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Nothing could more happily have expressed the keynote to the love and loyalty which have surrounded the throne of Victoria-it is her womanliness which has held the^ heart of the nation. The laws of heredity and of environment make no distinction between king and peasant • and It ,s to the parentage and early training of the Queen that we must look to see how her character, so distinguished by womanly virtues and domestic graces, has been moulded We find that her father, the Duke of Kent, fourth son of C^corge III., was deservedly known as the "Popular Duke" He was a tall, stately man of soldierly bearing, characterised by courteous and engaging manners, and was generous to a lault.^ He Wis connected with no less than sixty-five charitable organisations at the time of his death. From him the Queen as inherited her love of order and punctuality, and she is fo^^d of refernng to his connection with the Army Once when presenting new colour, to the Royal Scot, she said to 4 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA ■ ^y earhcst infancy, as n.y dear father was your Colonel He was proud of his profession, and I was always taught h so,d.er-Duke was the Queen's .other, who. without being a beauty, was a charming and attractive woman elegant m figure, with fine brown eyes and luxuriant brown he m. r ""^^ -^^^^■^on.ic, free and gracious in her manner, but wuhal a duchess of duchesses to her finger- tips, as after events showed. Above everything else, she wa^ .stn^uished for motherly devotion and the domestic KenT; l\r ! ^'^^^^^^-'^t- vvhich caused the Duke of Kent to fall m love .ith her. He was entrusted in 1818. by Prmce Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, then in retirement at Clare- mont mourning his young wife, the beloved Princess Charlotte w.th letters to his sister, the Princess of Leiningen. who was a' young w.dow hvmg a retired life in her castle at Amorbach Bavar.a. superintending the education of her two children. The Duke of Kent, a bachelor of fifty, was entirely charmed by the picture of domestic felicity which he found when he arnved at Castle Amorbach. and in due time became the affianced husband of the widowed Princess. They were married at Coburg on the 29th of May 1818 according to the rites of the Lutheran Church, and re-married m England shortly afterwards at a private ceremony at Kew Palace, after which they returned to Bavaria. The prospect of the birth of a child, however, made the Duke of Kent anxious to bring his wife to England, so that his coming heir might be "Briton-born." He thought at first of taking a house in Lanarkshire, in which case the Queen would have b-n born I ORIA imcnt from ■ir Colonel, ays taught element to 3, without e woman, int brown racious in !ier finger- else, she domestic : Duke of 1818, by at Clare- Charlotte, '■ho was a morbach, children, charmed when he ime the y, 1818, -married at Kew spect of anxious r might ouse in :n born i THE CHILDHOOD OF QUEEN VICTORIA THE DUCHESS OF KENT, AND THE PRINCESS VICTORIA AT THE AGE OF TWO a Scotchwoman ; but he finally decided on a suite of rooms at Kensington Palace. Brave indeed was the Duchess of Kent to quit her native land and her kindred to undertake a tedious journey by land and sea within a short time of her confinement So solicitous was the Duke for her safety that throughout the whole of the journey by land he suffered no one to drive her but himself. The Duchess reached Kensington Palace in « TIfE MJlsO^YAf. U^s OF QUEEN VICTORIA -fcey and „. fo,„ „,,, ^„ ,„^ __^_^^_ .^^ ^^ ^^^ Baron Slockmar, w.s as '.plump as a partrKlge." One may bo pcrmiUcd to say .hat the Duke was Khculously p,.o„d of his wee sirlio, and is said to hive Mcd for joy when she was presented to the .oya I and offie,al persons who had been awaiting news of her b th „ he ante chamber. Although several hVes stood betw . "iMinct that she xvas destined to be Ononn r r- , , <( T I ^ . >j i«-» uc vueen of Enplnnr? was a 1 ^! *^^''.7"'--' "- -er expressed that the child Wncess Charl.:'; h'? ' '^^ ""^'^ '"^ '^""^ »•- ">= inncess Charlotte d.ed showed that the people were eatrer for a queen, a sentiment referred to by the Dowa Jr Zh ^ perhaps o play a great part one day, if a brother is not born etec: oT'thl "" T- ''' '^-'■■* "'^ "--- -™ Win ^:o::.:jzrr:::T\ "'""''- ^^-'-^ who „™ I ., ™' Grandmamma of Cobure "ho named the new-eomer the blossom of IHay "How i^retty the li.tle Mayflower wiU be/, she writes, ■■ „Ln I se desenbe what a dear little love it is." Siebold was a ladv doctor from Berlin, popularly known as "Dr. CharToL ■ o attended the Duchess of Kent at her eonBnement trha the pir Th"" " "= "^'^ ^"^^'^'-^ ■■" =■"-"-- a Germ ■ I " "'™"'' '^'" °^' ^'>^*«- -'"-<• to Germany to officiate at the birth of a little prince, one day ^ m le 24th of according )uke was to have oyal and ■ birth in :vvccn the prophetic England. Queen of the child vhen the :ager for Duchess htcr, the destined lot born ns, and harlotte Cobu rg "How 1 I see icicntly a lady '" who having ncc at led to ie day IHM CHILDHOOD OF QUEEN VICTORIA ) I QUEEN VICTORIA AS A CHILD. to be the husband of his pretty cousin the " Mayflower," who was merrily crowing in the old palace of Kensington. When the children were in their cradles, that charming and vivacious old lady. Grandmamma of Coburg, with match-making propen- sity, wrote of little Prince Albert, " What a charming pendant he would be to the pretty cousin ! " Unfortunately she was not spared to see the day when her fondest wish was realised by the marriage of her grandson with her granddaughter, the " Mayflower," who had blossomed into a sweet young queen. Nothing could have been more propitious than the birth of our beloved Queen. She was a thrice- welcome child, born ( I of u l„,ppy .,.io„ between pare,,.. disii„,,„,„,„, fo, g„,d„^„, flowon. Small wonder .ha. s.,o was a lovely baby, Sh^ h^ flaxen ha,, blue eye.,, a fair »ki„, and wa, .he pi '. !^ health-chubby, rosy, beau.ifully for,„ecl and „r "voly di,K,..lo„. The Duehe J of Ken.' Id ,e l7Z own brea,,.,and in the absence of .he Prinee,,' 1 , Mrs. «roe, dreed and nndre.ed Z7::T::2 Robcr. Owen, .he Soeialis,, is said .o have been .he fi tort" "::'"''- '" •"•" -■ -^ '-« The h , ;"' °" "'''""" ^''°'-">' "ft- >"=■• arrival The chr,s.en., ., of .he infant Princess took place in Z Tower be.ng brought for the occasion. The Archbi,h„ r Can.erbury and .he Bishop of London official. ; pi j' were .ho Prince Regent In person, .he E.poror J^ZZZ Russ.areprescn.ed by .he Duke of York, the Queen-D wi; of Wurtembcrg, represented by the Princess Augus.a and .h. Dowager Duchess of r^k "bui»ia, and the Duchess of r> ^'^' ''=P'-"™'«> by .he Dowager his lie O '"• "= """'' °' ''="^ "^ --°- 'hat h.s ht.le Queen 'M,ould be named --l-.V,;; „„, .h^ . rinco Regent gave .he name Alexandrina, after .he Emperor Ru.s,a, upon which the Duke asked .ha. ano.her name Ih. be associated with it • .hen th= p • r, ^ .o rr^l. ' '"''' "^'S""'' >'ho according o G evdle was annoyed .ha. the infant was no. to be "'"■ ^""""'ngly the Princess was named Alexandrina ■s&'SSmM.-t.iA^ THE CHlLDfroOD OF QUFEN VICTORIA THE DIKE OF KENT, FArillK OF gUEEN VICTO. K. Victoria For a while she was called Princes ^ Alexandrina or ' httle Drina " ; but gradually her mother's n, me prevailed and she was known only as the Princess V. toria. This' choice was confirmed by the Queen herself who. she signed her first State document simply Victoria. Shorty after the christening the Duchess of Kent was publicly "cl urched" at St. Mary Abbott's, Kensington, the Duke himself conducting her with much ceremony to the communion table. The first eight months of the Queen's life were passed at Kensington Palace, where glimpses of hrr, laughing and crowing at hor nursery w.ndow, were often caught by strollers .«..Tr,»;'?:s:ft«8aSiisas. 10 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA through the Gardens. The Duke was always pleased to have her shown to the people, and when she was only four months old took her in the carriage with him to a review on Hounslow Ilcath. The Prince Regent, annoyed at the attention which she created, sharply remonstrated, saying, " That infant is too young to be brought into public." At three months old the Prmccss was vaccinated, and was the first royal baby to be moculatcd after the method of Jenner. In order to escape the rigour of the winter, the Duke and Duchess removed, at the end of the year, with their darlin.. child, mto Devonshire, staying at Woolbrook Glen, Sidmouth" a lovely retreat lying back from the sea, and surrounded by picturesque grounds. On their way to Sidmouth the royal party stayed two days with the Bishop of Salisbury. His Lordship was fond of jumping the little Princess in his arms and during one of these frolics she seized hold of the good man's' wig and shook it so violently with her dimpled hands that she covered herself with powder, and was not prevailed upon to loosen her clutches until she had pulled off a tuft of hair also. I have found no more charming glimpse of this period of tbo Queen's infancy than is recorded by Mrs. Marshall in her '• Recollections of Althea Allingham." The Allinghams were living at Sidmouth at the time of the royal visit, and we get this graphic picture of the local interest it elicited. "'I have just heard a piece of news,' Oliffe said 'The Duke of Kent has taken the " Glen " at the farther end of the village, and the servants are expected to-morrow to put the place in order for the Duke and Duchess of Kent and the little Princess Victoria.' " Sidmouth was elated at the prospect THE DUCHIS3 OF KKNT, MOTHER OF QUEEN VICTORIA. THE CHILDHOOD OF QUEEN VICTORIA '3 ^ ! \ WOOLBROOK GLEN, SIDMOUTH. of receiving the royal party, and Mrs. AUingham's little daughters were full of anxiety to see the baby Princess. Their expectations were soon realised, and they frequently saw her being taken out for her daily airing. Mrs. Allingham thus describes her : " She was a very fair and lovely baby, and there was, even in her infant days, a charm about her which has never left our gracious Queen. The clear, frank glance of her large blue eyes, and the sweet but firm expression of her mouth, were really remarkable, even when a baby of eight months old." One bright January morning the Allinghams were returning from an excursion, when they met the Duke and Duchess of .-,i:ifTl':-ht" f-r 14 T//£; PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA Kent, "linked arm in arm," the nurse carrying the little Princess, who looked lovely in a white swansdown hood and pelisse, and was holding out her hand to her father. He took her in his arms as the party drew up in line, respectfully waiting, uncovered and curtseying. "Stella exclaimed: ' What a beautiful baby!* "The Duchess hearing, smiled and said, 'Would you like to kiss the baby?' "Stella coloured with delight, and looked at me [Mrs. Allingham] for permission. "The Duke kindly held the little Princess down towards Stella, and said : "'I am glad my little May blossom finds favour in your eyes.' " Then a shout was heard from the donkey where Stephen sat. "'Me too, please, Duke.' "Instead of being in the least shocked with my boy's freedom, the Duke laughed, saying : "Dismount, then.' "Stephen scrambled down, and coming up received the longed-for kiss. "'Father calls Stella and Benvenuta his May blossoms,' Stephen volunteered. "'And you may be proud of them,' the Duke said, as he gave the Princess back into her nurse's arms; and the Duchess, with repeated bows and smiles, passed on." This tender picture of domestic felicity was, alas ! soon to be marred by death. The Duke of Kent, returning from an excursion in the vicinity of Sidmouth, sat down in wet boots 9 : THE CHILDHOOD OF QUEEN VICTORIA 15 to play with his little daughter, and was so enchanted with her baby ways that he could not tear himself away to make the needed change of his damp garments. A chill ensued, which resulted in a fatal attack of inflammation of the lungs. He died on the 23rd of January, 1820. T^o days later, the good people of Sidmouth, who had wel- comed the Duke with so KENSINGTON PALACE. much joy, stood sorrowfully to watch the departure of his widowed Duchess and her babe for London. The little Princess was held up to the carriage window to bid the people farewell, and she sported and laughed joyously, patting the glass with her pretty dimpled hands, in happy unconsciousness of her melancholy loss. Prince Leopold (afterwards King of the Belgians) acted as their escort, he having arrived at Sidmouth ~'r&-i^\g£-:sa.i^BmsS^0f^«^'=' i6 TIf£ PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA just in time to sec his sister's husband breathe his last. In his " Reminiscences " he says : " The Duchess, who had lost a most amiable and devoted husband, was in a state of the greatest distress. The poor Duke had left his family deprived of all means of subsistence. The journey to Kensington was very painful, and the weather very severe." From this time forward we find Prince Leopold acting as a father and guardian to his little niece, Victoria. It was he who generously supplemented the jointure of ;^6,ooo which the Duchess of Kent received from the country, and enabled her to rear our future Queen in a manner befitting her position. By her second marriage the Duchess had sacrificed her dowry, and she conscientiously yielded the Duke of Kent's estate to his creditors, so that all that remained to her was her jointure. The same day on which the Duchess and her infant returned to Kensington, George III. died, and was succeeded by the Prince Regent. This event, coupled with her father's death, placed the Princess two lives nearer to the throne. The Duchess, doubtless actuated by these circumstances, determined to rear her child in the land over which she might eventually rule, and gave up her own natural desire to return to Bavaria. Speaking of herself and infant at this time, she says : " We stood alone— almost friendless and alone in this country; I could not even speak the language of it. I did not hesitate how to act ; I gave up my home, my kindred, my duties [the regency of Leiningen] to devote myself to that duty which was to be the whole object of my future life." Thus nobly did the Duchess of Kent start upon her important work— no light task —the training of a queen. From that day forward she lived at Kensington in stately seclusion, watching over the young i 1 fHB CHILDHOOD OF QUEEN VICTORIA ,7 "hope of England » who was never allowed to be an hour out of her sight. From the day of her father's death until she ascended the throne, the Queen had never passed a night outside her mother's bedchamber. She had never been seen in pubhc or even heard of except in conjunction with her mother. The apartments occupied by the Duchess of Kent and the Princess Victoria were in the south- TIIE ROOM IN WHICH THE QUEEN WAS BORN. east portion* ol the Palace, beneath the King's gallery. They are now un- used ; but a visitor will find in one of the rooms on the principal floor having three windows looking eastward over Kensington Gardens, a gilt plate upon the wall, with this inscription : IN THIS ROOM QUEEN VICTORIA WAS BORN, May 24, 1819 i8 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA A room on the top floor served as the Princess's nursery, and in one corner still stands a doll's house, a headless horse, and the model of a ship, remnants of the toys which delighted her rather monotonous childhood. Here, in the old Palace which in days gone by had been the 'itatcly abode of kings and queens and the scene of gay court revels, the Princess was nurtured in all that was simple, loving, and pure. She had a natural home life free from th^ formalities of a court The one misfortune was that she had no companions of her own age : " For her there was no mate, A royal child of power and state." Her step-sister, the Princess Feodore (daughter of the Duchess of Kent by her first marriage), was eleven years her senior, and though the little Princess was devotedly attached to her as an elder sister, she was no playmate for her. A pretty story is told of the visit of the infant harp-player, Lyra, to Kensington Palace, and how delighted the Princess Victoria was — not with the harp-playing, but with having a little girl of her own age to speak to. When the Duchess of Kent returned to the room after a brief absence, she found the two children sitting on the hearthrug with toys strewn around them, enjoying themselves hugely as they laughed and prattled, oblivious of the harp standing desolate, as the one which " rang through Tara's halls." The little Princess dearly loved a romp, as is testified by William Wilberforce, who lived at Gore House, Kensington, and was occasiorally received by the Duchess of Kent. Tlu philanthropist, in writing to his friend, Hannah More, says : " In consequence of a very civil message from the Duchess of THE CHILDHOOD OF QUEEN VICTOR/A '9 Kent, I waited on her this morning, and found her with her fine, animated child on the floor by her side with its playthings, of which I soon became The Princess was brought up in the most THE NURSERY AT KENSINGTON PALACE, SHOWING RELICS OF THE QUEEN's TOYS. simple and regular style of living, her whole surroundings being utterly devoid of the pomp and show of royalty. In this early training we find the foundations of that love of simplicity and frugality which has always distinguished our gracious Queen, \ i 20 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA We well remember being in .1 country town when the Queen came to unveil a statue of the Prince Consort. The local authorities had provided a sumptuous luncheon, with all the delicacies of the season ; but great was the consternation when Her Majesty asked for rice pudding. No such homely dish was included in the menu. The little Princess's day was passed in the following manner. She rose early, and breakfasted at eight o'clock in the pretty morning-room of the Palace, sitting beside her mother in a little rosewood chair, a table to match in front of her on which was placed her bread and milk and fruit, her nurse standing beside her. After breakfast her half-sister, the Princess Feodore, retired with hr, governess, Friiulein Lehzen, to study, and the little Victoria mounted her donkey, a present from her uncle, the Duke of York, and rode round Kensington Gardens. From ten to twelve she received instruction from her mother, assisted by Fraulein Lehzen ; then came a good romp through the long suite of rooms with her nurse, Mrs. Brock, whom she affectionately called her " dear, dear Boppy." At two o'clock she dined plainly at her mother's luncheon table, afterwards came lessons again jntil four o'clock, then she went with her mother for a drive, or, if the weather was hot, spent the afternoon in the Gardens under the trees, coming out early in the evening for a turn in her little pony-chaise. The Duchess dined at seven o'clock, at which time the Princess supped at the same table on bread and milk ; she then retired for a little play in a farther part of the room along with " dear Boppy," joining her mother again at dessert. At nine o'clock she went to her little French bed with its pretty Chintz hangings, placed beside that of her mother. An tiimiv-iSmtmMk THE CHILDHOOD OF qVEEN VICTORIA 31 occasional visit to Windsor to see her " Uncle King," as she called His Majesty George IV, a sojourn at Clarcmont with her adored Uncle Leopold, and a few weeks at the sea in autumn, were the only breaks in her little life. On her fourth birthday she had a great excitement, no less than being bidden by "Uncle King "to attend a State dinner party with her mother at Carlton Plouse. She was dressed for the occasion in a simple white frock looped up on the left sleeve by a miniature of the King, set in diamonds, His Majesty's birthday present to his little niece, whose vivacious manners seemed to have delighted him vastly. Several stories arc told of the quick repartee which " Uncle King " received from his amusing little niece of Kc.it. During one of her visits to Windsor, the King said, "Now, Victoria" the band is vvaiting to play; what tune would you like to hear best ? " " ' God Save the Xing,' if you please, uncle," she prompt!}- replied. And again, when asked what part of her visit had been the greatest treat, she discreetly said, " Oh. the ride in the carriage with you, uncle." On this occasion the King had driven her himself, which was doubtless a great event. We get a further glimpse into these little trips to Windsor in one of Grand- mamma Coburg's charming letters. Writing in 1826 to the Duchess of Kent, she says : « I see by the English newspapers that ' His Majesty George IV. and H.R.H. the Duchess of Kent went on Virginia Water.' The little monkey [Princess Victoria] must have pleased and amused him. She is such a pretty, clever child." A few years later " Uncle King " gave a child's ball in honour a CHE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA IH of the visit of Donna Maria, the little Queen of Portugal, to this country. This was the first Court ceremonial at which the Princess Victoria was present A lady of the Court, however, gave great offence to the King by saying how "pretty it would be to see the two little Queens dancing together." His Majesty had no mind as yet to hear his niece of Kent dubbed a queen. By all accounts the juvenile ball was a pretty and brilliant affair. The children of the highest nobility were there, and paid mimic court to the little Queen of Portugal, who sat by the side of the King, dressed in a red velvet frock and literally blazing with jewels from head to foot. This was the first occasion upon which that spicy Court chronicler, Mr Grcville. saw the Princess Victoria ; but he appears to have been carried off his head by the dark-eyed Donna of Portugal's brilliant appearance. "Our little Princess," he writes, "is a short, plain-looking child, and not near so good-looking as the Portuguese." Fie upon you, Mr. Grcville; did not the fine Donna Maria awkwardly trip in the dance and fall down and bruise her face, while our fair-haired, blue-eyed Princess in her simple white frock, kept her head and her heels, and was admired by all people of good taste for her natural, unadorned beauty? Visits to Uncle King were very rare events, as the Duchess of Kent did not wi.h her little daughter to see much of Court life; but she took her frequently to see her Uncle Leopold at Claremont, and these visits were the most delightful holidays of all. Writing in after years from Claremont to her uncle, then King of the Belgians, the Queen says : " This place brings back recollections of the happiest days of my otherwise dull childhood-days in which I experienced such kindness rilE CHILDHOOD OF QUEEN VICIORJA «3 OUEEN VICTORIA AT THE ACE OF TKN, from you, dearest uncle. Victoria [the Princess Royal] plays with my old bricks, and I see her running and jumping in the flower garden, as old (though I still feel little) Victoria of former days used to do." In the autumn of 1824, Grandmamma of Coburg was a visitor at Claremont, along with the Duchess of Kent and the Princess Victoria ; and it has often been said that she brought her little grandson Prince Albert of Coburfr with her, but we believe that this was not the fact. We are fortunate in finding a "4 THE PERSONAL WE OF QUEEN VICTORIA charm.ng account of the royal party in the letters of Miss Jane Porter, author of « The Scottish Chiefs." She dwelt with her mother and sister in a cottage close to the grounds of Claremon, and had frequent opportunities for seeing the Princess, who she was e ghted to find, resembled her lamented aunt, the Princess Charlotte M,ss Porter describes her as " a beautiful child, with a cherub,c form of features, clustered round by glossy fair nnglets^ Her completion was remarkably transp'are'nt lith oft and often heightening tinge of the sweet blush-rose upon her cheeks, that imparted a peculiar brilliancy to her clear blue eyes Whenever she met any strangers in her usual paths, she always seemed, by the quickness of her glance, to inquire who and what they were." At home the Princess was not allowed to attend public worship at Kensington Church for fear of attracting ,00 much attenfon, service being conducted in the Palace by the Duchess herself during her daughter's earliest years, and after- wards by the Rev. George Davys, her tutor. But while a. Claremont she was taken to the little village church at Esher Fortunate Miss Porter had a seat facing the Claremont p.w and we fear that her devotions were somewhat disturbed by the' attenfon which she gave to the movements of the royal visitors, although she .s able, at least on one occasion, to give a very good reason for her attentive scrutiny. « I should not volun- tanly have so employed myself in church," she piously writes but I had seen a wasp skimming backwards and forwards over the head and before the unveiled summer bonnet of the little Pnncess; and I could not forbear watching the dangerous .nsect feanng .t might sting her face. She, totally unobserving .t, had meanwhile fi.xed her eyes on the clergyman, who had THE CHILDHOOD OF QUEEN VICTORIA 25 taken his seat in the pulpit to preach the sermon, and she never withdrew them thence for a moment during his whole dis- course." Next day, from a lady personally intimate at Clare- mont, Miss Porter learned the reason why the Princess riveted her eyes upon the clergyman, who, according to her account, was not an attractive person, so that she saw not the "dangerous insect "-she was required to give her mother not only the text, but the leading heads of the discourse. Poor little Princess! those were the days of long and formal sermons. It was in the autumn succeeding this visit to Claremont that the Princess paid the first of her many visits to Ramsgate. Three years before she had taken her first sight of