresh start for him and Sharon, but that he's yet to seal the deal.