When he speaks of Queen Victoria, British monarch from 1837 to 1901, young Englishman Robert Morton becomes impassioned. He said: "England would have had a revolution if it weren't for Victoria. Her route to the throne was very tenuous, then she became the first monarch of the people, supported by the people over the heads of the aristocracy." His study and painstaking research led to his first serious book, not yet published, on Victoria's coming to the throne and her triumphs.
The son of a school headmaster, Robert earned his bachelor's honors degree, in history, at the University of Sussex. Looking back, he said, "It feels so natural" that he should have studied history. "But I am interested in history only because I am interested in people," he added.
After graduation he "took some office jobs in London, did a teachers' training course, and applied for a teaching position." He was offered one in Rome and one in Japan. "I could go to Rome any time. Japan seemed the bigger adventure," he said. He came to teach in Tokyo and in Kyoto, and gained experiences that gave him insight, and left him feeling dissatisfied. "I decided I wanted to do better," he said. He returned to England to study at the University of York for his master's degree in linguistics for English language teaching.