the sea at Brighton. During her seaside visits she was allowed to play with other children on the sands, have donkey rides ad libitum, and to run out to meet the on-coming waves. If they chanced to ripple over her little feet, she was in a high state of glee. Then at Ramsgate she used frequently to go to a delightful old dairy-woman's cottage to have a glass of milk before break- fast. We find a graphic sketch of the Princess at this time by a writer in Fraser's Magazine, who in somewhat florid style thus relates his observations : " When first I saw the pale and pretty daughter of the Duke of Kent, she was fatherless. Her fair, light form was sporting in all the redolence of youth and health on the noble sands of old Ramsgate. She wore a plain straw bonnet with a white ribbon round it, and as pretty a pair of shoes on as pretty a pair of feet as I ever remember to have seen from China to Kamschatka. I defy you all to find me a prettier pair of feet than those of the belle Victoria, when she played with the pebbles and the tides on Ramsgate sands" The Princess on this occasion was accompanied by her mother «iiirfr'iirTiiiBiiin'iliBari H i i i6 TI/i: PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA and by William Wilbcrforce ; the latter is said to have beguiled the adventurous Victoria from sporting too freely with the waves by telling her stories of the slave children whom he was labouring to emancipate. As he did so, he stood on the shore, an impressive figure, clasping in his own the tiny hands of the five-years-old Princess, into whose heart his words were sinking deep and were destined to bear glorious fruit in after years. When they turned homeward from the shore down the High Street, the Princess espied an old Irishwoman sitting pale and dejected by the wayside, and literally " teased " a silver coin from her mother to give to this lonely wayfarer. The Duchess and her daughter frequently returned to visit Ramsgate, staying principally at Townley House, close to the picturesque grounds of East Cliff, the residence of Mr. Moses Montefiore, who courteously provided them with a sr >cial key to his private gate in order that they might use his grounds at their pleasure. On the occasion of the Queen's visit to the City of London soon after her accession, Mr. Montefiore received her in his capacity of Sheriff, and one can imagine that Her Majesty was not unmindful of those pleasant days at Ramsgate when she bade him rise up Sir Moses Montefiore. He was the first Jew to receive the honour of knighthood. But a truce to the little Princess's holiday jaunts ; we must continue the thread of her life at Kensington. An old lady friend has often described to me how she used to watch the Princess taking her walks and rides in Kensington Gardens. She never wore smart things, but was plainly and prettily dressed in a straw hat with a ribbon round it— sometimes the hat was lined with blue— and her summer dresses were of simple white cotton, relieved by a coloured silk fichu. She was often THE CHILDHOOD OF QUEEN VICTORIA 27 ■"^''* PRINCESS VICTORIA RIDING HER DONKEY IN KENSINGTON GARDENS. to be encountered in the Gardens skipping along between her mother and the Princess Feodore, each of whom held one of her hands. The little one would bow and smile at the passers-by, and say " lady " and " good morning " in a pretty, silvery voice, sometines holding out her dimpled little hand to be kissed. The wise mother taught her to approach strangers fearlessly, and to return their salutations graciously. Everybody in the neigh- bourhood grew to love the winsome little Princess. But the prettiest sight of all was to see her mounted on her white jBWiiiiiMtJiMiiii 28 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA donkey, gaily caparisoned with blue ribbons, an old soldier a former retainer of her father's, leading her bridle rein, while some of the ladies of the household walked by her side She was then at the height of enjoyment, and. onee mounted, "not all the kmg's horses nor all the king's men " eould persuade her to come down again. Her mother had made a little rule that she should ride and walk alternately ; but there were not a few scenes, and we fear some screams, in Kensington Gardens when nurse or governess tried to force the little lady to dismount, for she was as wilful as she was engaging. It was only when the old soldier, who was a special favourite, held out his arms for her that she was persuaded to quit her dear donkey's back She used sometimes to ride in a pony-chaise over the gravel walks, led by a page. One day a dog ran between the pony's legs, causing the tiny carriage to upset, and the Princess would undoubtedly have been killed by the fall had not a soldier passing at the time caught her clothes and swung her into his arms. His name was Maloney. and he was of course thanked and rewarded by the Duchess of Kent. This was the second providential escape from death which the Queen had in her childhood. The first was during her stay at Sidmouth. A boy was shooting sparrows close to the Duke of Kent's residence, and a shot came through the nursery window, where the Princess was sitting in her nurse's lap. and narrowly escaped hitting her head. ^ I am indebted to Miss Kortright, an old inhabitant of Kensington, for some pretty little incidents relating to this period of the Queen's life. The Tnncess was known to go with her mother and her step-sister, Feodore, to a milliner's shop m Kensington, buy a new hat. stay while it was trimmed jS|is:,«Xi;aju*&^ THE CHILDHOOD OF QUEEN VICTORIA 29 and carry it home in her hand quite proudly— but surely it was the old one she carried in her hand ! Meeting the Princess in her pony-chaise one day, an "unknown little girl" asked to be allowed to kiss her. The Princess Fcodore stopped the tiny carriage and indulged the child's wish. The " unknown little girl" who secured a kiss from her future Queen was Miss Kortright's elder sister. Mr. Charles Knight, the publisher, has left a pleasing record of this period of the Queen's life. He tells that, during an early morning walk through Kensington Gardens, he saw a group upon the lawn in front of the Palace which seemed to him a " vision of exquisite loveliness." It was the Duchess of Kent and the Princess Victoria breakfasting in the open air, attended by a single page. " What a beautiful characteristic it seemed to me," he writes, "of the training of this royal girl, that .she should have been taught not to shrink from the public eye- that she should not have been burdened with a premature conception of her probable high position-that she should enjoy the freedom and simplicity of a child's nature. I passed on and blessed her ; and I thank God that I have lived to see the golden fruits of such training." The education of the Princess Victoria was conducted at first by her mother with the help of Fraulein Lehzen, who at a later date was formally appointed her governess, and remained with the Queen as confidential secretary for a number of years after her accession. The Princess learned her letters at her mother's knee, but not very willingly, and we find Grandmamma of Coburg taking sides with the little truant. She writes to her daughter, " Do not tease your little puss with learning. She is so young still," adding that her grandson, Prince Albert, was "^anfec-ag. i^.s&k •~g!i!iSi^Bgi.''^ Ill i» i iil 30 /"/TA' PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA •■"-vros THE DUCHESS OF KENT AND THE PKINCESS VICTORIA BREAKFASTING IN THE OPEN AIR. making eyes at a picture-book. When it was made clear to the Princess that until the ABC was mastered she could not read books like her mother, she replied with alacrity, " Me learn too, very quick " ; and she did, for there was no lack of ability. Her regular education began in her fifth year, when the Rev. George Davys, eventually Bishop of Peterborough, became her I f THE CHILDHOOD OF QUEEN VICTORIA 3> lear to Id not 2 learn ibility. 2 Rev. le her tutor. " I fear j^ou will find my little girl very headstrong," explained the Duchess of Kent to the new tutor ; " but the ladies of the household will spoil her." As she grew older, the Princess became docile in all things except taking medicine, and she reformed on this point when she discovered that her physician only entertained her with stories after the medicine had been taken. She was reared to speak in French and German as well as in her native tongue. German she found most efficacious when she wanted a favour from her mother. By the time she reached her eleventh year Italian, Latin, Greek, and mathematics had been added to her studies. Music she studied under Mr. John Bernard Sale, afterwards organist at the Chapel Royal, and drawing under Mr. Wcstall, R.A. Sketching was a favourite occupation with the Princess, her love of form and of the beauties of nature having been observ- able at a very early age. When taking walks about Esher with her Uncle Leopold, she often pointed out beautiful bits of land- scape, and it was at Claremont that she first began sketching from nature. She was fond too of looking at pictures and of imagining what the people in them might be saying to each other, a dramatic element in her character which found further expression in the mock ceremonies which she enacted with her retinue of dolls. Upon a long board full of pegs, into which the dolls' feet fitted, she rehearsed court receptions, presentations, and held mimic drawing-rooms and levees. Her dolls numbered one hundred and thirty-two ; a large number of them were dressed entirely by herself in artistic costumes to represent historic characters or people she knew. A list of them, with their names and history, was kept in a copybook. She was passionately fond of animals and of seeing natural history ,Tr^^,.r,,^^:sSiysmssss;^s^Baa^.::.t>f^ -M^sm n i' TUM fSRSONAL UPM OF quEEN VICTORIA collections; her first visit to the British Museum was an „„. bounded joy, and she begged to be taken there often. Botany too dehghted her, and she began the study, under the tuition of her Unele Leopold, among the bowery groves of Claremont. Lord Albemarle remembers seeing her watering her flowers at Kens,„g,on Palace, and tells that it was amusing to see how .mpar„ally she divided the eontents of her watering-pot between the flowers and her own little feet And ,„ ,he ehildhood of the Queen passed under the watchful eye of that wises, of mothers, and year by year saw her fine natural abilities developing, and her character ripening mo thoughtful maidenhood. As yet no busybody had bee! allowed to disturb the simplieity of her ehild's nature by wh,spenng in her ear, " You are the future Queen of England." She had been reared in all things to be a queen, without being oppressed or unduly elated by a knowledge of the high posifon to wh,eh she might attain. ,n dosing this period of the Queens hfe, we ean but echo the words of Grandmamma of Coburg, who, writing to the Duchess of Kent upon the Inncesss eleventh birthday, says: "My blessings and good wtshes for the day which gave you the sweet blossom of May. May God preserve and protect the valuable life of that lovely flower from all the dangers that will beset her mind and hearth the rays of the sun are seorehing at the height to which she may one day attain. It is only by the blessing of God that all he fine quaht.es He has put into that young soul ean be kept pure and untarnished." % aS&».;:*:*««.:^ rfj' TtlE GIRLHOOD OF QUEEN VICTORIA ■•■ife-.-*-* Aiai^ V ■f v" . ---- . j% - . -t tms II THE GIRLHOOD OF QUEEN VICTORIA THE day on which the Queen was told that she was heiress to the throne of Great Britain may be regarded as marking that period in her life when she emerged from mere childhood into the more thoughtful period of girlhood. This occurred when she was approaching her twelfth birthday. Two years previously, Sir Walter Scott, after dining with the Duchess of Kent, noted in his diary that the " little Victoria is educated with much care, and watched so closely that no busy maid has a moment to whisper, 'You are heir of Eng- land.'" There are several accounts of the manner in which the information was first conveyed to the young Princess. It was current gossip of the time that Prince George of Cumberland, who was fond of teasing his pretty cousin, twitted her one day with the unpleasant prospect of having to be a queen, enlarging on the discomforts of the position, and throwing out dark hints of the untimely end of Mary Queen of Scots. If the Princess failed in her lessons, or was discovered in a delinquency, Prince George improved the occasion by saying, " A pretty sort of queen you will make." All such references were received by the Princess with passionate tears. Another version is given by Caroline Fox. Writing in 35 36 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA her journal, she details a gossipy visit from her friend Mrs. Corgie, the " rightful Lady George Murray," who told her that the Princess Victoria was first informed of the high position which awaited her by her mother. The Duchess of Kent desired that her daughter should read aloud that portion of English history which related to the death of the Princess Charlotte. In reading, the Princess made a dead halt, and asked if it were possible that she should ever be Queen. Pier mother replied: "As this is a very possible circumstance, I am anxious to bring you up as a good woman, when you will be a good queen also." It appears also that the Princess's governess, the Baroness Lehzen, and her tutor, the Rev. George Davys, both claim to have informed their pupil of her place in the succession to the throne. In a letter written in her eighty-fourth year by the Baroness to her former pupil, she says : " I ask your Majesty's leave to cite some remarkable words of your Majesty when only twelve years old, while the Regci cy Bill was in progress. I then said to the Duchess of Kent that now for the first time your Majesty ought to kncnv your place in the succession. Her Royal Highness agreed with me, and I put the genealogical tabic into the historical book." The Baroness continues her story to the effect that when the Princess opened the book and noticed the additional paper, she said, " I never saw that before." "'It was not thought necessary you should, Princess,' the governess replied. " ' I see,' continued the Princess, ' I am nearer the throne than I thought.' "*So it is, madam,' replied the Baroness. ■■■-s'.-«iirf" THE GIRLHOOD OF QUEEN VICTORIA 37 " After some moments, the Princess answered, ' Now, many a child would boast, but they don't know the difficulty. There is much splendour, but there is more responsibility ' ; and laying her hand in that of her governess, she said, ' I will be good. I understand now why you urged me so much to learn even Latin.' " The Baroness then explained to the Princess that her aunt. Queen Adelaide, might yet have children, in which case she would not succeed to the throne. " And if it were so," replied the Princess, " I should never feel disappointed, for I know by the love Aunt Adelaide bears me how fond she is of children." I am indebted to the Rev. Canon Davys, son of the Queen's tutor, Bishop Davys, for yet another account of how the momo'iiuu tidings were conveyed to the I'rincess Victoria. " The story of the Princess discovering that she would be Queen," Canon Davys tells me, "has not generally been correctly told. My father had set her to make a chart of the kings and queens. She got as far as Tncle William.' Next day my father said to the Princess, 'But you have not put down the next heir to the throne.' She rather hesitated, and said, ' I hardly like to put down myself My father mentioned the matter to the Duchess of Kent, who said she was so glad that the truth had come uv)on her daughter in this way, as it was time she became aware what responsibility was awaiting her." The three accounts agree in showing that the Princess's mother, together with her governess and her tutor, all felt, after the accession of William IV., that the time had arrived for the Princess to be informed of her position, and that each of them 3« THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA li 'I made a lesson in history the means by which to tell her. As to whether Prince George of Cumberland had previously let the proverbial " cat out of the bag " remain? a moot point. The Princess Victoria was now regarded by the people as the heiress-apparent ; but the King himself never ceased hoping t'-it a child of his own might yet bo born to succeed, and at times he displayed jealousy of his niece of Kent and ill-will towards the mother who had borne her. In beautiful con- trast was the attitude of the Good Queen Adelaide. When her second child died, soon after the birth of the Princess Victoria, she wrote to the Duchess of Kent, "My children are dead, but yours lives, and she is mine too." A Court lady recalls a pleasing little incident which she witnessed when Queen Adelaide was still Duchess of Clarence. The lady was sitting with Her Royal Highness, when the Duchess of Kent and the Princess Victoria were announced, whereupon she rose to withdraw. " Do not go yet," said the Duchess of Clarence. " I want you to see little Victoria ; she is such a sweet child." After drawing the Princess towards her with affectionate greeting, the Duchess of Clarence produced a child's tea-service of the prettiest china imaginable, which, in her sweet, kind way, she had provided as a surprise for her little niece. Trivial as the incident is, nothing could better illustrate the love of the childless Queen for the heiress to the throne. The Princess Victoria attended her first Drawing-Room on the 24th of February, 1831, on the occasion of Queen Adelaide's birthday. It was a reception of unusual splendour ; nothing had been seen like it since the Drawing-Room at which the Princess Charlotte had been presented on the occasion of H.R.H. PRINCESS VICTORIA IN I83O, i m:V 1 THE GIRLHOOD OF QUEEN VICTORIA 41 her marriage. There were three things to make it of special import : it was the first Drawing-Room held after the accession of William IV., it was Queen Adelaide's birthday, and the first formal appearance at Court of the Heiress of Great Britain. The Princess set out from Kensington Palace with her mother, attended by a suite of ladies and gentlemen in State carriages, and escorted by a detachment of Life Guards. This was our beloved Queen's first pnblic procession, and the number in which she has taken part since it would indeed be difficult to enumerate. Some of the people, as they watched her, cheered, and others wept, for there was something both joyous and pathetic in the sight of this young girl upon whose head the weight of a crown might fall all too soon. At the Drawing- Room she was the centre of observation. She stood on Queen Adelaide's left hand, dressed in a frock of English blonde draped over white satin. Her fair hair was arranged Madonna- like, according to the fashion of the times, and the braids were fastened at the back of her head with a diamond clasp. Around her throat she wore a single row of lovely pearls. It was no small ordeal for a young girl of twelve, reared in the strictest seclusion, to pass through ; but she bore herself with modest dignity, and took evident delight in watching the presentations. The gay scene was as novel to her as to the simplest girl in the land. Two months later another opportunity was taken by Queen Adelaide of giving prominence to the Princess. The Queen and the royal ladies were standing on the balcony watching the pageant which attended William IV. on the prorogation of his first Parliament. As the people cheered, Queen Adelaide took the young Princess Victoria by the hand, and, leading her to '. a ':l 43 77/£ PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA the front of the balcony, presented her to the assembled crowds. It would be difficult to decide whether the deafening shouts which rent the air were given more in honour of the future Queen or in recognition of the Good Queen Adelaide's attitude towards the young girl. In the oame year the Princess made her first appearance at the theatre, attending a children's enter- tainment at Covent Garden. A staid chronicler of this event would have us believe that the pleasure which the Princess evinced at seeing a play was rather the result of musical sympathy with the orchestra than of attachment to the drama. Why, then, Mr. Chronicler, did she not go to a concert instead? The Princess Victoria having been brought so far into prominence, there was much comment regarding her absence from the Coronation of King William IV. and Queen Adelaide in Westminster Abbey, September, 183 1. Many reasons were assigned for this omission. Some said that the King, jealous of the attention which the Princess had excited during the last few months, would not assign her the place in the procession due to her rank as the heiress-presumptive. On the other hand, it was affirmed that the Duchess of Kent pleaded the delicate state of her young daughter's health as an excuse for keeping her away from the ceremonial. Ii is a matter of history that there was always friction between the Duchess of Kent and the King regarding the comparative seclusion in which the Princess was kept. The Duchess was determined to preserve the girlish innocence and purity of her daughter by withholding her as much as possible from the Court. The King was well known for a coarse wit. When he was in a good humour " he swore like an admiral," and when he was in a bad humour " he swore like our armies in Flanders." His facetious extravagances at THE GIRLHOOD OF QUEEN VICTORIA 43 COTTON SPINNING BEING EXPLAINED TO THE PRINCESS BY MEANS OF A MODEL DURING A VISIT TO MESSRS. STRUTT's WORKS AT BELPER. the dinner table were the gossip of the time. Still, his sailor- like bluntness and cheery jocosity made him, in spite of his easy morals, a favourite with the populace, and there were many who blamed the Duchess of Kent for persistently opposing him. We find a morning journal reproving her in plain terms for her "impertinence" in keeping her daughter away from the Coronation. ■V1 1i 44 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA The confidence and esteem with which the Duchess of Kent was regarded, however, by the nation was amply testified by the action of Parliament in appointing her to be Regent in the event of the Princess Victoria succeeding to the throne before she came of age. The Regency Bill was passed imme- diately after the accession of William IV., and during i^^ discussion Cabinet ministers vied with each other in praising the admirable training given by the Duchess of Kent to her daughter. An extract from the speech of Lord Lyndhurst will illustrate the general feeling: "The first question which your lordships will naturally ask is, whom do we propose as the guardian of Her Royal Highness under the circumstances inferred? I am sure, however, that the answer will at once suggest itself to every mind. It would be quite impossible that we should recommend any other individual for that high office than the illustrious Princess, the mother of H.R.H. the Princess Victoria. The manner m which Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent has hitherto discharged her duty in the education of her illustrious offspring— and I speak upon the subject not from vague report, but from accurate information —gives us the best ground to hope most favourably of H.R. Highness's future conduct. Looking at the past, it is evident that we cannot find a better guardian for the time to come." After the passing of the Regency Bill, we find another of those charming letters from Grandmamma of Coburg to her daughter. " It is only a just return," she writes to the Duchess of Kent, "for your constant devotion and care to your child. May God bless and protect our little darling. If I could but once see her again ! The print you sent me of her is not like the dear picture I have. The quantity of curls hide the 4 ItS THE GIRLHOOD OF QUEEN VICTORIA 45 well-shaped head, and make it look too large for the lovely little figure." The tender family circle of the Princess seemed to be narrowing sadly at this period of her early girlhood. Her favourite paternal uncle, the Duke of York, had died ; her half-sister, the Princess Feodore, had married the Prince of Ho!:enlohe and had left England; and in 1831 her beloved Grandmamma of Coburg died. About the same time her Uncle Leopold succeeded to the throne of Belgium. This was perhaps the greatest grief of all, bringing to an end as it did her delightful visits to Claremont. The Queen has herself told us that she "adored" her Uncle Leopold, and his de- parture from the country filled her with despair. From the hour of her father's death he had been her watchful guardian, advising her mother in all points regarding her training, and even providing additional income. The Princess was a warm- hearted girl, passionate in her attachments, as she has remained throughout her life, and one can understand that the break up of so many family ties oppressed her spirits at this time. She had few of the outlets of ordinary girls for throwing dull care aside, the circumstance of her high estate keeping her life monotonous and lonely. When I asked one who knew the Princess well as a girl what her amusements were, he replied that they were all of a quiet kind-chiefly walking in Kensington Gardens, driving her ponies, and playing with her favourite dog Dash, a black-and-tan spaniel. In order to vary this rather too quiet existence, the Duchess of Kent^ took her daughter on a series of visits to places of interest in her native land. In these days of varied travel, one marvels to find that Her Majesty never set foot off English soil, if we except Wales, until she Jl 46 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF Q_UEEN VICTORIA had been several years upon the throne, and was both wife and mother. The royal visitors could not enjoy Brighton by reason of the crowds which dogged their footsteps ; but at Broadstairs they spent some pleasant times, residing at Pierpont House; and Ramsgate wa? always a favourite watering-place. In 1830, the Princess spent a long holiday at Malvern, where she led a free outdoor life, and displayed agility in climbing walls and trees. Unfortunately she did not descend with equal case, and on one occasion had to be rescued from the bough of an apple tree by the gardener. At Tunbridge Wells the old people recall her fearless donkey-riding, and her fondness for coming to drink the water from the widow who kept the well. There comes a story, too, that her mother would not allow her to outrun her exchequer by the purchase of a half-crown box until she had the money to pay for it, her rather reckless purchase of presents for her friends having reduced the Princess to a temporary state of insolvency. When her next allowance of pocket-money became due, she set forth on her donkey at seven o'clock in the morning to claim the box, which the shopkeeper had retained for her. She was also taken on visits to country seats ; and the story is told that during a visit to Wentworth House the Princess was a little too adventurous in racing about the glades and unfrequented parts of the grounds, heedless of the warning which the gardener had given her that they were "slape." "What is 'slape'?" asked the Princess, receiving when she had scarcely uttered the words a practical demonstration as her feet slided from under her on the slippery path. " That is slape, miss," replied the old gardener, with a sense of humour, as he assisted her to her feet. if* THE GIRLHOOD OF QUEEN VICTORIA 47 WEnPONT HOUSE, BROADSTAIRS, WHERE QUEEN VICTORIA STAYED AS A OIRL. A note from the diary of Thomas Moore gives a peep behind the scenes when the royal travellers were expected at Watson Taylor's place, near Devizes. " Have been invited," he writes, "to meet the Duchess of Kent and young Victoria . . . rather amused with being behind the scenes to see the fuss of pre- paration for a royal reception." He then proceeds to describe a musical evening, the Duchess and the Princess singing duets together. « No attempts at bravura and graces," is his criticism, "but all simplicity and expression. Her Royal Hfcrhness evidently is very fond of music, and would have gone on singing 48 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA much longer if there had not been rather premature preparations for bed." To have pleased the ear of so fastidious a judge as Thomas Moore proves tnat the Princjss had a sweet and well-trained voice. Even during these early jaunts the Princess took part in public functions. We find her opening the Victoria Park at Bath, and distributing c( lours to a rcgimcni of foot at Plymouth, and later on, when she visited Wales, she gave the prizes to the successful competitors at the Eisteddfod. In 1832, the Princess was taken on a further tour, which, being attended with some ceremonious arrangement, caused the old King to speak with amused cynicism of his niece's jaunts as " royal progresses." The Duchess of Kent and the Princess, attended by a modest retinue, set forth in carriages from Kensington Palace, travelling by way of Shrewsbury and Coventry into Wales. They crossed the Menai Strait, enjoying the lovely scenery at their leisure, and passing over the water to Anglesey made a prolonged stay in the island, returning home by way of the Midland counties. An opportunity was taken in passing through the manufacturing towns to show the Princess the interiors of some of the factories. It is amusing to find, in records of the period, that the interest which she took in what was shown her is gravely interpreted as evidence of her desire to promote British industries. The fact that she was delighted with a working model illustrating cotton-spinning is commented upon as though our beloved Queen had been a second Arkwright come to judgment, instead of a bright, clever girl full of curiosity. During this tour the Duchess of Kent and her daughter paid visits to several historic country seats, among them Eaton I lall, Chatswortii, Alton lowers, and Powis Castle. THE GIKLHOOD OF QUEEN VICTORIA 49 Wherever they appeared the people came out in great crowds to see them, testifying their loyalty to the young Heiress of Britain. The King indeed was not far wrong when he testily spoke of these visits as "royal progresses," for, however desirous the Duchess of Kent might have been to make the Princess's journeys private, the people insisted upon openly displaying their loyalty. In 1833, the Duchess and her daughter resided for some months at Norris Castle in the Isle of Wight, where the Princess was frequently seen enjoying country rambles, or listening to the stories of the sailors and the coastguardsmen as she lingered about the shore. A pretty incident is told by an American writer who was visiting the island. While in Arreton church- yard, near Brading, he noticed a lady and a little girl seated near the grave of the "Dairyman's Daughter." The lady was reading aloud the story of the humble heroine, and as the visitor regarded the pair he could see that the large blue eyes of the young girl were suffused with tears. He subsequently learned that the ladies were the Duchess of Kent and the Princess Victona. It was doubtless during this visit of her girlhood that the Queen formed an affection for the Isle of Wight, which induced her, m later years, to select Osborne as a marine residence After a period of rest at Norris Castle, the Duchess of Kent and her daughter went on board their yacht, the Emerald, for a cruise in the Channel, visiting Southampton, Plymouth, and Torquay. At each place they were welcomed by loyal addresses from the local authorities. The enthusiasm of the people was great; and if the old King had been annoyed at the homage paid to the mother and daughter during ih.-ir tour by land, he was more chagrined than ever by the popular 4 'i 1 50 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA demonstrations of loyalty which attended their pro^i,rcss by water. He sent forth a royal decree that an end should be put to the continual " poppinjjs" of the ships in the Channel in the way of salutes to the Duchess of Kent's yacht. The naval authorities were of opinion that the royal ladies were legally entitled to the salutes, whereupon the irate King endeavoured to coerce the Duchess into waiving her right to them ; but Her Royal Highness replied with becoming dignity: "If the King would offer me a slight in the face of his people, he can offer it so easily that he should not ask me to make the task easier." We fear there were young midshipmen irreverent enough to cry, " That's ' one ' for the King," as they tossed their caps in the air and gave three cheers for the pretty, blue-eyed Princess, who was so merrily sailing the waters of the Channel under the care of her dignified mamma. The King finally ended the miserable contention by summoning the Privy Council to pass an order that henceforth no salute should be offered to any vessel flying the royal flag unless the King or the Queen were on board. The Court chronicler very fittingly describes this as a "council for a foolish business." It was during her cruise on the Emerald that the Princess met with her third narrow escape from death. She was sitting on deck when the yacht came into collision with another vessel so violently that the top-mast of the Emerald fell close to the Princess, and would have struck her but for the timely intervention of the pilot, Mr. Saunders, who snatched her up in his arms and carried her to a place of safety. The Queen never forgot her gallant preserver. She promoted him to the rank rsf Master when she ascended the throne, and cared for his widow and children after his death. l OR/A progress by hould be put lanncl in the The naval were legally endeavoured !m ; but Her If the King e can offer it task easier." t enough to their caps in ^cd Princess, lanncl under [y ended the uncil to pass crcd to any Queen were lescribcs this the Princess e was sitting nother vessel fell close to r the timely led her up in Queen never to the rank :arcd for his m£ QIRUIOOD Oi- QUEEN VICluIUA S> BISHOP DAVyS, THE gUEEN's TUTOR. While the Princess was thus expanding her mind by travel, her general education was being pursued with strictest care.' After the passing of the Regency Bill, and the public recognition of the Princess as heiress-presumptive, Parliament granted an extra ;f 10,000 a year for her education. Her resident governess from childhood was Fraulein Lchzcn, the dau<^htcr of a Hanoverian clergyman, uho came first to Kensington Palace as the instructress of the Princess Fcodore. She was made a Baroness by George IV. in recognition of her services to the 52 2 HE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA i §1 Princess Victoria. The Ouccn has related that she regarded her with the warmest affection, although she stood much in awe of her. It has already been told how the Baroness acquainted her pupil with her nearness to the throne, and it would appear from the Baroness's letters of this period that she had been absent for a time from Kensington Palace, and returned there from Paris in May, 183 1. "My Princess," she writes, "will be twelve years old to-morrow. She is not tall, but very pretty, has dark blue eyes, and a mouth which, though not tiny, is very good-tempered and pleasant, very fine teeth, a small but graceful figure, and a very small foot. She was dressed (to receive me) in white muslin with a coral necklet. Her whole bearing is so childish and engaging that one could not desire a more amiable child." Again she writes, shortly afterwards, that her Princess " flourishes in goodness and beauty." It was now thought, however, desirable by the King that an English governess should be appointed for the Princess in conjunction with the Baroness, and His Majesty selected for this important post Charlotte Florcntia (Clive), third Duchess of Northumberland and second daughter of the first Ear! of Powis. .1 was the duty of the Duchess to instruct her pupil in matters of Court etiquette and ceremonial, to train her in deportment, and to generally instruct her in the lighter graces. How apt was the pupil and how well the instructress succeeded in her delicate task was evinced by the almost startling ease and grace of manner which distinguished the girl-Queen when she first ascended the throne. It is the universal testimony of all who have been about the Quee*^ that she is unsurpassed for gracioubness and aueenly RTA e regarded d much in ; Baroness one, and it od that she ?alacc, and incess," she is not tall, lich, though ' fine teeth, . She was ral necklet. t one could tcs, shortly )dness and King that Princess in selected for rd Duchess "St Earl of t her pupil rain her in the lighter instructress the almost istinguished one. It is about the nd Queenly TJIE GIRLHOOD OF QUEEN VICTORIA 53 .fm.^ THE DUCHl:SS OF NORTHUMBERLAND, THE QUFEN's GOVERNESS. bearing. Madame Bourdin instructed her in dancing, and the famous vocalist, Luigi Lablache, in singing. The Princess must surely have derived some entertainment from her singing-master, for he is reported to have been of such huge dimensions that one of his boots would have made a small portmanteau, and a child might have been clad in one of his gloves. His portentous voice rang through the house like a great bell. His wife is said to have been aroused by a sound in the middle of the night which she took 54 Tff£ PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA ' for the tocsin announcing a fire ; but it was only Lablachc producing in his sleep these bell-like sounds. Mr. Bernard Sale continued to instruct the Princess in music, and Mr. Richard Westall, R.A., in drawing and painting, in which she grew so proficient that, had she been "Miss" instead of the Princess Victoria, her tutor was of opinion that she would have been the first woman artist of the day. She once told her tutor that her pencil was a source of great delight to her, and that it was a study in which she would willingly spend more of her time than in any other. This talent has been inherited by all the Queen's daughters, but more especially by the Princess Louise, who is both artist and sculptor. Mr. Stewart, the writing- and arithmetic-master at Westminster School, instructed the Princess in those branches of education. From the well-known riding-master of the day, Mr. Fozard, the Princess was rapidly acquiring that grace in the saddle of which old people never tire of speaking, as they recall the days when they saw the girl-Queen cantering down the Row. Her mother was her chief instructress in languages; Mr. Amos trained her in the difficult paths of constitutional history ; while her chief preceptor in Greek, Latin, mathematics, theology, and' literature continued to be her childhood's tutor, the Rev. Georo-e Davys, who had been made Dean of Chester, and was eventually to be Bishop of Peterborough. The Queen constantly speaks of him as " my kind, good master." The Duchess of Kent thought very highly of her daughter's tutor, who also served as domestic chaplain at Kensington Palace. An amusing story u.scd to bo told by him. "I like your sermons so much, Mr. Dean," said the Duchess one day, adding, as he Lablachc 'rincess in i painting, ;n "Miss" linion that day. She : of great she would ler. This htcrs, but loth artist tic-master : branches r. Fozard, saddle of 1 the days ow. Her Ar. Amos iry; while alogy, and ;v. George eventually :ly speaks of Kent so served amusing "mens so ig, as he T//£ GIRLHOOD OF QUEEN VICTORIA 55 NORRIS CASTLK, ISLE OF WIGHT. bowed lew, "because they are so short." I am indebted to his son, Canon Davys, for a corrected version of the story. What the Duchess really said was that she liked the Dean's sermons because they were so good and so short. Bishop Davys' modesty or his sense of humour led him to omit the word "good" when he told the story. The reverend tutor had a quiet humour, and enjoyed his pupil's clever repartees. The Dean had been preaching from his favourite text, " Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." The Princess asked, "Do not men reap anything but what they sow?" "Yes," replied the Dean, "if they allow some one to come and sow tares amongst their wheat." " Ah, I know who that some one is," said the Princess, " and I must keep him at arm's length." "At arm's length only, your 56 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA Royal Highness?" rejoined the Dean. "Well, if 1 keep him there, he won't do much harm," was the quick reply. Bishop Davys was fond of telling another story as illus- trating his young pupil's fearless truthfulness. The Princess had been giving trouble to her tutor over her lessons one morning, and the Baroness Lehzen had occasion to reprove her. When the Duchess of Kent came into the room, .she inquired after her daughter's behaviour. The Baroness reported that the Princess had been naughty once. But the little culprit interrupted her with, " Twice, Lehzen ; don't you remember ? " A less partial judge than Bishop Davys might have discovered a little sauciness in this very truthful statement. The Bishop was an exceedingly good elocutionist, and it is to his careful training that the Princess owed her clear and expressive intonation. She was very fond of good literature, and read principally in the Englisl classics ; Pope, Dryden, and Shakespeare being special favou.- zi. The " Spectator " was the class book chiefly used by the Princess, and she also read the Latin authors under her tutor's di-oction. To him also she looked for religious guidance in the solemn ceremony of confirmation, for which she was now preparing. There is every evidence to show that her feeling? at this period were of a serious and devout kind. On the 30th of August, 1835, the Princess stood in her simple white confirmation dress in the Chapel Royal of St. James's. The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London officiated at the ceremony, which was entirely private. There were prr - ^i he King and Queen, the Duchess of Kent, the Duchess r; lix- ' Veimar, and several other members of the royal family. The address of the Arch- bishop was tender and solem-;, and as he dwelt upon the THE GIRLHOOD OF QUEEN VICTORIA 57 --OPY OK A PICIURE PAINTED BY PIUNCKSa VICTORIA fOR A BAZAAR IN I83I. obligations of her high estate, and impr'?ssivcly commended her to the guidance of the Almighty Ruler of the universe, the Princess turned to her mother, and laying her heai ..pon her bosom, sobbed with emotion ; a sight which brought tears to the eyes of most who were present. During the past year the Princess had been in a delicate : ffi5 ! I ' ' li If: S8 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA state of health; in fact, at the close oi her fifteenth year Her condition caused gcncrr! conciern. When, after her n covcry, she was again seen driving with her mother in Hyde Park, the demonstration ot '\r..y shown by the people amounted to an ovation. We Lnd her now emerging from the unformed period of girlhood into maidenly ma rarity and comelincs: She was seen more frequently at public places of ainu.;ement, and her fresh, fair face, peeping from under the huge bonnet of the period, was the delight of the London crowds. The extreme simplicity of attire which had distinguished her as a child was o::changcd for rich and tasteful CAStumes. In the summer of 1835, siic accompanied Queen Adelaide to the Ascot races, and as she drove in the royal procession to the racecourse her pretty appearance was much talked of. She wore a large pink bonnet and a rose-coloured satin frock, which matched the roses on her cheeks and contrasted nicely with her fair hair and blue eyes. Mr. Nathaniel Parker Willis, the American writer, then visiting London, has recorded his impressions of the Princess as he saw her at Ascot. He came to the conclu- sion that she was quite " unnecessarily pretty and interesting " for a royal princess, " She will be sold, poor thing I " continues this youth of eighteen, " bartered away by those great dealers in royal hearts, whose calculations will not be of much consolation to her if she happens to have a taste of her own." Not so fast, Mr. Willis ; the Prince Charming will shortly appear to woo and win the fair Princess in the pink bonnet and the rose-coloured dress, and she has " a taste of her own, and will show it." Tn the autumn of this year t'. Puncess and her mother m-iie another " royal progress ime throuofh East An^lia. Tlli. GmUWQD OF qUEEN VICTORIA 59 KING WILLIAM IV. Loyal demonstrations met them everywhere, and at King's Lynn the railway navvies took the horses from the carriage and drew it for some distance. At Burghley great preparations were made for their reception. Mr. Greville records that all passed off well at the official dinner, except that a pail of ice was " landed " by a nervous waiter in the Duchess of Kent's lap, which made a great bustle. The Court chronicler does not ri i: Co THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA say so, but vvc are afraid the Princess laughed at the contretemps. A ball followed, which was opened by Lord Exeter and the Princess, who after dancing one dance went to bed ; the Duchess never allowing any festivity to interfere with the simple routine of her daughter's life. Next day the royal ladies set off to Holkham, where they were the guests of the Lady Anne Coke. Separate bedrooms had been prepared for the Princess and her mother ; but the Duchess desired that a bed should be provided for her daughter in her own room, as they never slept apart. The Earl of Albemarle, who came to assist his sister, Lady Anne Coke, to entertain the royal visitors, records in his autobiography that the Princess " had most sweet and winning manners." In May, 1836, when the Princess was seventeen, there came to Ke isington Palace some very interesting visitors — the Duke of Coburg and his two sons, Ernest and Albert. It was the first meeting of the Princess Victoria and her cousin Prince Albert. Fond relatives had destined the two for each other from their cradles ; but the happinesi: of the Princess was too dear both to her mother and to her uncle. King Leopold, for any coercion to be used. It was arranged for the young people to meet without reference being made to any tenderer tie than that of cousinship. They passed several weeks in each other's society, playing duets on the piano, sketching, walking and riding in Kensington Gardens, and attending some functions in town. Prince Albert, writing home regarding this visit, said : " Dear aunt is very kind to us, and does every- thing she can to please us, and our cousin also is very amiable." The Queen, in after years, gave the following description of her husband at this period : " The Prince was at this time very lA mtrctevips. r and the bed ; the with the the royal sts of the prepared sired that wn room, ivho came the rojMl :ess " had icre came the Duke t was the ;in Prince ach other 3 was too opold, for [le young ' tenderer weeks in iketching, attending regarding •es every- amiable." ription of time very THE GIRLHOOD OF QUEEN VICTORIA 61 ^. ■^^h>- W^, 01^^ i 5.1 V' QUEEN ADELAIDE, WIFE OF WILLIAM IV. handsome, but very stout, which he entirely ...vv out of after- wards. He was most amiable, natural, unaffected, and merry- lull of mterest in everything." Baron Stockmar, that judicious person whose business it was to attentively scrutinise the Pnnce Albert, had already reported to "Uncle Leopold" that he was endowed with the personal characteristics "likely to please the sex," and that his mental quallt.V« .,.ro al'-o of a high order. I in I ! f hi 11 Hi THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA - At the end of a month the Duke of Coburg and his sons left Kensington and returned to Germany. The Princess parted from each of li'-r cousins with equal affectionateness, but we find Lhat l-'rnice Albert is mentioned with special tenderness in a letter to her Uncle Leopold. Prince Albert too, during his Continental travels, which followed the visit to Kensington, collected views of the places which he visited, and sent them in an album to the Princess, together with a rose gathered from the top of the Rigi. Now a rose is a rose the whole world over when passed between man and maid, even though it be a dried one from the top of the Rigi. Still we are tol 1 that there was nothing between Princess Victoria and her handsome cousin at liiis time. It was vvell known that the Kin^ did not favour such an alliance foi ;s niece, and was disposed to give his help to one of the other suitors, for, like " Portia," the young Princess was bewilder( by the number of Princes who came wooing. There were five suitors at this time besides Prince Albert. We find a letter of the period ii which an application is made on behalf <^'^ i)ince Adalbert of Prussia that he inight bi permitted "to place himself on the list of those who pretend to the hand of cijc Princess V!:toria." Tiie Duchess of Kent replied that such an application must be referred to the King, adding, " But if I know m^^ juty to the King, I know also my maternal ones, and I of opinion that the Princess should not marry till she is oh ler." So in the meantime Prince Albert was travelling and studying in order to be a fit consort, if fortune favoured him, for the Queen of Great Britain ; the other five suitors were kept at a distance, and the Princess continued to Uve her happy, quiet life at Kensington Palace. ilA . d his sons : Princess ionatcness, th special ICC Albert ! the visit lie visited, cr with a is a I ise and maid, the Rigi. I Princess was kvell ice foi '.'is the other DCwildcK were five d a letter behalf of litted "to the hand plied that J, adding, ' maternal lot marry ce Albert :onsort, if tain ; the Princess •n Palace. PRINCESS VltiuKlA AT THE Aot OF EIGHTEEN. I r THE GIRLHOOD Of QUEEN VICTORIA 65 On the 2ist of August, 1836, the King celebrated his seventy-first birthday by a State dinner, at which the Princess Victoria occupied a prominent position. Unfortunately it proved to be the most terrible ordeal through which the I'rinccss had yet passed. The King in his after-dinner speech made this cruel thrust at the Duchess of Kent. " I trust in God," he said, " that my life may be spared nine months longer, after which period, in event of my death, no regency will take place. I shall then have the satisfaction of leaving the royal authority to the personal exercise of that young lady " (here the King indicated the Princess Victoria, who sat on the opposite side of the table), "the heiress-presumptive of the Crown, not in the hands of a person now near to me" (here the King turned in an angry manner and glanced at the Duchess of Kent, who sat at his side). He continued his angry tirade, to the effect that he had been insulted by the Duchess having kept away her daughter from his Court, and commanded that in future the Princess should upon all occasions appear. The Duchess of Kent received this brutal outburst with dignified silence, but the warm-hearted Princess burst into tears. After dinner the Duchess ordered her carriage, and was about to depart with her daughter; but by the intercession of the Good Queen Adelaide she was i)rcvailed upon to remain at the Castle for the night. Nine months later, on the 24th of May, 1837, the Princess Victoria attained her legal majority. This, her eighteenth birthday, was celebrated with every demonstration of regard and attachment by the inhabitants of Kensington. At six o'clock the Union Jack was hoisted at the summit of the old church on the green opposite the Palace: while from, the 5 ■■0 W ■ I S.I ': U if 66 THA' PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTOR J A Palace itself floated a flag of pure white silk, upon which was embroidered in letters of blue, " Victoria." Never had the old Court suburb looked gayer. Flags and colours were displayed from every house along the High Street, and as early as six o'clock in the morning the crowds began to throng into Ken- sington Gardens. At seven o'clock a serenade was performed beneath the windows of the Princess's room ; and all through the day the great world of London flocked to Kensington Palace to pay congratulatory homage to the heiress-apparent, who wou). ere long be Queen, for the King was fast nearing his end ; he was, indeed, so ill that their Majesties could not take part in the festivities. At night a State ball of unequalled splendour was given at St. James's Palace, and opened by the Princess with a quadrille, in which she danced with Lord Fitzalan, eldest son of the Earl of Surrey, and grandson of the Duke of Norfolk. It was observed by the guests that the Princess now took precedence of her mother, occupying the chair of State between the dances. During the days which followed came congratulatory addresses from the municipal authorities throughout the country, and one from the Citv of London. The King presented his niece with a handsome gumd piano, and many beautiful and costly presents were sent to her from all parts of the empire. Ten days later a Drawing-Room was held to celebrate the Princess's majority, and this proved to be her last appearance at Court as the Princess Victoria. With her womanhood came also her queenhood. RJA which was ad the old ; displayed arly as six into Ken- performed 11 through Kensington ;-apparent, st nearing could not inequalled ed by the ith Lord mdson of 3 that the )ying the ys which municipal : City of ne grand nt to her ng-Room s proved Victoria. I 1 THE MAIDEN MONARCH 67 c vv tl: as sa th CO Wi Ill THE MAIDEN MONARCH ON the 17th of June, 1837, it was rumoured in Court circles that His Majcstv King William IV. was rapidly sinking, and that the Archbishop had gone to Windsor to administer the last Sacrament. Three days later came the tidings, " The King is dead." He expired shortly after two o'clock in the morning ; and without loss of time my Lord Archbishop Howley and the Chamberlain, Lord Conyngham, left Windsor, and took coach for London to announce to the Princess Victoria her accession to the throne of the British Empire. The old king of seventy-six was succeeded by the maiden of eighteen. Driving post haste along the silent roads, in the opening dawn of the June mornin- the Lord Primate and the Lord Chamberlain reached Kensington Palace at five o'clock. All was silent, save the singing of the birds, who fittingly were the first of living creatures to serenade the Maiden Monarch, as eighteen years ago they had welcomed her birth, in the same old Palace, with similar song. The lordly messengers had much ado to awake the sleeping household. They knocked, they rang, they thumped for a considerable time before they could rouse the porter at the gates, and they were again kept waiting in the courtyard. Finally, after much ringing of bells. 69 """5*— «T»#*«- ' 70 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA the attendant of the Princess Victoria appeared, and informed their lordships that her royal mistress was in such a sweet sleep that she could not venture to disturb her. Then said they : " We are come to the Queen on business of State, and even her sleep must give way to that." It did ; and, to prove that she did not keep them waiting, " in a few minutes she came into the room in a loose white ni;^'htgown and shawl, her nightcap thrown off, and her hair falling upon her shoulders, her feet in slippers, tears in her eyes, but perfectly collected and dignified." This piquant bit of description, regarding the young Queen's appearance, is from Miss VVynn's "Diaries of a Lady of Quality"; and although it is repeated by most biographers of Her Majesty, and has been given the dignity of historic record by Mr. Justm McCarthy in his " History of Our Own Times," it must not be overlooked that Mr. Greville, Clerk of the Council, who arrived at the Palace a few hours later, and received his information from the Lord Chamberlain, relates that, " On the morning of the King's death the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Conyngham arrived at Kensington at five o'clock, and immediately desired to see ' the Queen.' They were ushered into an apartment, and in a few minutes the door opened, and she came in wrapped in a dressing-gown, and with slippers on her naked feet." We are inclined to think that the Queen would and did put on her dressing-gown before giving audience to the Primate and Chamberlain, although in the excitement of the occasion some one may have mistaken it for her nightdress. In 1863, when Dean Stanley was on a visit to Osborne, he asked Her Majesty if she would give him an account of how the news of her accession was conveyed to her, which she did in the following- words : " It was about 6 a ,m. tl SI d C C( B L tl K m THE MAIDEN MONARCH 71 QUEEW VICTORIA, 1 838. that mamma came and called me, and said I must go to see Lord Conyngham directly— alone. I got up, put on my dressing-gown, and went into a room where I found Lord Conyngham, who knelt and kissed my hand, and gave me the certificate of the King's death. In an hour from that time Baron Stockmar came. He had bei n sent over by King Leopold on hearing of the King's dangerous illness. At 2 p.m. that same day I went to the Council led by my two uncles, the King of Hanover and the Duke of Cambridge." AH accounts m 72 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA agree that, immediately the momentous tidings of her accession were conveyed to the Queen, she turned to the Primate, and said, " I ask your Grace to pray for me." And so was begun, with the tears and prayers of a pure young girl, the glorious reign of Victoria. Immediately after the announcement had been made to the Queen of her accession preparations were made at Kensington Palace for the holding of her first Council. Many who were present at that most memorable Board have recorded their testimony to the admirable composure of the young girl suddenly called to such a trying ordeal. " Had she been my own daughter," said the Duke of Wellington, " I could not have wished to see her play her part better " ; and Sir Robert Peel, speaking of the Queen's demeanour, said : " There is something which art cannot make and which lessons cannot teach ; there was that in her demeanour which could only be suggested by a high and generous nature." A little incident occurred during the administration of the Oath for the security of the Church of Scotland which showed that the young Queen was not disposed to be overawed by her Ministers. When she had occasion to recapitulate the title of an old Act of Parliament in which the word " intitulated " was used instead of " entitled," Lord Melbourne, standing by her side, said, " Entitled, please, your Majesty." She turned quickly towards him with a look of surprise, and looking again at the paper repeated in a louder voice, " An Act intitulated." When the Council was over, she went to her mother's room, and with deep emotion expiessed her inability to realise that she really was Queen, and requested tliat she should be left absolutely alone for two hours to think over the responsibilities lying before her. f s li tl n vv w I*!, ' THE MAIDEN MONARCH 73 THE QUEEN AS SHE APPEARED AT HER PROCLAMATION. To the Good Queen Adelaide, who had been to her h"ke a second mother, the young Queen showed the most thoughtful regard. Almost her first act, after meeting the Council, was to write to the sorrowing widow a letter of affectionate condolence, which she addressed to " Her Majesty the Queen," delicately refusing to remind her aunt that she was no longer entitled to that distinction. When Colonel Wood, who was conducting executive business for the Dowager Queen Adelaide, after the funeral of the King, represented to Her Majesty that there were some little things at Windsor Castle which the Dowager would like to retain, she replied, " Oh, Colonel, let the dear Queen have them by all means, and anything else in the Castle which she may desire." Later on, when the young Queen had removed with her Court to Windsor, she noticed that a bed of violets which her Aunt Adelaide had cherished were in bloom, and If 1 V liii I « 74 T//£ PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA gave directions for the flowers to be gathered and despatched, with her love, to the widowed Queen. A very simple act, but one which showed that queenhood had not spoiled the simple, loving nature of Victoria. At ten o'clock, on the morning after her accession, the Queen, accompanied by her mother, and attended by a train of coaches carrying her lords and ladies, and escorted by cavalry, drove to St. James's Palace to be publicly proclaimed. All the avenues leading to the Palace were lined with people, and prominent in one of the balconies was the striking figure of Daniel O'Connell, whose loyalty knew no bounds. While the Proclamation was being read, the " little Queen " stood at the window of the Presence Chamber, in view of the people, a somewhat pathetic figure. She was dressed in deep mourning with white cuffs, a white tippet, and a border of white crape, under what the "Court Chronicle" calls a ''small" black bonnet— small for the period of enormous headgear, we may add— which was placed far back on her head, showing her light hair, simply parted over her forehead in the " pure virginal style." She was looking very pale, but retained her composure while the routine of the ceremonial was proceeding. When, however, the cannon began to thunder, the trumpets sounded, the band struck up the National Anthem, and the plaudits of the people, crying, " God Save the Queen," rent the air— " She saw no purple shine, For tears had dimmed her eyes ; She only knew her childhood's flowers Werf happier pageantries! And while the heralds played their parts Those million shouts to drawn — THE MAIDEN MONARCH 75 THE queen's first COUNCIL. ' God save the Queen,' from hill to mart She heard through all her beating heart, And turned and wept ; She wept to wear a crown." It was but a passing and natural wave of emotion, for we find the "weeping queen " an hour later, with her tears dried, presiding over her Privy Council, with as much ease as though she had been doing nothing else all her life. She afterwards returned to Kensington Palace, and remained in strict seclusion until after the funeral of the late King. A story is told which illustrates the Queen's desire to show fitting respect to the memory of William IV. Sir David Wilkie was commissioned to paint her first Council, and in order to heighten the artistic eflfect the Queen is represented as wearing a flowing white silk robe, while as a matter of fact she was dressed in a simple mourning dress. It •. said that the Queen expressed anxiety j i "t i '1 ■ ^ ¥^ i I ■ ■' ^. 76 T//£ PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA over this change in her attire, hoping that it might not be misconstrued as an act of dis. ■spcct to the late King, for, she added, " I was in black, notwithstanding." When Wilkie was painting the picture, he had occasion to remark upon the Queen's orderliness. "She appoints a sitting once in two days," he writes, "and she never puts me off." The painter's courtly enthusiasm also leads him to descant upon the lovely form in which the regal power had now appeared. He writes : " Her Majesty is an elegant person ; seems to lose nothing of her authority, either by her youth or delicacy ; is approached with the same awe, and obeyed with the same promptitude, as the most commanding of her predecessors." On the 13th of July the Queen, accompanied by her mother, qr.itted Kensington, and took up her abode at Buckingham Fa 'ace. It must have been a period of sad good-byes, for the ,:.otMg Queen was quitting the home of her birth and the haunts of her childhood, as well as leaving many loyal hearts around whom her own had entwined. No one was forgotten in her leave-takings ; even a poor sick girl, the daughter of Hillman, an old servant of her father's, was made happy by the present of a book of Psalms marked with the dates of the days on which the Queen had been accustomed to read them, and in the book was a m.arker with a peacock worked on it by her own hands. It was a great contrast from historic Kensington, with its homely surroundings, to the new grandeur of Buckingham Palace ; and wc fancy the Queen must have experienced a chill of repugnance as she took up her abode there. It is invariably spoken of in the journals of the period as the " New Palace at Pimlico," for it was not yet quite completed, and workmen a a u t( d THE MAIDEN MONARCH n THE DUCHESS OF KENT. were busy night and day fixing the superb bronze entrance gates, preparatory to Her Majesty's arrival. All round was a grey waste of sand which led into dirty roads and squalid alleys. No sooner, however, did the sweet young Queen take up her abode at the New Palace-which everybody said ought to be called the Queen's Palace-than Pimlico, the most desolate suburb in Middlesex, started out of its caterpillar n '4. »:-ii 1 11 ^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT.3) fe // / V. y>r i/.x fA 1.0 !.l ■ 50 |S6 1^ mil 2.2 I/- IIIIM 11:25 III 1.4 1.6 Photogr^hic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 # iV \\ ' V ?* > '-^(N ^.>. ^ ;\ ^ 78 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA condition, and took ike butterfly. Penny barbers burst forth into fashionable perfumers, and tobacconists re- painted their wooden Highlanders The hovels disappeared, and business began to look up. All day long ambassadors' carriages and the equipages of the nobility were careering over the once sandy waste, and it became he most fashionable promenade for all classes. Beauty walked serene in huge round bonnets and voluminous skirts. The beaux were there to admire, dressed in satin waistcoats, tailed coats, with high collars, enormous neckcloths, cirled and scented hair, and whiskers of the style known as " mutton chop." A man who had appeared in a moustache would have been scouted by his friends. The nursery-maids no longer stayed under the trees in the adjacent park, but brought their small charges to the confines of the Palace ; and soon elderly gentlemen were using strong language— also fashionable— as they tumbled over poodles and small boys, or got their legs entangled in hoops. From eight in the morning until eight at night a crowd waited outside the gates on the chance of seeing the Queen drive out for an airing ; and if only a royal servant walked across the courtyard, everybody was in a state of excited expectation. To those of us who know Her Gra-ious Majesty only as an elderly woman bowing to her loyal people with a smile a little sad and weary, it is difficult to think of her as the merry young Queen of the thirties, moving about in continuous pageant. The sight of her, in the large round bonnet of the time, with a wreath of daisies or roses inside, framing her fair, girlish face, was indeed sunshine to the crowds who waited daily at Hyde Park Corner to see her drive into the park. Most eyes grew THE MAIDEN MONARCH 79 CHARLOTTE FLORENTIA, WIFE OF HUGH, THIRD DUKE OF NORTHUMBERLAND, GOVERNESS TO THE QUEEN.* moist at sight of her ; she looked so like a child beside her big, elderly aunts and uncles. Mothers loved her because she was such a good daughter ; girls adored her because she was one of themselves, and they smoothed and braided their hair to look like the Queen, adopted her favourite colours of pink and blue, and thanked their good fortune if they chanced to be fair, blue- eyed, andpefite, while the tall, dark girls were correspondingly unhappy. Wi.se matrons, mindful of the sad death of the • Reproduced by kind permission of His Grace the Duke of Northumberland. *s 8o THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA Princess Charlotte with her first-born son, hoped the Queen would not rush into the perils of marriage and maternity too soon, and some even thought it might be safer for her to copy the example of Elizabeth in abjuring wedlock altogether. The young folks did not mind so long as she married for love, ihe condition of susceptible yonng men was i, Jeed tragic. Some shot themselves, and some went mad all for love of the virgin Queen. One gentleman of position was reduced to weeding the Round Pond in Kensington Gardens in the hope of obtaining a sight of her, and when the Queen left for Buckingham Palace he had his phaeton in readiness, and drove in front of her carriage all the way to town. He continued to make himself so obtrusive that the authorities were obliged to take him in hand. Charles Dickens was one of the youths who had a severe attack of Queen fever ; happily he recovered, or we should not have received anything from his pen beyond the " Pickwick Papers." His youthful aberration must have come to th at novelist's memory with amusement when, at the climax o. his fame, he was commanded to lunch with the Queen at Windsor, and received from her hands a copy of Her Majesty's " Tour in the Highlands," inscribed with the words: "From the humblest to the most distinguished author in England." Meantime in the New Palace Her Majesty was holding countless functions. A gorgeous new throne, upholstered in crimson velvet with gold trimmings, had been set up, and the gay young Queen tried it, in sportive mood, and said that it was "the most comfortable throne she had ever sat upon." Deputations from the universities, the corporation., and different societies throughout the kingdom trooped to Buckingham THE MAIDEN MONARCH 8i If 1 ' '.1 '1 j i 1 THE QUAKER DEPUTATION TO THF niiirirM «.. ON TO THE QUEEN ON HER ACCESSION (HAVING THEIR HATS lifted). Palace to offer her thefr loyal addresses. Amongst others came a deputation from the Society of Friend, headed by Joseph Sturge. the eminent philanthropist ol Birmingham. Never surely were conscientious Quakers placed in more awkward circumstances by reason of their hats. It was clear that they could not enter the royal presence with their hats on. yet-they H If : 'I nil ! 1 82 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA uncovered not in presence of peasant or of king. What was to be done? There was no red tape about her youthful majesty, and a compromise was made with the sturdy Quakers that as the deputation ascended the grand staircase of Buckingham Palace the Yeomen of the Guard should lift each man's hat for him. Miss Grace Greenwood relates that when she asked Joseph Sturge whether his principles permitted him to kiss the Queen's hand, he answered, " Oh yes. and found that act of homage no hardship. I assure thee. It was a fair, soft, delicate little hand." Another unique ceremony performed by the Queen was presiding over a Chapter of the Order of the Garter for the purpose of bestowing the vacant ribbon on her half- brother, the Prince of Leiningen. The occasion was too tempting for the gossip-mongers, and a story went the round of the papers that ti.o Queen, when arranging her dress for the ceremonial, sent for the venerable Field Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk, and asked with charming naivete, "But, my Lord Duke, where am I to wear the garter?" His Grace was able to assure Her Majesty that it might be worn as an armlet, according lo the custom adopted by Queen Anne. On the 17th of July, scarcely a month after her accession, the Queen prorogued Parliament in person. It was said that the Duchess of Kent and Her Majesty's physician endeavoured to persuade her not to undertake such an exciting ordeal In fact, the "old folks" about the young Queen undoubtedly showed a disposition to keep her away from great public ceremonials, thinking it not "quite nice" for a young maiden to be exhibited to a thronging populace. They had counted without their host. Victoria had made up her mind to be a 'lA , lat was to 1 majesty, ■s that as ckingham nan's hat ihe asked ' kiss the It act of :, deh"cate by the le Garter her half- was too le round Iress for hal, the ^, "But, ?" His be worn Queen xession, lid that avoured ^al. In ubtedly public maiden :ounted 3 be a \ THE MAIDEN MONARCH 8j queen in fa«, and no. a ™ere fig„„.head, and she quicklv proved .at .he could perfo.„ .he du.ie, of her high .1 w..hou. losing a„y.hing of he. deiicacy and .ode!/ diverting So 1 iT "'"""*' "" --"-O"'^!' "^os, d ver.,„g. So a splendid new .hrone was set up in .he House it"' Xhe^o"" " ™^ "^^°"" ■•" -'" '-- " --°"^ ^egina. ihe Queen was dre^spd for the -f^r^^. • - .>.,e e..oide.d in goid/ove/w:;— c^nt^ .rds, be reading I never " wrote Sussex, laimed, tie she -Igians, fie can ttingly uch in far as jyally, arties, Vater, ening erself. nj£ MAIDEN MONARCH «S LORD MELBOURNE. !tte„d7d J" "' "'"' ""' '^'^ '" "™ - *- ho"-. attended by a gay cavalcade of ladies and gentlemen. The Queens pass.o„ for riding infected all ,he women of the country and ,s sa,d to have extended even ,o Lesser Russia. At the Usually the Queen wore a green doth riding-habit and a black beave ,at ; but when, in the autumn, she reviewed the troops m the Home Park, she made <,„ite a martial figure mounted on a splend,d grey charger and dressed in a blue cloth coat i' J 86 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA and skirt and a military cap with a deep gold border. From Windsor she proceeded to Brighton, took possession of the Pavilion, and had a gay time as she took the sea air. She was back again in London in November, and on Lord Mayor's Day made a State entrance into the City, knighted the Mayor and the two Sheriffs (one of whom was Sir Moses Montefiore), and dined at the Guildhall. Never had Gog and Magog looked down upon a fairer guest than the young Queen in her pink and silver brocaded .silk gown. A little contretemps happened at the dinner. Her Majesty's lace ruffles, having accidentally become entangled with her bouquet and fan, which, with her smelling-bottle, she had laid on the table beside her plate, were the occasion of breaking the wine-glass from which she had just drunk the toast of the Lord Mayor and the City of London -an accident which caused her some little annoyance. On the 20th of November the Queen opened her first Parliament, and was greeted during her progress to the House by the most loyal demonstrations. The question of the Civil List was settled during the session, and the sum of £iZSf^o was voted as the annual income for the young sovereign. One of the first things which Her Majesty did with her income wa.s to pay her father's debts, contracted before she was born. It was also said that the Duchess of Kent met with a pleasant surprise one morning when she found on her breakfast table receipts for all outstanding debts. It must be remembered that the Duke of Kent owed his monetary difificulties to his generosity, and that his income was inadequate for a royal duke. But to turn to the more arduous side of the Queen's life. Upon her accession .she made her choice in favour of being a working Queen rather than a show monarch, and it became the d ii t e 1 THE MAIDEN MONARCH 8r PORTRAIT OF QUEEN VICTORIA IN THE CHAPEL ROVAL, WINDSOR. duty of her Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, to instruct her in statecraft. She proved a very apt pupil, and a somewhat trying one too, for she would know the why and wherefore of every document laid before her, and signed nothinf^ until she \A\ III I, 1 y I,'! i I ' ! i I 88 THE PERSONAL LJEE OF QUEEN VICTORIA had read it. When the Prime Minister apologised for bringing so many business despatches, the Queen replied : " My Lord, the attention required from me is only a chingc of occupation' I have not hitherto led a life of leisure, for I have not long left my lessons." There arc many well-known stories about the busmess exactitude of the young sovereign and of her conscicn- t.ous scruples ; and it is said that Lord Melbourne declared that he ■' would rather manage ten kings than one queen," notwithstanding that the courtly Melbourne liked his posi- t.on of chief adviser to a lovely young Queen vastly. He was close upon sixty years of age. cultured, polished, every inch a courtier, a man of the world, and a man of honour There ,s no doubt that he was an old beau and devoted to the sex. He had no family of his own. no one to love, and he devoted himself to the young Queen with the affection of a father. He was the leader of the Whig Party, then in power; but even the Tory leaders acknowledged his aptitude for the delicate post of adviser to the Maiden Monarch The Duke of Wellington said, " I ha.e no small talk, and Peel has no manners, and so the Queen must be left to Melbourne" The Pnme Minister's attitude to Her Majesty was far from obsequious, but it conveyed respectful deference, and was wmnmg and sincere. He lived at the Castle, and for the Queens sake accustomed himself to a mode of life which in other circumstances would have been an intolerable "bore" In the Queen's presence he usually took care only to speak the Queen's English, and pruned his speech of all needless expletives ; but on one occasion he forgot himself. He was sitting in his accustomed place at the Queen's left hand at dinner, when the conversation turned upon the recent con- T THE AJAIDEX MONARCH 89 THE QUEEN IN CORONATION ROBES. version of Sir Robert Peel and the Tories to Free Trade and the Corn Laws. "Ma'am," said Melbourne excitedly, "it is a dishonest act." The ladies-in-waiting were in a state of consternation; but the Queen, with the admirable tact and good sense which always distinguished her, laughingly told 'I I ( Pi' 90 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA her minister that he might discuss the Corn Laws with her m private. The persons who exercised the chief influence upon the Queen at this time were Baron Stockmar, the trusted- friend of her uncle, King Leopold, who had been despatched by h.m to the British Court to watch over his niece's welfare • the Baroness Lehzen, her former governess, and now her private secretary ; the beautiful Duchess of Sutherland, her favourite lady-in-waiting; and. of course, her mother, the Duchess of Kent, who was always her daughter's loved com- panion, though she took no part in affairs of State. Still it was to Lord Melbourne that the young Queen always turned for advice. The oracular Stockmar. who became such an important figure in Court circles after Her Majesty's marriage remained at present in the background. His chief function was to watch "how the wind blew" with regard to Prince Albert of Coburg, the devoted lover whom the coy young Queen was keeping at a distance. In homely phrase she meant "to enjoy herself for a i^sv years before she got married." ^ The Queen's life at Windsor was regulated with due regard for her many duties. She rose at eight, breakfasted with her mothcr-who was so strict in her observance of etiquette that she never came to her Queen-daughter's presence until she was summoned-then, dressed in her white silk robe de chambre, the Queen received Lord Melbourne in her boudoir, read the despatches, and transacted State business Later in the .norning she gave audience, when necessary, to Cabmet Ministers. At two o'clock she rode out, generally at full gallop, attended by her numerous suite, and with Lord THE MAIDEN MONARCH 9« THE HOMAGE. Meluourne on her left hand. After riding she amused herself with music and singing and playing with the children if there were any staying in the Castle. At eight o'clock Ihe entered the room where the guests were assembled for dinner spoke to each lady, bowed to the men. and, taking the arm of the most distinguished man present, walked into the dining- room. The Qu.en had one little rule which one notes with interest^ She would not allow the gentlemen to remain over the,r after-dinner wine more than a quarter of an hour, and f- : ' 1 ' ,111 '1 I li i i II f II 92 T//£ PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA always remained standing in the drawing-room until they made their appearance. The evening was spent in music and con- versation, varied by quadrille parties ; the Duchess of Kent always having her rubber of whist. At half-past eleven the Queen retired. Her life at Windsor was varied by sojourns at Buckingham Palace and at the Pavilion at Brighton. Where- evcr she was, each hour of the day was mapped out, and she spent no idle moments, having the happy faculty for working when she worked and playing when she played. If the Queen had led a quiet, uneventful girlhood, she certainly made up for lost time now, and there was no one in Her Majesty's dominions who enjoyed life with its pleasures and gaieties more thoroughly. And so the months passed swiftly by until in the merry month of June all the town was agog for the Coronation. Country cousins came flocking in by the thousand. Every hotel and lodging-house was filled from garret to basement, and there was not a private house without staying-guests. It was calculated that there were some five hundred thousand people from the provinces in London, in addition to the distinguished representatives from every court in Europe, with their retinues. On the morning of the 28th, at seventeen minutes past three, just as the first streak of dawn appeared in the horizon, a salute of twenty-one guns heralded in the auspicious day, and from every tower and steeple rang out a joyous peal. The hundreds and thousands of the poorer folk who had pissed the night in the streets looked anxiously at some ominous dark clouds in the sky, but after a slight shower they dispersed, and the sun shone bright and gloriously. At five o'clock the doors of Westminster Abbey were thrown THE MAiDEN MONARCH open ,o the eager crowd of ticket-holdcrs, and the bells of St. Margaret's clanged and pealed. At length the firing of the Park guns announced that the royal procession had left the Palace. At the boisterous salute he young Queen put her hands to her ears in n,cck alarn,, and then chatted merrily „i,h the Duchess of Sutherland, who as M,s,rcss of the Robes, rode in the carriage with her The' Queen wore a dress of crimson velvet L ermine rich y adoned w,th d.amonds and pearls. On her head was a gold crclet fixed on to a cap of purple velvet lined with white taLa ^obiir"", "''7-* ""■'"" ^'^''' ""''y S'"' of *= highest nob,l.ty, dressed ,n white silk, with blush-roses, attended like a bevy of fa,ry nymphs to bear her train Her Majesty's State carriage was drawn by cWu cream coloured horses, and the equipages of .he foreign ambardo: > ill i i.a I ill ! 11' 94 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA were in corresponding magnificence. For length and picturesque effect no such procession had ever passed along the streets of London. The "old folks" about her had endeavoured to persuade the young Queen not to have a public procession ; but while she willingly renounced the time-honoured banquet at Westminster Hall, she insisted upon coming out amongst her people, and chose the most circuitous route to the Abbey. Once the traces of her carriage broke, and she sat with perfect composure while the damage was repaired; and when at another point the crowd pressed so closely that the equipage was brought to a standstill, she gave orders to wait awhile, and would not allow her guards to use violence to the people. This thoughtfulness had its reward. The coronation of the Maiden Monarch was a white day ; not a single fatal accident marred lis joyousness. The Duchess of Kent's carriage was stopped more than once by exuberant citizens, who insisted upon shaking hands with her as a token of approval of the manner in which she had reared their Queen. Marshal Soult came in for vociferous cheering, and Waterloo was forgotten as he and the Duke of Wellington shook hands. An eye-witness relates that the Queen entered the Abbey " gay as a lark and looking like a girl on her birthday" A moment of breathless silence preceded her entry ; then from choir and organ burst forth the strains of the anthem, " I was glad when they said unto me. Let us go into the house of the Lord," as, with her brilliant following, she swept slowly along to the centre of the choir. The anthem now gave place to a thrilling rendering of " God Save the Queen," with trumpet accompaniment. The cannon boomed, but the sound was deadened by the tumultuous acclamations within the I T/f£ MAIDEN MONARCH 95 Abbey as the Queen rearhp/l fk= t> the alta. SI, . , Recognition Chair, beside 'he altar. She knelt a few moments in silent prayer When e arose, .he Westminster boys seized the .oide' :p;rtrnt and, nsmg « ,„„,, ,^^^^^^ IT^^' V.etoria! VivalVietoriaRegina!" ™' The Arehbishop now presented the Queen to the people m l-e quamt formula. "Sirs, > here present unto you Queen rr;t:::rstrd:^rr"-^-'--" wniing to do the same.. w.L w^^anZerfrairpo!:: Queen played her part with wonder C^tr I'L^ been taken to provide a crown suitable for her smal head but no one had thought about reducing the si e Tf , ^ ' wh,ch she was required to carry in her tiny hand, 'w am I to do w,th it?" she asked in concern "Carrv it Majesty," replied Lord John Thynne. "Am U Tt ' '"" heavy," .he Queen answered in a tone of al me H^ e. ,t was too late for protest, and she obeyed the exigells" of he s.tua.,on. A worse mistake had been made wi.h rZd to the ruby corona.ion-ring. The jeweller had made it ^ Her Majesty's little hnger, whereas the Archbishop c Led ha. aceordmg .o .he rubric i. must be put upon the "r finger, ana accordingly forced it into that pi .,■ „ "t yueen bore her painfully swelling finger 4h the sam 9« TffS PESSOA-AL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA heroism that she carried the weighty orb. Afterwards ■tl,e finger was so mueh swollen that it had to be bathed in iced water before the ring could be drawn off. The supreme moment of the ceremony came when the crown was placed upon the Queen's head. At th. Jme .nstant the peers and peeresses put on their coronets, the b.shops the,r mitres, the heralds their caps, whilst the trumpets sounded, the drums beat, the cannon outside fired, the Tow guns answered, and the people within and without rent the a.r w,th shouts of "God Save the Queen!" After this came the ceremony of the Homage, when all the Lords spiritual and temporal ascended the steps of the throne, and, taking reoe t'ed ,r""-' '°"'"' "" "°™ °" '"= Q"-"'^ ^ead repeated the quamt oath of allegiance, and kissed her hand Formerly it had been the cheek of the monarch which was k.ssed. Durmg the Homage occurred the episode of old Lo,d Rol le, who was so infirm that his effort to ascend the steps o the throne resulted in his falling down, but such was his loyalty that he again essayed the impossible feat Then it was that the Queen rose from the throne and held out her hand to the old man, pityingly as a daughter might have " done. An old lady, who was present at the Coronation and often described the scene to the present writer, when she came to this part of the story used to lose all control of the aspirates in her excitement, and invariably finished the narrafon with: "And then, my dear, when the sweet young Queen rose from her throne, and extended her hand for thai gouty old lord to kiss, I thought that the (H)Abbey would have come down with the cheering." It was four o'clock in the afternoon before the Queen THE MAIDEN MONARCH 97 THE CORONATION FAIR. {From an old print.) entered the State coach for the return journey. All the way back to the Palace she smiled and bowed to the exultant crowds, performing her part beautifully to the last, although the strain of the day's work would have prostrated most young ladies. On entering the Palace court and hearing the bark of her favourite dog, she exclaimed, "There's Dash- I must go and give him his bath." It is easy to imagine with what a sense of relief the young Queen put off her State trappings, the ring which had caused her such discomfort and the heavy orb which had made her wrist ache, to have a frohc with her pet and a brief rest before she received the one hundred guests who composed her dinner-party that evenmg. For several days revelry reigned throughout London and mdeed in every place in the country. The poor were iil II feasted, the school-children harl K^r . fcr«o„e„ in one ,o,a, ,„: ol. ^I' ^^:',;"^'-"-^ ^^ able feature in tho m > ,• '""^'^^'^- ^^e most notice- in Hyde P^k , asirr? ^™ "" ^"''' ^°"-*" ^-^ liness was 3st noticc- ition Fair honoured BETROTHAL AND EARLY MARRIED LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA 99 ' IV BETROTHAL AND EARLY MARRIED LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA WHEN Queen Victoria announced to her Prime Minister tliat she had resolved to marry, Lord Melbourne replied, with paternal solicitude: "Your Majesty- will be much more comfortable, for a woman cannot stand alone for any time, in whatever position she may be." This was in the autumn of 1839, and the previous six months had probably been to the young Queen the most unhappy which she had ever experienced, owing to the strifes and jealousies of the two great political parties in the country. The atmosphere of reserve in which Her Majesty was compelled to live was very unnatural for a young girl, and oppressive to one of her open, candid disposition. Often she must have longed for the companionship of one with whom she could be herself, unrestricted by regal considerations. The happy change which her marriage wrought in her isolated position is thus expressed by the Queen : " We must all have trials and vexations ; but if one's home is happy, then the rest is comparatively nothing. ... My happiness at home, the love of my husband, his kindness, his advice, his support, and his company make up for ail." loi 1420.0 mOVlNCfAL UHSHART VICTORIA. B. C. I lOi Tf-c wore ..any .suUor., for -s. h„„d „f ,^„ ^^.^ lucf Orange ca,n= a-wooin, ,o ,he .'rinccss Charlotte. . c a ,,er,od of nulccision, thr.. roya, laCy dismissed her u, tor pere.ptor„y no. however, ,vit„o„. ,oin« to the window caused the lad,e.-n,-wa,l,„i: to tln'nk tl,at the Princess „a, about to reient; but when, after ga.ing in.entl/a „ hat v„h „cdd,„B green plumes, she exelain-.ed, " How like ^ rad,sh he looks l" it was felt that his fate was finally set led' There are not any stories about Queen Vie.oria either reeeiving or d,sn,„..ng suitors, the proposals fur her hand being made offically and rejected in the san.e manner. The o'elo episode of her life wi. «.ifl, i, ■ on of tbe .e,g„,ng Duke of Sa.xe-Coburg.Go.ha, and all the > orld knows of tts happy fulfilment When a small boy. Prince Albert was often promised by h nurse, as a reward for good behaviour, that he should many h,s .,, ,^.^^^^^ ^.^^^^.^ ^^^^ ^ been des.gned by fond relatives when the children were ye, mthe,r cradles, and became the darling hope of GrandmainL of Coburg and Uncle Leopold, and was favoured •„• the Queens mother, the Duchess of Kent, though it was by no means popular with King William ,V. and the royal dukes A v.s.t w,s paid by Prince Albert to the Duchess o. Ken ' atKensvnt . Falac, i„ ,836, and he then made a favourable mpress,o„ ,. .. .he Princess Victoria. The cousins d -g, playoo. .;,...«, and „a..ed together, and enjoyed each :ll' ii I THE QUEEN IN WEDDING DRESS, BETROTHAL AND EARLY MARRIED LIFE 105 other's society after the usual manner of a youth and maiden at the impressionable age of seventeen. We have heard of little love tokens exchanged, but it is not generally known that a ring— a small enamel with a tiny diamond in the centre-was given by the Prince to his pretty cousin during this visit. This early gift from her lover has always been worn by the Queen, together with her engagement-ring, a beautiful emerald serpent, above her wedding-ring, which, we believe, has never been taken off since her ucdding-'day. One of her ladies tells the story that, when a sculptor was modelling Her Majesty's hand, she was in an agony lest the ring should come off with the plaster, which she would have regarded as a bad omen. After the return of the Prince to Germany, letters occa- sionally passed between him and the Princess Victoria; but after her accession to the throne even these cousinly epistles ceased. In reply to the wish expressed by her Uncle Leopold that a formal betrothal with Prince Albert should take place, the young Queen said that she wished the affair to be con- sidered as broken off, and that for four years she could not think of marriage. Not that her feelings towards the Prince had really changed, for Her Majesty says that, "from her girlhood, she had never thought of marrying any one else." It was the Prince's youth which stood in the way. Girl though she was. the Queen had plenty of sound common sense, and she shrewdly suspected that, though the people were romantically loyal to a young maiden, their lawful sovereign, they might not be very enthusiastic about a consort who was only a youth of eighteen. Moreover, the Queen had her part to learn, for she had determined to be a ' ; { i I ' 1 ' io5 r^^ p^^so^^, z/^^ o,^ ^^^^^ ,,,^^.^^^^ ruling monarch, and it seemed better th.t h , , unfettered by new ties durfn. ^. '''""'^^ ^^ crown a dT,;:,,: Vr ^'■\'^""^==' ''- '""- °' ^ waning. The excuse which the Oucc„ i "° ^dden change fto. .he scclu ed hf " K: ^ ': "" '"= :r:7r=°'----a3gi"kg::r.hr:: det,.in,e„,a. to ail natu a, feeW nl T' "" ™° """" K« • • J , lecimgs and affections, cannot vvpII be .magn^ed, than .he position of a queen a. eig, .een .v tl u experience and without a husband to ouide and s„ ,1 This the Queen can state fro™ painf , p ^ TJ "r' -- - .at none of her dear daughter: ar^slt It was a few months after her coronation that fhn n realised t,,e words, •■ Uneas, ,ies the head tha; ^rs' ^^ ^ Party jealousy now began to mal- dressers and housemaids ; they wished to treat me WVit a girl, but I will show them that 1 am Queen of England." And she did too, for the combined efforts of the Duke of i I 11 i I no THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA Wellington and Sir Robert Peel could get no further con- cession from Her Majesty than, "You may take my Lords, but not my Ladies." Her Majesty was beginning to find that standing alone was not a ver> pleasant thing, and when, in the autumn of 1839, Prince Albert, accompanied by his brother. Prince Ernest, paid a visit to Windsor Castle, her views about marrying und .Twent a change. The Prince was now greatly improved by foreign travel, and had developed into a strikinc^ly handsome man, with graceful, winning manners. A graphic sketch of Prince Albert at this period was written by an Knglish gentleman resident at Gotha : "His Serene Highness Prince Albert is a fine young man ; his complexion is clear • his eyes greyish blue, exceedingly expressive; his features are regular, the forehead expanding nobly, and giving the notion of intellectual power. His hair is brown, parted on the side of the head in the modern fashion. He wears mustachios, which add much to the manliness of his counte- nance, and he has also whiskers. He is exceedingly erect in his person, and is said to excel in all the martial exercises of the military profession, and to be exceedingly au fait in the more elegant exercises of the drawing-room, the saloon, and the ball-room." He was three months younger than the Queen having been born August, 1819, at Rosenau, the summer residence of his father, the reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg- Gotha. An unhappy estrangement took place between his parents when he was a little fellow of five, and he never again saw the beautiful mother whom he was said to resemble and for whose memory he entertained the deepest affection.' She died murmuring the names "Ernest!" " Albert ! "—the BETROTHAL AND EARLY MARRIED LIFE ,,, two boys, whom in her last moments she lon-cd to clasp in her arms. The young Princes were carefully trained by their father, and watched with loving solicitude by their two grandmothers. Prince Albert pursued his studies at the University of Bonn, and became an accomplished student in literature and the fine arts. He was thoughtful, reserved, and dignified beyond his years, and a veritable Galahad in all the moral virtues; it seemed to every one that he was just the man to make the young Queen happy. When the Prince came to Windsor in 1839, he was un- doubtedly a little touched in his dignity, and had resolved to tell the Queen, like a man, that he was not going to be played with ; she must make up her mind to a formal betrothal or consider the affair at an end. His mind, however, was soon set at rest. " On the second day after our arrival," he wrote home to a college friend, "the most friendly demonstrations were directed towards me. and two days later I was secretly called to a private audience, in which the Queen offered me her hand and heart. I think," he adds, " that I shall be very happy, for Victoria possesses all the qualities which make a home happy, and seems to be attached to me with her whole heart," Her Majesty's superior rank made it imperative that the proposal of marriage should come from her, and it is variously reported how she made it. There is a story that she tentatively asked the Prince such leading questions as, " How did he like England ?" « Would he like to make it his home ? " But the Prince says that the Queen declared her feeling for him in a "genume outburst of love and affection," with which he was "quite enchanted and carried away." The proposal was made JI3 ■nil- PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTOR /A ■ I I' on the morning of the isth of October, 1839. The Prince had been out hunting early with his brother, and immediately after his return the Queen summoned him to her boudoir and made the interesting communication. The happiness of tlic young pair seems to have been beyond expression, and we find both of them writing ecstatic letters to their near relations ; the Queen dwelling upon the great sacrifice which the Prince' was making in leaving his country to share her life, and he in his turn feeling all unworthy of the love which was shown him. Uncle Leopold and the worthy Baron Stockmar were delighted at the news, and both the Duchess of Kent and Lord Melbourne were pleased also. Beyond these and a favoured few the engagement was not made known until after Prince Albert had returned home. For a whole month the lovers courted in secret. The Queen took her first holiday from Lord Melbourne's political instruc- tions, and enjoyed a merry time, galloping about the Park in the day with the handsome Prince at her side, and having delightful little dances and festivities in the evening. She reviewed the troops in the Home Park, dressed in her Windsor uniform and cap, and mounted on her old charger " Leopold," having the Prince in his green uniform of the Coburg troops on her right hand. It rained and was piercingly cold, but what did that matter when "dearest Albert" settled her'cape ' so comfortably " for her ? The gay, happy time came to an end all too soon. The Prince and his brother returned home, and the Queen, according to the gossip of the time, gave herself up to a sweet melancholy, and would sing only German songs ; and in sympathy with the royal lovers young ladies warbled " I caught her tear at f BKTROrilAl. AND EARLY MARRIED LIFE Wh parting," which became the popular song of the day. The royal lovers corresponded daily, and the miscarriage of one of the letters was the occasion of an amusing incident. The Queen was sitting one morning at Windsor Castle in conversa- tion with Lord Melbourne, when word was brought that a young man had called demanding to see the Queen on private THE queen's drawing-room, 1S42. business. Her Majesty of course declined to see the stranger ; but finding that he would not go away unheard. Lord Melbourne went to inquire what he wanted. He refused to say at first, but, further pressed, admitted that he had a packet which he must place in no one's hands but those of the Queen. Finally he was brought to the royal presence, and drawing forth from his breast a mysterious package he delivered it to Her Majesty, who on opening it found that it was a letter from Prince Albert, which had been omitted by mistake from the royal letter-bag, S fl "♦ THE PSKSONAL UPE OF QUEEN VICTORIA \^ ^cHRor, Tho young man received a suitable reward, and was commended for his fidelity to his trust. In the midst of her new-found happiness the Queen had .mportan. business to perform , first the Privy Council was summoned, and she declared to these solemn old gentlemen «ome eighty in number, that it was her intention to marry' Irmee Albert of Sa.e-Coburg and Gotha. The reading of the formal declaration only occupied a few minutes, and Her Majesty says that she was very nervous, and saw nothing save Lord Melbourne looking a. her with tears in his eyes and upon her wrist the medallion of her "beloved Albert," which seemo^ to give her courage. Ne..t came a more trying ordeal ^lUhc announcement of her approaching marriage in a speech from the throne, m the House of Lords. She did it v.-^th the utmost dignity, ana in those clear musical tones so peculiar to her. Both were doubtless ■■nervous occasions," but the Quocn confided to the Duchess of Gloucester tha, neither of them was half so trying as ■■having to propose to Albert." The troubles were not as yet over, and it seemed that the course of true love was not in this case to run smooth. There was heated discussion both in and out of Parliament regarding the allowance to be given to the Prince. The original prop =al of ^S0,ooo a year was voted down to £30,000, and the discussion concernmg„wasinthe worst possible taste; when Mr. Hume told Lord John Russell that he ■■must know the danger of setting a young man down in London with so much money .n h,s pockets," the House, instead of calling hi„ ,„ „, J roared w,th laughter. Then came the matter of the Prince's' precedency The Queen wished a clause put in the Naluralisa- BETROTHAL AND EARf.Y .\fARRIED LIFE ii; tion Bill to the effect that her husband was to take rank in the country next to herself, but the royal Dukes, her uncles, objected to this, and Parliament dropped the clause, upon which the Queen asserted her royal prerogative that /»__ • i it was her will and pleasure that the Prince should "enjoy place, pre-eminence, THE QUEEN HOLDING A RECKPTION AT UOLYROOD PALACE and precedence next to Her Majesty." This settled the question within British dominions ; but the refusal of Parliament to pass the Precedency Clause left it optional with foreign courts to give the Prince the same royal status as his wife, and in after years caused the Queen great annoyance when tsa. PHI III ! 116 7//£ i'ERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA visiting continental sovereign; The Queen's sentiments were' very creditable to her womanly feelings, and we do not wonder that she was highly indignant at the action of Parliament, for was not the Prince to be regarded, not only as the Queen's husband, but as the father of our kings to be? The nation practically insulted itself when it refused him royal status. With manly independence Prince Albert refused all the titles which his future wife might have conferred upon him, and never displayed the least resentment at the recent squabbles over his income and precedence. " While I possess your love," he wrote to the Queen, "they cannot make me unhappy." The Queen's wedding was a grand and beautiful pageant. It took place on the loth of February, 1840, in the Royal Chapel of St. James, before an assembly second only in magnificence to that which had witnessed her coronation in Westminster Abbey. The royal bride was pale, but looked very sweet in her magnificent bridal robe of Honiton lace over white satin trimmed with the time-honoured orange blossoms. The train was of white satin trimmed with the same flowers, and borne by two pages of honour. Her veil was comparatively short, being only one yard and a half square, and was worn flowing back from the wreath over her shoulders, leaving her face uncovered. She wore a necklace and ear- rings of diamonds, and the armlet of the Garter. The satin for the dress was manufactured at Spitalfields, and the Honiton lace was made by two hundred poor lace-workers in the village of Beer, near to Honiton, the Queen sending Miss Bidney from London to superintend the work. The joy of these poor women at being employed, expressly by the Queen's command, to make her bridal lace was unbounded ; BETROTHAL AND EARLY MARRIED LIFE n- THE gUEEN AT THE .GE OF TWENTY-TWO. they could not sufficiently express their gratitude. When the lace was completed, the pattern was destroyed. The wedding took place from Buckingham Palace at noon. Previously royal marriages had been celebrated in an evening, but it was the wish of the Queen to conform to the same rule as her subjects, and she was also desirous of giving them an opportunity to see the procession as it passed to the Chape! Nil ^i I If ^ >I8 7VW PSJ^SOI^AL LIFE OF QVEEN VICTORIA b' , down .he grand staircase of .he I'al^ee ca,n= he br dcgroom, looking very handsome i„ his uniform wi.h the collar of .he Gar.er, surmounted by two white rose.tes carrymg a Prayer Book bound in green velvet in his hand' anHrrr"'""' '^ ■"' '''^"' *'= '^"'■^ °f Sa^cCoburg and h,s brother, I-rince Ernest, and as he passed .o his carriag! was sa u.ed by .he household wi.h the same honours ge played See the Conquering Hero Comes." He was fte man who among all the princes of Europe had secured Victoria Queen of England, for his bride. After an interval He Majesty the Queen, escorted by her Lord Chamberlain, came ^weepmg slowly down the grand staircase in her snow; s rin nd lace, graciously acknowledging the obeisances made and lookinjT very IovpIv If „roc u , she had Ja 7 u ""^ "''' f" *'= "^"^ion ^he had la,d as.de her crown, and only a wreath of orange blossoms rested upon her brow St. ^ H,,- p 1 u- ,. ^ ^™ accompanied by Her Royal H.ghness the Duchess of Ken., wearing a whi.e - .n dress embroidered in silver, and by .he Duchelof Sutherland, Mistress of the Robes, who wore a superb ess At the Chapel Royal twelve bridesmaids, young and fair dressed m white, with wreaths of pale roses, wefe ready ' tend her .o the altar. She was given away by her u„c o. Sussex, of whom a wag of the time .said, "The Duke o Sussex ,s always ready to give away what does no. belong of he Church of England, .he Archbishop having du.ifully -ted upon Her Majes.y beforehand, .o know if .he promi I 11 BETROTHAL AND EARLY MARRIED LIFE i,c PRINCE ALBERT AT THE AGE OF TWENTV-TWO. "to obey" was to be omitted, but she replied that she wished "to be married as a woman, not as Queen." When Prince Albert soleinnly repeated the words, " With all my worldly goods fillH ,1} I ii r?o THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA I thee endow," it was observed by some that the bride gave h.m an arch smile. He took the wedding-ring from his own finger to hand it to the Archbishop, and when it was placed upon the Queen's slender finger volleys of cannon mingled with the pealing and the clanging of the marriage bells Unfortunately « Queen's weather," which has since become pro- verbial, did not prevail ; but the rain did not damp the loyalty of the people, and the streets were thronged with cheerin- multitudes to greet the young Queen and the husband o^ her choice. As Prince Albert led his wife from the altar he held her hand in a position which prominently displayed the wedding-ring It is said that the Queen's look of confi- dence and comfort at the Prince as they walked away together as man and wife was very pleasing to see. It was such a new thing for her to have an equal companion, friend, and husband a young heart against which she could rest her own Few' bridegrooms show to advantage at the wedding ceremony • but the quiet dignity and stately simplicity of bearing shown by the Prince filled every one with admiration. After the marriage register had been signed in the royal attestation book, placed upon a golden table, the wedding party returned to Buckingham Palace to a dejeuner. The great feature of the table was the gigantic wedding cake-three hundred pounds in weight, three yards in circumference, and fourteen inches in depth, which took four men to carry it. The ornamentation was superb. On the top was Britannia blessing the royal couple, and amongst other figures wa^- a cupid writing in a volume spread upon his knees, ' loth February, 1840." The brief honeymoon of three days was spent at Royal Windsor, where the Prince was seen driving his wife about, BETROTHAL AND EARLY MARRIED LIFE THE yUtEN S FIRST KAILWAY TKIP. tSte-d-tete, in a pony phaeton. The day after her marriage the Queen wrote to Baron Stockmar, " There cannot exist a purer, dearer, nobler being in the world than the Prince." Happy Queen ! that in the years which followed she never had occa- sion to modify her young bride's enthusiasm. A Royal Idyll had indeed begun such as this country had never looked upon before. As a memento of the occasion Her Majesty presented each of the ofificiating clergy with a handsomely bound volume containing a suitable inscription, and to each of the bridesmaids she gave a brooch in the form of a bird, the body being formed of turquoises, the eyes of rubies, the beak of a diamond, the claws of pure gold, resting upon pearls of great size and value. ! I 122 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA In accordance also with an early English custom, she ordered a number of wedding-rings to be made, with her portrait engraved in the centre and surrounded by true lovers' knots, to send as gifts to her special friends. We wonder that this pretty custom of olden times has not had a modern revival. On the 14th of February the Queen and the Prince returned with the Court to Buckingham Palace, the roads along the route being lined with enthusiastic crowds exhibiting white favours. x\ext day Her Majesty held a levee, and was conducted to her seat by her husband, who took his stand beside her. a position which he ever afterwards retained at all State functions. When in the autumn the Queen prorogued Parliament in person, the Prince accompanied her, and .sat on the seat of honour beside the throne. By this act Her Majesty settled the question of her husband's precedency and Che Duke of Wellington said afterwards, with an inward chuckle : " I told you that was the best way to settle the dispute-let the Queen place the Prince where she thinks fit" My lords and gentlemen were of course powerless to oppose the action of a young bride, and a Queen to boot, who would insist upon having her husband at her side. In the height of the brilliant season which succeeded the royal marriage. London was startled on the evening of the loth of June by the report of the attempted assassination of the Queen. She was driving with Prince Albert up Constitution Hill when a young man named Oxford presented a pistol and fired directly at her. The Prince rose in conster- nation to shield his wife, and meantime the miscreant fired again, and was this time seized by the bystanders. Her Majesty displayed the utmost courage, rising in her se-^t to BETROTHAL AND EARLY MARRIED LIFE 123 THE gUKKNS PLANTAGENET IIAI.L, IS42. show the people that she was not hurt, and then ordered her postilions to drive to Ingcstre House, where the Duchess of Kent was now living, her first thought being to save her mother the shock of an exaggerated report. Old people still speak of the unbounded demonstrations of loyalty which the affair occasioned, and of the gay cavalcade of ladies and gentlemen which for days afterwards attended the Queen's carriage as a voluntary bodyguard when she drove in the Park. Two days later Her Majesty visited the opera, and received an unparalleled ovf.don of loyalty, and, what pleased her best of all, the Prince was called for and given three separate m 124 T//Ji PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA cheers. Previous to this Prince Albert had presided at h great pubhc meeting in Exeter Hall for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, and made an excellent speech in English, which he had rehearsed to the Queen in the morning. One can imagine how proud she was that his first public effort was in so good a cause, for it was one which had been of deep interest to her since those early days when she had listened to slave stories from the lips of Wilberforce on the Ramsgate sands. The sweet Quakeress, Caroline Fox, was there to beam ap- proval upon the Prince, whom she thought "a very beautiful young man." Society was soon thrown into a state of interested ex- pectancy, as the journals spoke of the Queen as looking less blooming than usual, and the last Drawing-Room of the season was held by Her Majesty sitting ; her dainty white-slippered feet resting on a gold brocaded cushion. Early in November elaborate preparations were made at Buckingham Palace for the approaching accouchement of the Queen, ar i there on the 2ist of the month at r.40 p.m. a little Princess Royal was born. The Prince was a little disappointed that it was a girl ; but the Queen said, " Never mind, the next one shall be a boy," adding the hope that she might have as many children as her grandmother. Queen Charlotte. The next day there was a scare in the Palace by reason of the discovery of a disreputable little urchin, known to fame as " the boy Jones," under a sofa in a room next to that of the Queen. He audaciously acknowledged to having listened with interest to Her Majesty conversing with Prince Albert. Being too young for punishment he was sent to a House of Correction. The devotion of Prince Albert during his wife's seclusion BETROTHAL AND EARLY MARRIED LIFE 12; FRANCIS SHOOIING AT THE QUEEN. was an example to all husbands. The Queen has recorded that he was content to sit by her side in a darkened room, to read to her and write for her. No one but himself ever lifted her from her bed to the sofa, and he always helped to wheel her on her bed or sofa into the next room. For this purpose he would come instantly from any part of the house. His care for her was like that of a mother ; " nor could there," adds the Queen, "be a kinder or more judicious nurse." A month after her confinement Her Majesty was keeping Christmas at Windsor in right merry style, and a Christmas tree was set up to please the baby, and there were trees also for the Household— a pretty custom first introduced into this country by Prince Albert. The stately Castle had never wit- nessed such homely gaiety in royal personages before. On the loth of February, the first anniversary of the Wedding Day, the Princess Royal received her mother's name, and several others 126 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA besides, with befitting ceremonial in the throne-room of Buckingham Palace. In the following November, on Lord Mayor's Day. the Queen was as good as her word, and presented her husband with a son. and the nation with a Pnnce of Wales. The following amusing incident, in connection with the fram.ng of the bulletin announcing the royal birth, occurred After the usual statement the bulletin ran thus : " Her Majesty and the Prince are perfectly well." When this was shown to the Queen by Prince Albert, previous to its publication, she said, with a laugh. "My dear, this will never do." "Why not?" asked the Prince. "Because," replied the Queen "it conveys the idea that you were confined also." Prince Albert was a little dumbfounded, but the bulletin was altered to "Her Majesty and the mfant Prince are perfectly well." There was another merry Christmas at Windsor, and this year there were two pairs of little eyes to view the Christmas tree. The christening of the heir to the throne was a very imposing ceremony, and tool, place on the 2Sth of January, 1842, in St. George's Chapel, Windsor. The King of Prussia came to stand as chief sponsor. The infant Prince was named Albert after his father, and Edward after his grandfather, the Duke of Kent. At the conclusion of the ceremony the over- joyed father requested that the Hallelujah Chorus might be sung. Immediately afterwards the Queen held a chapter of the Order of the Garter, and appointed the illustrious god- father a Knight Companion, herself buckling the Garter round his knee. The year 1842 was a memorable one in the Queen's life for many things. In June she took her first trip by rail. BETROTHAL AND EARLY MARRIED LIFE 12; returning from Windsor by the Great Western Railway to Paddmrrton, the famous engineer, Brunei, driving the engine There was a royal saloon provided, and crimson carpets were laid from the Queen's carriage to the train. The journey occupied twenty-five minutes, and Her Maje.ty was received by a large assembly, with great applause, when she reached the termmus, although wiseacres probably shook their heads and wondered that the royal lady had not more sense than to trust herself to such an infernal machine. In this year two attempts were made upon the Queen's life ; the first by John Francis, who fired a pistol at her when she was driving down Constitution Hill. It appears that he had held a pistol in a threatening attitude the day before, and the Queen, with her usual bravery, determined to drive out again and let him do his worst, rather than have the uncertainty of another attack hanging over her. She would not allow her ladies to accompany her. which occasioned much surprise at the time ; but. upon returning home, she said to Miss Liddell, one of the maids of honour : " I dare say, Georgy. you were surprised at not driving with me this afternoon, but the fact was that as we returned from church yesterday, a man presented a pistol at the carriage window, which flashed in the pan ; we were so taken by surprise that he had time to escape ; 'so I knew what was hanging over me, and I was determined to expose no life but my own." Francis was tried and sentenced to death, but was reprieved at the Queen's request. The next attempt on her life was made by a hunchback, John Bean, who levelled a pistol at Her Majesty when she was driving to the Chapel Royal ; fortunately it did not go off. The London season of 1842 was marked by two functions \\ \ ! 138 ''"" "'-^'"^^^ '■'FB OF <}UE,:U VICTOXM of great splendour. Firs, came what was ealled a, .he time e Queen's Masque , .hou«h ,, h. descended into his ^ as tne rlantatrcnet T^tII Tt,« ,. . • ^ ''bcnet J5all. The entertainment took place at arlZ H 'T"' '"' ^'' ' ■"«""'-"' Ws,orieaf;:„ r anged and planned by Her Majesty. The chief feature wa the assemblage and meeting „f ,he Courts of Edward and Ph ppa w.th Anne of Brittany, after v.ineh ,uadri„es wer danced by representatives of all nationalities, succeeded by a general dance in which all were blended. In the Highland set the present Duke of Arevli then .h. .. Lornp t„„i, ■ . , ^ '"' >'°''"S Marquis of Lome, took a sp.r.ted part. Her Majesty, as Queen Philipna wore a magniiiccnt dress nf .1, -J. mnippa, K„ J . ""■ f""^ in Wue and Mid b^eade tr.mmed with fur, and having a stomacher tera ly b az,ng w,th jewels, the cost of which was estimated at ZZ I. was on v.ew in Hanover Square previous to the d^Tf he ball, and two hundred and fifty carriages stood at one ..me crowded w.th ladies waiting their turn to get a sZ of the lovely and magnificent rob. A fortnight later cTm .he famous ball held at Covent Garden for the relief oth ^Z:T'"'' ""* ''^ """^^^ "^y '"^ Q-" -^ wh,ch followed were planned by the Queen with a view to ^.mulattng trade; but her motives were misunderstood and much called in question at ft,« *• , , question at the time, and there were oaners whtch prmted the cos. of the Court pageants in one col T^J^ hst of those Who were dying f.m starvation' Seot'll'dT"'"'""."' "'' *^ 2"-" P^'" ^^' «-t visit to Seotland, accompanied by the Prince. She travelled by water and wa. received at Gran.on Pier by the Duke of Bucc.eueh' BETROTHAL AA'JJ kaRLY MARRIED LJj-Ji 1 -"; l;,yti;. -^is^r.^^^ 11^ driving through Edinburgh to Dalkeith Palace. The new experience, of the first vi,i, paid outside her native land del,gh.ed the Queen, and found very graphic expression in her Hrghland Journal. Nothing escaped her quick eyes; the many.s.oned houses of the Old To™, the aged crones ».and,ng at the doors in their white „,utches, the bare-footed ads and l,ass,es, the fish-wives in their short petticoats, with the caller herrm', fresh drawn frae the Forth " in kreel, upon their backs, and all the sights of the historic town were qu,ckly noted down. Her Majesty took oatmeal porridge o her breakfast, tried the "Finnan hnddies," and pronounced the hon,ely Scottish fare excellent. She held a reception at Holyrood Palace, and a levfc at Dalkeith House, visited Lord Rosebery (grandfather of the present Earl) at Dalmeny, 9 '30 mn PJCKSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA and journeyed farther north to the H.Vhl.. » ••. the nbrp« ^f ■ . tt'ffhlands, visiting all ZnT I u ' '" ""'^- ^^"" -- -n^tantly in her stand ha. she was richt .velcome ,o Scotland. There TL torchhijht dances, and reels anH ., .>, , tainment of ,1,, , ^'rathspeys for the enter- tamment of the royal visitors, with all of which the n„ was greatly pleased, and at the dose of .1,1 ; \"'' '^'""' to havi,,,. K„„ ■ ""^ '°"'' ^""^ confessed havng beeon^e quae fond of hearing the bagpipes. offered ^ .e H^' *; "'"f"^' f"" "' P'-'^X »umo„r, ;-thdid,,h;,sr;!::r:j— \-2--'' eon, fo„,t, I wa. „a feared at a' ; I j„st lookit a. her and she looktt a. me, an' she bowed her held at me an' I h„ H -y held at her. She's a raal fine leddi , w W ^l pr.de aboo. her a. a'." The Q„ee„ quitted ' Scotia do the 'Sth of September, after staying a fortnight "As thT f shores of Scotland receded more and more ftl our vie! " li wmes ,„ her Journal, -we felt quite sad that this v^Jp ,1 -cl mteres.,„g tour was over ; but we shall never forget i' SSTJlomAr AND EARLY MARKIHD UFE ,„ After their rcurn home, the Queen and the Prinee took c r two h.Me children on . vi.it to the Duke of U.l n^^ at Vy, „„ Castle, to «e. the »ea air. The following ^. -cc l,.«e Prince. Alice was added to the royal nue; / it Hard, she once said, "that I cannot ahvavs hc.r ,ny children say their prayers." The duty of ov rl o :! . c ma„,,ement of the nursery, which the Oueen wo l! g-adly ave undertaken herself, if her position hid p rZ d .., jas deegated to Lady I.yt.elton, one of the Ladi T Bedeha^her. The royal nursery became a very lively p a^e and many amusing stories are told by Lady Bloomfie d missy, which she oO HiH tu^ u • the first tin.. K . , '"'"' ^^""^ "" "oticc the first time; but ihe next she looked up very indi.nantlv and sa.d to her niother. " !'„, not Missy I'm the P Royal." On another occasion the n "'''' ., , _,. occasion, the Queen was talkinp to one f her ,ad,es.a„d no. taking any notice of .he little Princs: to suddenly ^claimed: "There, a cat under the treer»l' lertiie imat^Mnation on her narf- K.,f u ■ drawing attention, she <,u tly s a Ca."'"' '"'''''^ '" at the Queen, , suppose" ^^ ""^ "'" '° ""°'< And so the early married life of Oueen V,v. ■ ,-. Poacefully by, rich in the love of husband a. d^rrl^'r: rnere was no shadow on the home. 1 1 |ii 1 1 fill j=rd« r' ■\ • ij II . I ^ hi i V HOME AND COURT LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA BY the year 1844 people were ceasing to speak of the "v'ung Queen," for although Her Majesty was young in yer - ing only twenty-five, she was now a comely matron with four children — two boys and two girls— Prince Alfred having in this year succeeded little Princess Alice. It was to convey the tidings of Prince Alfred's birth from Windsor to London that the electric telegraph was first used to announce such an event. The home life at Royal Windsor was, indeed, an example to the nation, and afforded the best object-lesson ever given as to the possibility of a woman combining public and political work with the duties of a wife and mother. We are indebted to a gentleman-at-arms for information regarding the Queen's mode of spending her day. Her Majesty rose at 6.30 in summer and 7.30 in winter. After making her toilet and attending morning service with the household, in the chapel, she breakfasted upon coffee, bread-and-butter, eggs or cold meat, then took a walk with her husband in the gardens and inspected th Home Farm. She was fond of seeing the poultry fed, and did not disdain to give the poor pigs a look. Then there were the aviary, studs, 135 h\ in Ji THM PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA ITT'Tt ""^ '''' ="™^'^ '° •>= "■»"^''.- *e favouriie dog. oundcd .y her side .i.h delight as she .oved abo« and the p.gccns came out to pe.eh on her shoulders and on Pnnce Alberfs hat. Returning to the Castle, the " mother .spected the nurseries and saw the older ^hildreTa then- s ud,es; and having satisfied herself that everything wa - -.*, she glanced through the r/,„„ and Mornu^ p,„ after wh,ch she received the Master of the Household in the l.brary d.scussed the don,estie arrangements for the day r.ce,ved his report upon letters and applications addressed to her and gave com.nands regarding the guests to be invited to the Castle. These usually arrived in ,in,e to dine, remained all next day, and returned home on the third, the three days oemg called d„,s of « Rest," "Reception," and ..Departure" It may here be stated that in the Srs, years of her marr,ed hfe the Queen made great alterations in the arrange- ment of the ,„•««.. at Windsor. A Master of the Houte- ho d was appointed ... perform the duties which had hitherto belonged to three State officials, who were rarely on the premrscs to discharge their functions. So bad had been the regulations that if a pane of glass was broken in the scullery ™dow, ,.,,„, „,.„y „^^,, ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^.^ ^^^^^ ^y effected, ow.ng to the difficulty of finding out whose duty it was to attend to it. A gentleman who had occasion to attend a. the Castle related to the present writer that one morning he saw the Queen enter the dining-room and ring the beli several tunes before she could get any one to attend to her requ,rement.s. There was no one even .o show guests to theu bedrooms, which on one occasion led to an amusin.- ■ncdent. M. Gui.ot was a guest at the Palace, and upo,: '/ HOME AND COURT LIFE OF QUEEN i^ICTORIA 137 li. OUOUr SHOWING H.R MAJESTY THF gUKFN, PR,^•CE CONSORT, ANO FOUR CHILDREN IN WiNDSOR FOREST, retiring for the night he spent nearly an hour wandering about the corridors to try and identify his bedroom. At length he opened a door wliich he imagined led to it; but ill h ,^:p 138 THE PERSONAL LIFE 01' QUEEN VICTORIA before he had advanced many steps into the room he discovered that a lady was seated before the toilet table with a maid brushing her hair. The abashed gentleman made a hasty retreat, and was fortunate when he returned to the bewildering corridors to find a guide who took him to his own room. The incident had almost passed from his mind, when the following evening he was reminded of it by a laughing allusion made by the Queen. M. Guizot then discovered that it was Her Majesty's dressing-room he had entered. Hitherto the unused bread had been wasted in the royal kitchens, but the Queen now directed that it should be sent to the inmates of the almshouses within the burgh of Windsor ; and many other reforms were instituted by the royal housekeeper and her methodical husband. But to return to her manner of portioning out her day. Having so far disposed of the household matters, the Queen turned her attention to affairs of State. At eleven o'clock the despatch boxes were opened, and their contents discussed with the principal secretaries of State, when necessary, or perused with the Prince. In the Foreign Secretary's box were all the recent correspondence with foreign powers and the drafts of the proposed replies for the Queen's considera- tion, and like minutiae were observed in the despatches of the War, Admiralty, and Home departments. After this business had been transacted, Her Majesty received visitors "invited" or " commanded "—artists, publishers, foreigners with special introductions, people with presents for the aviary, and tradesmen with novelties to exhibit. At two o'clock came luncheon, at which the Queen ate and drank heartily after her morning's work, and was ready to enjoy several HOME AND COURT LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA 139 hours' riding or driving in the afternoon, accompanied by the Prince, the Duchess of Kent, and often by one or other of the children. Whenever the Queen was staying at Windsor her mother occupied Frogmore House, quite near, and invariably dined with her daughter. On returning from r^riving the Queen and Prince spent some time in private. Sometimes they amused tViCmsclves with drawing etchings upon copper of their children or pet animals, which were printed at their private press. One of the most interesting of these was an etching by the Queen of the Princess Royal as a baby in long clothes, gazing at a parrot in a cage placed to arrest her attention. At one time Mr., afterwards Sir, George Hayter attended at Windsor Castle to give the Queen and tl.u Prince instruction in etching. Dinner, which took place at eight o'clock, was a stately affair, served by servants in scarlet and powder, while a military band played in an ante-room. The conversation took place in subdued whispers, except when the Queen addressed a guest. Politics were by her desire never discussed, and the gentlemen remained behind over their wine only for a very short time. An anecdote of the Queen's perfect courtesy as a hostess may here be mentioned. A certain nobleman, who was an abstainer, was dining with the Queen, and was asked by a royal Duchess present to drink wine with her. Upon his polite refusal the Duchess laughingly appealed to Her Majesty to use her authority over her water-drinking guest ; but the Queen replied with a smile : " There is no compulsion at my table." Not infrequently she would have what one of her ladies termed a " tete-a-tete dinner," alone with her husband. After the ceremonious dinner was over, the Queen chatted 1 ■ ! ! I ,Hr: m 140 T//£ PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA with the ladies and gentlemen in the drawing-room, unless there were special guests to claim her attention, in a charmingly free-and-easy manner. In her gay moods she was the life of the company, and we catch glimpses of her seizing hold of an astonished lady and whirling her round in a polka, or dancing a reel, a recent accomplishment which she had learned in the Highlands. Music played an important feature in the evening's entertainment, and the Queen would sing ducts with her ladies, and did not disdain to act as accompanist. On one occasion Jenny Lind was singing before the Queen, and was put to considerable annoyance by the vagaries of the Court musi- cian. Her Majesty's quick ear detected what was wrong, and advancing to the piano, she said, "I will accompany Mi.ss Lind," which she did to perfection. Prince Albert also shared his wife's taste for music, and was a composer and an accomplished player upon the organ, which he considered the finest instrument for expressing the feelings. The prominent place given to music in the royal household exercised an immense influence over the life of the people, and these little impromptu concerts at Windsor Castle were the precursors of the musical evenings which became fashionable in society, and which gradually extended to the humbler i.mncs of the land. Mendelssohn was more than once an honoured guest at Windsor, and his letters give some charming accounts of the skill and enthusiasm of the Queen and Prince Albert in his own beloved art. The great composer thought very highly of the Queen's singing, more highly in fact than he deemed it good taste to admit in her presence ; it was only after her Majesty's modest confession that she felt too nervous to take HOME AND COURT LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA 141 y.R T^^4o=r- Jl ETCHINGS BY HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN AND PRINCE ALBERT. a long G properly, that Mendelssohn praised her heartily and with a clear conscience. It was owing to the efforts of the Queen and Prince Albert that the Castle band was brought to such perfection, and the wind largely superseded by stringed instruments. On one occasion, when some special music had to be practised, the bandmaster commanded a Sunday rehet.rsal, at which two German players, who were Methodists, refused to comply on conscientious grounds. The affair came to the I 142 I THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA Queen's cars, and she settled it immediately, saying, •' I will have no more Sunday rehearsals." And so we find the evenings at the Court being spent in music, little dances, conversation, and round games. " Patience " was a favourite game with the Prince, and Vin^t-ct-un was sometimes played, and "Follow my Icadcr/'and there was spmn.ng of counters, asking of riddles, and playing tricks with stuffed mice-in short, a quiet evening at Windsor was very I'kc an old-fashioned party in ordinary life, even to grand- mamma having her rubber of whist. The Queen could get amusement out ot very trifling things, and never seemed bored or complained of ...;,.,/; the secret of it being that she was never idle. When one of her former maids of honour, then an ambassador's wife, told the Empress of Russia that she had received a letter from Queen Victoria, the Empress exclaimed, VV hat ! m her own handwriting ? Is it possible that the Queen finds time to write letters?" Another trait in the Queen's charaeter was I,er cheerfulness ■ m fact, when she started to laugh she found it difficult to stop and her laugh was no co,u,.,„y laugh, but thoroughly hearty.' Mr. G.bson, R.A., tells a story that when Her Majesty was s.tt,ng to him he asked permission to measure her mouth. Oh, eertamly,' replied the Queen, "if I can only keep it still and not laugh." The proposal was so unexpected and droll that .t was some time before the Queen could compose herself- d,rectly she closed her mouth she burst out laughing again.' The same sculptor describes a little conjugal episode which occurred when he was to model the Queen in evening dress She came into the room accompanied by the Prince, who, like a fond young husband, had his arm round hi., wife's „cck HOME AND COURT LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA h.j VVJi PORTRAIT or HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN. and pointiii- to her shoulder said, " Mr. Gibson, you must give mc this dimple." Her Majesty's neck and shoulders were greatly admired in tliose days. >^ow and again amusing celebrities were commanded to W'masor, notably Tom Thumb, who strutted about like cc a M .1 6 t I i I K * ■44 THE PKRSOXAL UI-K OF qUEEN V/CTOKIA little pcaoKk. and told the Queen, to her amusement, that hci ..lace uas " first rate." Charles Kcan acted as I Icr Majesty's Master of the Rc\-els, and under his superintendence h<-r fnends the " poor players " ^^ave ,nany celebrated performances Ht the Castle. In those days the "boards" were trod by Macrcady, IMielps, and the Kembles, and Rachel and Grisi were the stars of the operatic stage. It was the Queen who first invited Jenny Lind to sin- in this country, she havin- heard her in Cobur- in 45, and when "Jenny" made her memorable triumph at Covcnt Garden it was the Queen's bouquet which was the first to be cast at the feet of the singer. In those bright, happ)- days Victoria stood in the forefront of the national life. She patronised all that was best in literature, art, and the drama, and gave her sympathy and help to the philan- thropies of the time. Theatres which aimed at royal patronage were obliged to conform to the Queen's taste, and gradually the coarse survivals of a ruder time were swept from the stage. Society took its cue from her, and the Court became as pure as a good woman could make it. The Queen undoubtedly loved the gaieties ot town in the early years of her reign; but as the little ones began to cluster about her knees, she longed for the quietude of country life, drawn to it also by her thoughtful, studious husband. VVc find her running away in the height of the season to enjoy a quiet time with her husband and children amidst the flowery glades of Claremont. On one of these occasions "Vicky" and "Bertie" came to the Queen's room to wish her many happy returns of her birthday, dressed Tyrolese fashion, and looking such sweet little foreigners that their mother hardly knew them. This little surprise was I mciit, that ' Majesty's Jciicc her forinanccs trod by and Grisi UCLll wlio 'Jn^' heard icmorablc uet which In those 2 national art, and c phi Ian - matron age gradually the stage. I/OME AND COURT UtK OF QLEEN VICTORIA 14; ; as pure n in the )cgan to etude of studious t of the children of these I's room dressed lers that rise was HIE PRINCE CONSOKl. planned by the Prince and the Duchess of Kent, and affords a pleasing glimpse into the home life of the rojal pair. Her Majesty -vas no stickier for extreme Court etiquette 10 Iji 1 [ I 146 IHE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA when it caused actual discomfort to others. It had been the custom for the sovereign to hold drawing-rooms seated upon the throne, thus obliging those presented to mount the steps to kiss hands, and then retire backwards — no easy task with a voluminous train behind. To lessen the difficulties of the ladies, the Queen received them at the foot of the throne, and permitted them, after retiring a few steps backwards, to take their trains over their arms and resume their natural walk. The same consideration was shown by the Queen to her maids of honour ; no weary standing on tired feet, no hours of reading aloud, of which poor Miss Burncy complained in the days of old Queen Charlotte, and certainly the ladies did not get their ears boxed for misdemeanour, a not uncommon thing in the " good old times." Her Majesty treated her ladies as friends ; they sang and played with her, accom- panied her upon horseback or in the carriage, and appear to have had few actual duties beyond these, and handing the Queen her bouquet at dinner. She addressed them by their Christian names, and when they returned to residence received them with a kiss and inquiries regarding the home circle which they had just left. One thing the Queen did rigidly exact, and that was punctuality. Those who have been about Her Majesty invariably speak of the charm of her conversation and presence. Lady Bloomficld, writing of a musical evening at Windsor, says: "I enjoy nothing so much as seeing the Queen in that nice quiet way, and I often wish that those who don't know Her Majesty could see how kind and generous she is when she is perfectly at her ease and able to throw off the restraint and HOME AND COURT LIFE OF QUEEN VICTOR/ A 147 form which must and ought to be observed when she is in public," The Baroness Bunsen writes to her son in the same strain after lanching with the Queen at Stafford House : "The Queen looked well and charming, and I could not help the same reflection that I have often made befc; ;, that she is the only piece of female royally I ever saw who was also a creature such as God Almighty has created. Her smile is a real smile, her grace is natural, although it has received a WIN! SOR CASTLE. high polish from cultivation- there is nothing artificial about her." In evidence of the de- light which this lady felt in dining with the Queen, she relates that in spite of a severe cold, which inconvenienced her to the extent of necessitating the use of six handkerchiefs during the morning, she availed herself of the privilege of dining with the Queen in the evening. We fancy in former reigns a bad cold would have been welcomed as a convenient excuse for not obeying the royal command. Fortunately for the Baroness, it was the time when ladies carried their mouchoirs in dainty little bags, so she was not limited in her supply. 148 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA Lady Lyttclton, the second daughter of Earl Spencer, who had been lady-in-waiting since the Queen's accession, had, as we have seen, been entrusted by Her Majesty with the charge of the royal children. She was a kind, nnotherly lady, admirably fitted for this important office, which she held for eight years. The royal mother, however, remained herself the chief authority in nursery matters, and supervised every detail of the children's training. In drawing up some rules for their education, she said : " The greatest maxim of all is — that the children s- ould be brought up as simply as possible, and in as domestic a way as possible ; that, not interfering with their lessons, they should be as much as possible with their parents, and learn to place their greatest confidence in them in all things. . . . Religious training is best given to a child at its mother's knee." Apropos of the latter, there is a story of that brilliantly clever child, the Princess Royal. The Queen was reading the Bible with her little daughter, and came to the passage, " God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him," upon which " Vicky," who had a sense ot beauty and fitness, exclaimed, " But, mamma, surely not Dr. Pratorious?" This gentleman was secretary to Prince Albert, and by no means good-looking. When the children wore young, all goods purchased for their wear were submitted to the Queen, and it was at her command that only the plainest fare was sent to the nursery, "quite poor living — only a bit of roast meat and perhaps a plain pudding," one of the servants told Baron Bunsen, adding that the Queen would have made " an admirable poor man's wife." As the Princesses grew older, they were taught to take care of their clothes, even to that old-maidish custom of rolling HOME AND COURT LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA Kig SIR ROGER DE COVERLEY AT THE QUEENS POWDER BALL, JUNE, 1845. up the bonnet-strings. One of the chief anxieties of the royal mother was that her children should be kept free from the enervating influences of rank and power, self-indulgence and flattery. They were taught consideration for the feelings of others, and to be universally polite. The Prince of Wales was a perfect little gentleman, and when his mother said, " Make your bow, sir," upon introducing him to a visitor, he did it with charming grace. We find the Queen constantly speaking of him as " good little Bertie." The Princess Royal f^l- 150 T/I£ PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA was the delight of the Court and of the people ; but her mother had to c.ncrcise severe discipline to keep her in order. For example, when Dr. Brown, of Windsor, entered the service of Prince Albert, the little princesses, hearing their father address him as " Brown," used the same form of speech. The Queen corrected them, and told them to .say " Dr. Brown." All obeyed except " Vicky," who was threatened with " bed " if she transgressed again. Next morning, when the Doctor presented himself to the royal family, the young Princess, looking straight at him, said, " Good morning. Brown ! " Then, .seeing the eyes of her mother fixed upon her, she rose and, with a curtsey, continued, " and good night. Brown, for I am going to bed," and she walked resolutely away to her punish- ment. This was the same young lady who, at titree years old, motioned away her governess, Lady Lyttelton, v '^h, " N' approchez pas nioi, moi ne veut pas 7johs." When quite young, the children were taken by their royal parents to see a review of the Guards in honour of the Prince of Wales's birthday. The troops marched past the royal family, presenting arms, and afterwards fired a feu de joie. This rather frij^iitened the Princess Royal, and when the band struck up "God Save the Queen," fearing that there was going to be another volley, she put her hands to her ears, and shocked her mother dreadfully. The repartee of the little Princess would have been " delicious " if some one had whispered in her ear that her own mamma had done the same thing when the cannon thundered on her coronation day. Thus early the royal children were made accustomed ■ -^ pageants, and we find that on the occasion just referred to the Prince of Wales and tiny Princess Alice stood through )U;. the H HOME AND COURT LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORiA 151 HER MAJESTY QUEEN VICTORIA AND PRINCE ALBERT IN COSTUMES FOR THE POWDER HALL, 1 845. manoeuvres almost motionless, which led one of the ladies to exclaim that she had never seen such good children. Another story shows that the Princess Royal had a sense of dignity regarding her small performances. A certain Major Dougki.s had sent her a handsom.- present ot toys, and when he next had an audience. Her Majesty desired the little Princess to thank him for them, which she did very nicely. When Lady Lyttelton took her down to the Queen's room, she n:critioned in an undertone that the child had delivered her speech very well, at which the Queen turned round to her, and said : " Well, Pussy, and what did you say?" The consequential little mite answered, ' I said— I said my speech." i i : i I l{>! i i ■ III ;l^ 'i 152 7IIE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA friend T '"" " "" "^"""^ "^^"'^^ ""'' '-« ^hat trustc.l fr.cnd and aav.ser. Baron Stockrr.ar, who for seventeen year^ -vcd quietly in the background of the Court He "Ja^' army physician who became attached to the .uue of Prince Lcop..d. the Queen's uncle, and was with him at C'.remort when h,s young wife, the Princess Charlotle, died. Lat. r on he accompanied Prince Leopold .hen he became King of Belgi.m Upon ihe Queen', accession. Uncle Leopold despatched the tn.s^ed Stockmar .0 Kn.iand to watch over the welfare of h.s „,cce. It was .v. however, until after the Qu. n's ma^.age that he bec.nc a permanent figure in her house- hold. What "the Duke" was to the nation, "the Bar.r " became to the Court, and the w^ags dubbed him the « oi<^ Ongn.al.-' He was a man of sterling qualities; upright.' sagacious, with a vast amount of knowledge of the world, and was equally useful beside a sick-bed or at a writing-table n the royal nursery he was a perfect oracle, and is reported to have said, "The nursery gives me more trouble than the government of a kingdom would do." Under his judicious management the delicate little Princess Royal became so fat and well that he was able to write of her, "She is as round as a barrel," and the Queen said in one of her letters, i-ussy s cheeks are on the point of bursting." The queer old German Baron was a kind of fairy godfather to the little folks ; It was to his room they ran with their latest toy or when they wanted a story. The Princess Royal, however was h,s favourite, her smart wit delighting him vastly The Baron was, as might be expected, a privileged persor He was permitted to sit a- Ter Majesty's dinner ta i n trousers, while other old ^..aemen shivered in « ■ ;.s. HOME AND COURT LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA 153 Immediately the meal was over he would be seen walking off to his own room without ceremony. He never sacrificed his comfort to etiquette. When the spring came, he suddenly disappeared, without any adieux ; then would follow letters of regret from his royal master and mistress, and, after .— spending a {z\\ months with his wife and family in his native Coburg, the Baron would return to Wind- OSBORNE HOUSE. sor as mysteriously as he had disappeared, and resume his rdle of chief adviser and general referee. The Queen had now what she called "a home of her own," in contradistinction to the royal palaces, having purchased the beautiful estate of Osborne, in the Isle of Wight, and built herself there a marine residence at a cost of ;^20o,ooo. The grounds were artistically laid out under the direction of that most skilled of landscape gardeners. Prince Albert. The original estate was added to, until now, as a coachman in the island will tell you, the Queen can !| i, il i ■ 5 ,54 'T//E PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA drive for twelve miles without going outside her own domain. The house-warming at Osborne took place in September, 1846, when a maid of honour threw an old slipper for good luck as the Queen entered her new abode, and at the Prince's suggestion an appropriate German hymn was sung, beginning : "C.I'd bicss our going out, ncr less Our coming in." Later on, to celebrate one ot the Queen's birthdays, the Swiss Cottage was erected in the grounds for the use of the children. There the boys learned carpentering, under their father's direction, and the princesses studied culinary arts in , model kitchen and dairy, entertained their parents to repasts prepared with their own hands, and made dishes for the poor. The Cottage also contained a museum of natural history, the contents being largely collected by the royal children. In front were the gardens, one for each child, which they tended themselves, under the direction of a gardener, who instructed them not only in flower culture, but in the rearing of fruit and vegetables. Few children have, indeed, been taught more thoroughly how to use their hands than the Queen's family. Her Majesty and the Prince were charmed with their beautiful retreat, with the woods sloping down to the blue sea. and in summer evenings they walked in the plantation to listen to the nightingales, which grew so familiar with the Prince that they would answer his whistle. The entire building and laying out of the Osborne estate was not completed until 1851, the portion known as the Pavilion being occupied meantime. HOME AND COURT LIFE Of QUEEN VICTORIA 155 THE queen's horses. The year 1845 was famous for another of the Queen's Bals Masque. The period chosen was between 1740 and 1750, and the prevailing feature of powdered wigs gave it the name of the Powder Ball. The time was not one at which the dress was very becoming, and when the royal fiat went forth ladies were horrified at the Idea of wearing powdered toupees, pomatumed curls, and wide-spreading hoops. The costume was arranged, however, to look as becoming as possible, and the ladies became reconciled to it when they discovered that powdered hair made the complexion look more brilliant, and that if the hoop disguised the figure the stomacher displayed it Half the grr^at houses in London were turned into milliners' shops vad filled with stuffs, patterns, and drawings of costumes. Society dames studied the family portraits of l«!« J; i) «.S6 ^Z^iS- PERSONAL 'JfE OJ (^^,.££N VICTORIA the period, and the gnindmothcrs' heirlooms wore in great requisition. The Queen, dressed as the Lady of the Feast, wore a magnificent brocade covered with point Ince drawn from the hoards of her .grandmother, Qiu, u Cnanottc ; while Prince Albert looked bravely in a scarlet velvet coat and gold waistcoat. They opened the ball with a polonaise, and closed it with S.-f Roger de Coverlcy. It would take a long list to mention the celebrities and beauties who graced the occasion. The Duke of Wellington uas there in a marshal's uniform of the ,.criod, which hung so loosely about his spare limbs as to render him almost unrecognisable. It was said that no one would have known him but fo ; his nose. He walked about with his lovely daughter-in-law, the Marchioness of Douro, who wore a brocade trimmed with L.cc flounces which had unce belonged to the vestment of a pope. Miss Burdett-Coutts, the banker's heiress, was then just coming into society, and the jewels she \vore at the ball were the talk of the town for many weeks afterwards, prominent amongst them being a necklace which had belonged to Mar ■ Antoiii.>tte. In 1848 the Prince lease.' Balmoral Casllc as a hunting- box, and the royal pair had then their Island and Highland homes (the present Castle wp 1, .t built unti' some ; . ars later). Old Balmoral was a pretty little grey castle in the Old Scottish style, situated amongst the picture- ,ue mountain scenery of the valley of the Dee. It w. origiiially a farm- house, and had gradually grown into .at appearance, although at the time when the Queen fii. c lived there it was little lav',.r than an ordinary gentleman's house. It was surrounded by primiti\e huts, with the i cat smoke issuing from holes in the roofs— a solitary, picturesque, and peaceful ii ;i HOME AND COURT LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA 157 KARON STOCKMAR. spot, with the deer creeping stealthily round the house. Here, 'mid Dec's "rushing tide" and the heather-clad hills, the Queen enjoyed each autumn the free, outdoor life which wa^ a passion with her. She climbed the mouniains on her Highland pony, explored the solitudes, took rclugc from stor— 3 in .shepherds' huts, vva^ carried over marshy ground jj II If i,s8 r//Ji rERsi)>rAL life of (^ueen victoria on a plaid slung between tuo Highlanders, had "scratch" meals in wayside inns, and accompanied her husband on his deer-stalking expeditions, remaining out sometimes for nine hours at a time. She was fond of sketching amongst the hills, and one day had an amusing encounter with a herd laddie, wh(j found that his flock were timid at the sight of her upon the sheep track. "Gang out of the road, lady, and let the slieep gang by," he cried. Finding that his appeal produced no effect, he shouted yet louder, " I say, gang back, will you, and let the sheep pass I " "Do you know, boy, whom you arc speaking to?" asked the Queen's attendant. " I dinna know, and I dinna care," replied the exasperated lad; "that's the sheep's road, and she has no business to stand there." " But it is the Queen," was the reply. "Well," replied the astonished boy, "why don't she put on clothes so that folks would know her?" A Minister of State was always in attendance when the Queen was at Balmoral, and we fear that some of those stately gentlemen rubbed their eyes and could not believe their senses when they beheld the Monarch of the British Empire and her illustrious Consort living like small gentle- folk, in a small house, with small rooms, and having only a few attendants. The Clerk of the Council, who accompanied Lord John Russell, the Prime Minister, to Balmoral, exclaimed in horror, "There are no soldiers, and the whole guard of the sovereign and the royal family is a single policeman." adding further that the Queen was to be seen runninc? in HOME AND COURT Llt-K OF QUEEN VICTORIA i 50 OLD IIAI.MURAI. CASiXr.B. and out of the house all day long, and visiting the old women in the cottages unattended. Worse still, Lord Palmerston found the Queen sallying forth for a walk in the midst of heavy ra-'n with a great hood over her bonnet, con- cealing all the features except her eyes ; and poor Lord John Russell, after dining for the first time at Balmoral, actually saw the dining-room cleared for the Queen and Prince to take lessons in reels and strathspeys from a Highland dancing- master, to the tune of a fiddle. The royal children, too, clad in kilts and tartans, wandered by the hillside, paddled in the burn, played with the cottage children, uid on Sundays accompanied their parents to the little Presbyterian church of Crathic on the other side the Dee. One wonders that society did not refuse to attend the next Drawing-Room, and that the Bench of Bishops did noL travel express to Balmoral ! Never has the Queen shown herself greater than when she has put aside the trappings of royalty and stood forth in the grandeur on her own womanhood. Victoria of England is great enough to be herself, J !6o THE PERSONAL LIFE OP QUEEN VICTORIA W S It would seem, indeed, that the Queen was safer at Balmoral, guarded by one policeman, than in London, for in May, 1849, Her Majesty was again fired at when driving along Constitution Hill, this time by a mad Irishman, William Hamilton, and one can sympathise with the indig- nant words of Lord Shaftesbury (then Lord Ashley) when he said, "While the profligate George IV. passed through a life of selfishness and sin without a single ^'-oved attempt to take it, this mild and virtuous young -voman has four cimes already been exposed to imminent peril." But the good man thanked God that the Queen and her husband were what they were, with a moral Court, domestic virtues, and some public activity in philanthropic things. Nothing daunted by this attack, in the August following the Queen paid her first visit to Ireland, accompanied by the Prince and four of the children. She landed at the Cove of Cork, which hence- forth became Queenstown. All sorts of dreadful things had been prophesied, but nothing could exceed the loyalty and enthusiasm .shown by the people. From one of the triumphal arches a live dove, sweet emblem of peace, fluttered into the Queen's lap, and a stout old lady in Dublin exclaimed, "O Queen dear! make one of them dear children Prince Patrick, and all Ireland will die for you." The hint was not forgotten; when on the 1st of May, 1850, the Queen's seventh child was born, he received the name of Arthur Patrick Albert. It is noticeable that at this period of the Queen's life she began to take active interest in social questions and in the condition of the working people. We find that she and the Prince sent for Lord Ashley, and asked his advice as to what they could do to ameliorate the condition of the work- HOME AND COURT I JFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA i6i gUKEN VICTOIUA AND rK.NCE ALBERT OPENING THE EXHIBITION, 1851. ing classes, and they entered most sympathetically into his schemes for the better housing of the poor, and his humane legislation on behalf of the women and children employed in mines. The keen anxiety felt by the Queen to promote peaceful industry and the brotherhood of man, the world over, had an outcome in that memorable Peace Festival, when all nationalities displayed their products and industries -the Great Exhibition of 1851. Wc arc used to exhibitions now, but this one was counted a marvel, and even to-day old T r i I! }*' i If \m I I' ^ I t6i 2'//£ PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA people refer to it as an epoch in their lives. " It was when I was in London in '51, you know, my dear," they will say. The Exhibition was opened by Her Majesty at nine o'clock on the morning of the ist of May, 1851. There were thirty-four thousand people in the building, and nearly a million on the line of route ; but instead of the riots and disturbances prophesied as the result of this vast gathering of all nationalities, the Queen was rejoiced to hear that, like her coronation, it was a white day— not one accident or police case. One who was present at the opening has told the writer that never had the Queen looked so radiantly happy as she did when she entered the beautiful Palace of Crystal, leaning on the arm of her handsome husband, to whose untiring efforts this great and unique enterprise was due. She wore a pink silk poplin, of Irish manufacture, trimmed with white lace, and upon her head a tiara of diamonds, with white ostrich feathers drooping gracefully on either side. The Prince of Wales, then a little fellow of nine, held her hand, while the Princess Royal, dressed in white with a wreath of roses, held that of her father, and the people said how like she was to her mother when she was young. It was, indeed, a complete and beautiful triumph, and the Queen speaks of it as being the proudest and happiest day of her life. THE LATER MARRIED LIFE OF QUEEA VICTORIA f I Ifi3 li lii uIm [ i i i ; J !P J ,i « VI THE LATER MARRIED LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA THE Exhibition year of 1851, which marked an epoch in the history of the nation, marked also the meridian of Queen Victoria's married life. There seemed to be scarcely a cloud upon her horizon. She rejoiced in the beautiful children who clustered at her knee, and in the husband who, after eleven years of wedded life, was more than ever her beau ideal of all that was noble, good, and true; and it was her further happiness to find that the country was beginning to appreciate him too. The overwhelming success of the Great Exhibition, Prince Albert's own creation, silenced for the present his detractors, and Ministers were now eager to tell the Queen that it was a wonderful conception, and that the Prince was a very remarkable man, to which Her Majesty was apt to reply in effect, if not in words, "Didn't \ tell you so?" Shortly after her engagement she had told Lord Melbourne that the Prince was perfection, and the oil man smiled at a girl-bride's enthusiasm; but the day came when he wrote to the Queen : " You said when you were going to be married that he [the Prince] was perfection, which I thought a little exaggerated then; but really I think now that it is in some degree realised." Sue-, happinc-s and contenl vva:; naturally reflected in the i6s i f rl 1 il n fff l. i i66 TJJE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA ill ill! Queens appearance at thi. period. Her face, which in her girlhood was bright and pretty, had taken a more enduring charm in its softened, thoughtful expression, and those who uxre about her speak of the spiritual serenity of her counte- nance and the lovablcncss of her disposition. Baron Stockmar who had v.-atched her long and critically, said : " The Queen improves greatly. She makes daily advances in discernment and experience; the candour, the love of truth, the fairness the considcratcness with which she judges men and things are truly delightful, and the ingenuous self-knowledge ^vith which she speaks about herself is simply charming." For fourteen years she had wielded the greatest sceptre in the world, and the experience thus gained was showing itself in her mastery of the duties and responsibihties of her position The young Queen who had resented the downfall of the Melbourne Ministry because it removed loved friends from her side had learned to regard such changes from the con- stitutional standpoint, and not from private feeling. Landseer who had many opportunities of judging, told Caroline Fox that he thought the Queen's intellect superior to any woman's HI Europe. Her memory was so remarkable that he had heard her recall "the exact words of speeches made years before, which the speakers had themselves forgotten." The Queen had now developed into a sagacious stateswoman with whom Cabinet Ministers had to reckon. Her Court was at once the purest and one of the most splendid in Europe, and the season which followed the open- ing of the Great Exhibition was the most brilliant of any since the Queen's accession ; the town literally swarmed with distinguished people from all parts of the world. The two LATER MARRIED LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA 167 THE QUEEN, 1855. chief society events were the Queen's Stuart Ball and the City of London Ball, The strong dramatic clement in the Queen's character led her to adopt the bal masque as her favourite form of entertainment. Fancy balls illustrating the Plantagenet and Georgian periods had already been given, and on the 13th of June, 185 1, the famous Stuart Ball, to illustrate the time of the Merry Monarch, took place at Buckingham Palace. The Queen and Prince Albert appeared in superb dresses of the pefiod, and Her Majesty's pretty • >l H m lit t n ! iM TffS PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA a,r ha,r was plaited with pearls beneath a crown of diamonds . m,gh, be described as a ■•gentlemen's nigh,," for ,hey took the palm for smart dresses; gay cavaliers were they all w,.h lovc.lock-s, collars and culTs of Iloniton lace, and ^uch a profusion of ribbons as had never been seen before They wore them hanging i„ bunches like a Highlander's Ph.l,beg, and even their shirt sleeves were bound and orna- mented with ribbons. Of course "the Duke" was there, but he drew the line at love-locks, and wore his own scanty grey ha,r, wh,ch made him a marked figure in the crowd with flowing curk It .s interesting to note that Mr. Gladstone figured as S,r Lcol.ne Jenkins, Judge in the High Court of Admiralty and wore "a black velvet coat turned up wi.h blue satin,' ruffles and collar of old point l,ace, black breeches and stock ings, and shoes with spreading bows." About a month later came the ball at the Guildhall g.ven by the Mayor and Corporation to the Queen in celebra- uon of the Great Exhibition. Her Majesty drove from Buckmgham Palace through dense crowds of people, literally shoutmg n, every tongue, and to see her return more than a m.ll,o„ people waited in the streets until three o'clock in the mornmg. The ball itself was the most amusing affair possible, many of the guests not having the least La of Court, or even of ordinary good behaviour. A nobleman who was present relates that the lad.cs passed the Queen at a run, and then returned to stare a, her. Some of the gentle- men passed with their arms round the ladies' wais.f a d o he. holding them by the hand a. arm's length, as if go o dance a m.nuct. But when one .an kissed h.s hand I •he Queen, her risibility could stand no more, and she we LATER MARRIED LIFE O.. QUEEN VICTORIA 169 THS PRINCE CONSOKT IN 1 852. Off into one of those uncontrollable fits of laughter for which Her Majesty is rather famous, and doubtless the Lord Mayor's guests thought this the best part of the entertainment In accordance with the spirit of peace and goodwill to all men w.th which the Queen and Prince Albert had initiated the Exhibition, religious, philanthropic, and scientific institu- tions received a marked share of attention. A monster meeting, on behalf of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts was held, at which Prince Albert presided and made a remarkably fine speech ; and he was also active on behalf of the British Association. At length there came a lull m the routs, meetings, and fcstivities-tnwn was out -f town, for the Queen had left for the Highlands. !l 170 7 HE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUE EX VICIORIA It was on this occasion that Her Majesty first travelled by the Great Northern Railway. She halted at Peterborough to receive her "kind, good master," Bishop Davys. Canon Davys, the son of the Bishop, has told the present writer that Her Majesty never visited his father at Peterborough Palace, as some writers allege, knowing the simple life which he led ; but she never failed to invite him to meet her at the station when she passed through Peterborough on her way to Scotland. She always received her old tutor in the royal saloon carriage like a valued friend, and would show him her children, and talk over their futures with him. Canon Davys attended as chaplain on such occasions, and he well remembers the Ouccn bringing forward Prince Alfred (the present Duke of Saxc- Coburg), and saying, "We ■u- going to make this boy a sailor." Proceeding to Edin!H)rj?.h, the Quce-i passed a night at Holyrood Palace. It may i-ot be generally known that Her Majesty has always shown a sympathetic interest in the fate of Mary Queen of Scots, and this her first sojourn in the Palace so intimately connected with her was full of romantic interest, and she told Sir Archibald Alison that she was glad that she was descended from Mary Stuart and not from Elizabeth Tudor. From Holyrood the royal party proceeded to Balmoral, which had now been purchased by Prince Albert, he having previously rented it. Here the autumn was passed by the Queen in that free, simple manner which she loved— walking, driving, riding, sketching, and visiting the cottagers. At first the simple Scotch folk were a little disconcerted by the royal visits ; but when one of the old women expressed her nervous- ness to the Queen, Her Majesty replied that she hoped that they would not allow any feeling of that kind to trouble them THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA •7' • WTLMNGTON DN HORSEIiACK. as She was just a woman like themselves. The following story Will illustrate the feeling which speedily grew up between the Queen and her poorer neighbours. A man from Balmoral was being examined as a witness before the jury, when the presiding judge spoke rather sharply to him. "Just allow me to tak' t.me, my lord." said the man ; " I'm no accustomed to sic a company " ; adding to the bystanders, after he left the witness- box. « The Queen has been to my hut. and she speaks pleasantly and draws pretty pictures for the bairns. I would far rather speak to the Queen than to yon chap in the big wig" After leaving the Highlands the Queen paid her first visit to Liverpool and Manchester. The festivities at Liverpool f 1 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 1.0 I.I 1.25 S ^ 12.2 14 — 6" 2.0 tt ^m 'W Photogmphic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 4^ V iV \ :\ % V ^ p\. - instruction, she com- manded that a school should be started for them in Palace Street. Pimlico. and herself showed the greatest interest in its management. Her Majesty encouraged her own boys to ehoose their profession when they were quite yonng, and had them educated m aeeordanee with their choice, excepting of course the Prince of Wales, who was born to wear the purple, and had no option '" "" ."""'"■ "'' '™'"-B =">; THE QUKEN. Prince Consort, was started. Subscriptions poured in from every part of the empire, and all over England concerts, theatricals, and entertainments were held to aid the good work. By March, 1855, the Fund had reached the sum of one million. The royal children drew and painted pictures, which were exhibited at Burlington House, and sold in aid of the Fund. The " Battle Field," painted by the clever Princess Royal, brought 250 guineas ; " Bertie's" production realised only 55 guineas— rather trying for a boy to be so far behind his sister— while the drawings of the younger children brought t 184 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN ncTOmA \\\- I the,r .,me „ knm.ng „„d sewing garments for .he soldiers nd prepanng bandage,,, whiie ■. Vieky » and "Alice, ^ nurses as/: '-rT "''"""""'^ ■•""" "" ™"= '=-'<' of find one of .He young PW:!!",, o S^'cf;"' '"'^ he rcturnnH f^ w i " Cardigan, when . d I, e s r '" '" '"' "" ''"'^^'y- "Do hurry back and lake Sebaslopol, or else it will kill mamma " rrequent letters were written by the Q.,ee„ to the seat of »ar. cxpressmg concern at the gross mismanagement of tiK commissariat in the carlv Dirt of fhr. ■ ".-.-te.ryeffo:t^:::?r;:::r:::tz^ Ja nary tSj,, Mr. Augustus Stafford thrilled his hearers by ".ng them that he had seen a wounded man in the hlpi. [ after heanng one of the Q„oe„. sympathetic letters f d propose her health in a glass of bark and quinine. « t H' b..ter cup for a loyal toast, said Mr. Stafford, to which h ™an rephed, ..yes; and but for the words of the Qui could not : ve ^ot it dn,,.„ » i . yucen 1 this ^- A r '" °P™"'B Parliament durin.. ' .3 pe.-od of „at,onal sorrow, for the first time the Queen': sdvcry accents failed her. and the speech from the throne wa her lace. I, was a s,gh. never to be forgotten," says one who was present. ..for the whole assembly was convulsed wi h g..ef, there was scarcely one present who had not the loss of wound d'h '° ■""""■" "^"'^ '"= ""^'^"^""'^ """"Sents of "ounded began to return home, the Queen constantly visited LATER MARRIED LIFE OF QUEEN Virn 'ICTORIA 185 the s„ff ers in .he „,i|i,ary hospitals; and i. having occurred o her .hat the .en would value a token of regard fro. Te vn hands, a ruost pathetic and interesting ceremony t ol place on the tSth of May, ,855, at ,he Horse Guards, when she presented war .edals to the officers and ,„e„ disabled or hnl ™ s,ck leave. Sad-eyed indeed was the Queen as they' filed H !ft B. 'li 1 86 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA past her with gaunt forms, pallid faces, and maimed and disabled bodies ; but it was beautiful to see how the faces of the men brightened as she spoke kind and grateful words to them. An amusing story is told by the Earl of Malmesbury of the "density" of the Minister for War, Lord Panmure, on this occasion. " Was the Queen touched ? " asked a lady of him, referring to the pathetic spectacle. "Bless my soul, no!" was the reply; "she had a brass railing before her, and no one could touch he" "Was she moved, I mean?" persisted the lady. "Moved!" answered Lord Panmure; "she had no occasion to move." The sequel to this lack of intelligence on the part of the Minister of War may be found in the fact that the Queen's quick eyes had detected many flaws in the management of the military hospitals during her visits, and she had addressed remonstrances to Lord Panmure on the subject. It was owing to the Queen's efforts that, after the war, the beautiful military hospital at Nctley was built. In connection with the distribution of the Crimean war medals, a story is told of an old lady who kept the Swiss Cottage on the Duke of Bedford's estate at Endsleigh. When Her Majesty was paying a visit to the Cottage, the old lady thought, " Now's my chance," and plucking up heart she said, " Please, your Majesty, ma'am, I had a son, a faithful subject of your Majesty, and he was killed in your wars out in the Crimea, and I wants his medal." " And yc..' shall have it," replied the Queen, with a soft voice and melting eye, as she took the old woman's hand. The friendly alliance entered into between France and England during the Crimean war was the occasion of an interchange of visits between the sovereigns. The Emperor 1 LATER MARRIED LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA 187 Napoleon, with his lovely young Empress Eugenie, visited Windsor in April, 1855, and a few months later the Queen and Prince Albert returned the visit, taking the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal along with them. A series of brilliant entertainments took place in Paris, and the friendship between the Queen and the amiable and lovely Eugenie, which has lasted until the present time, was begun. Often one fancies that the two royal widows must sadly talk together of those bright, happy times. The two children enjoyed their visit to Paris immensely, and the Prince of Wales conceived the brilliant idea that he and his sister might remain behind and continue the festivities after the departure of their parents. The Empress made the usual reply which hostesses give to importunate juveniles-that their "papa and mamma would not be able to spare them," to which "Bertie" replied, " Oh, they can do without us ; there are six more at home." Shortly after the return of the Queen from France, the joy bells rang through the land that at length Sebastopol had fallen, and the war was practically at an end. The years 1856-5; were spent largely by the Queen amongst the returning warriors. It was a season of military reviews and decorations, and the enthusiasm of the troops at Aldershot, as Her Majesty rode down the lines on her chestnut charger in the uniform of a field marshal, draped below the waist with a dark blue skirt, was unbounded ; and when on another occasion she delivered a stirring speech to the soldiers from her carriage, the scene of excitement beggars description— "bearskins and shakos were thrown into the air, dragoons waved their sabres, and shouts rang all down the lines." The Queen showed her appreciation of Miss Nightingale's noble i88 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTOR/A n- till work by inviting her to Balmoral immediately after she had settled in the newly built castle. On the 26th of June 1857 came the crowning act of the Queen in the Crimean period' when she distributed the Victoria Crosses, a badge for valour specially struck- at this time, in Hyde Park to those who had performed special acts of bravery during the war. It was at this time of wide distribution of honours that Her Majesty conferred upon her noble husband the title of Prince Consort Her Majesty's ninth, and youngest, child, the Princess Beatnce, was born on the 14th of April. 1857. and no sooner docs one cease to record this, the last birth in the royal household, than it becomes the pleasing duty to start with the weddings. One of the first acts of the Queen, when she had recovered from her confinement, was to announce to Parliament the formal betrothal of her daughter, the Princess Royal, to Prince Frederick William of Prussia, eldest son of the Prince and Princess of Prussia, and direct heir to the throne. Prince Fritz had visited Windsor during the Great Exhibition in 18S1. and had greatly admired the youn^. Princess at that time. When he returned in 1855. he found her -'woman grown," though only fifteen years of age, and as they rode together one day among the hills of Balmoral, he declared his love by presenting the " Rose of England " with a spray of white heather. The Queen and Prince Albert gave their consent to the betrothal on condition that it was regarded for the present, as a private family matter, the extreme youth of the Princess rendering anything more public undesirable and the Queen felt that the marriage should not take place until her daughter had attained her seventeenth year The two years which intervened before the Princess's marriage ^A7SJ> MA^J-- ■•" "" -■= fortunate rZe';::"",'-"'' ''""'"^"'" ■■^■'"■^<' ^ "'fes that you. Ma/e ;,•!::; °: t""" '°" ""'>'''' i 'MJ 190 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA the marriage of her daughter the Queen addressed a beautiful letter to Sir Colin Campbell, the hero of Lucknow. and a pathetic picture of the "Relief of Luckno^v" was one of the last pieces of work done by the Princess Royal before her marriage. This, the first wedding in the Queen's family, was attended with all the HtLlc home touches which makes Her Majesty's life so charming. She and the Prince themselves arranged the bride's presents to be viewed by their friends. The details of the marriage ceremony were identical with those of the Queen's own wedding. She calls it the "second most eventful day" in her life, and said that she felt as if she were "being married over again herself." The very youthful bride looked charming in her white silk and orange blossoms, with the famous myrtle in her bouquet, a shoot of which,' planted at Osborne, has grown into a tree which supplies the royal brides of the present time. The marriage was cele- brated. like the Queen's, at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace, and took place on the 2sth of January, 1858. A pretty little scene was enacted when, as the bride advanced to the altar, the bridegroom knelt to kiss her hand. Unlike her royal mother, the young Princess had to leave home and kindred for a foreign land, and the parting, after the brief honeymoon at Windsor, was a heart-breaking one for all. The Princess had said to her mother, "I think it will kill me to say good-bye to papa"; and when the time came for her to sail for Germany, the poor young bride— clever, wilful, independent "Vicky" of the old days-was quite broken down. The Queen did not trust herself to see her daughter ofif, and those who saw the Prince Consort's white, rigid face !. i-ATER MARRIED LIFE OF QUEEN l\ ICTORIA ipr MARRIAGE OF THE PRINCESS UOVAI.. as he took his last look at thn a the present writer .har,he '" '^ '"^""^' ''»™ '"" -dness. When he P L' ' "" """ '"'•'■"-■' "^ '->< -f peop. aho^B^Lirrr -i-t ::;--- mmd to the Queen, and expre=.cd her " '^ Princess Royal was as sorry to ZL as,, '"""" """ "'= with he,, then „,.. , , "' ""'y »■=« to part Sfdoenly recollecting herself, she apologised! illi i 192 THE PERSONAL UFE OE QUEEN VICTORIA ay.ng, I mean no harm, bu, . al.aya say ju.t what . th.nk, not what i, f„t" (fit). The Queen's comment on the .ncdent was: "Dear old lady, she is such a plea.an. person." Her Majesty dislikes, above everything, eringing servility, and dchghts ,„ those honest, candid people who say what , hey think, not what is/»/. ' In the following August the Queen and Prince Consort v.s.tcd thcr d,,ughter in her new home, and the Queen wa rejoiced to find her "quite the old Vicky still"; but in taking lea o her after a pleasant stay in Germany, the royal -tlKr felt .sad that it „as impossible for her to return aga .o .he young Princes at that critical time when "ever' ohe „ goes to her child." On the .;th of Ja„uar;, 859, the Prmcess Frederick William was confined of a so . e p..sent Emperor William, and Her Majesty found hersei; at h,rty-„u,e wuh the ancient dignity of "grandmamma" conferred upon her. ,n the September of ,86o .he Queen and Prmce spent some time in Coburg, and were visited by V.cky and "Fritz" and the wonderful "baby William" who was duly brought to grandmamma's room every morning and was pronounced "such a darling." But the time has come when the shadow of death encom- passed the life of our beloved Queen. Her mother .re Duchess of Kent, had been for some time in declining hi * and m March of ,86, the Queen was summoned to Fro.- more and found her in a dying condition. She passed peacefull, away, solaced by the daughter whom she had reared w.th unsurpassed love and care, and to whom her death came as the first great grief in life. "What a blessed end. the Queen writes in her diary; "her gentle spirit at LATER MARRIEi, LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA , 93 OPENING OF PARI I A,.— ^^ ^'"^- yUEEN IN i860. ««, her sufferings over! But 1 r l«t the mother I so tenrf. 7 '' '='"W->vl,o had f»ty.ne years , h d let ^ '°"''' '"-" '*- ^or these to crowd upon „e at once T '"""°°''-'^>'"y'h'ng -emed a life, to have become old .» Thro"'' '° ''''' "'"='' ""•""B'' ■■" the months which followed 1 TT" '™''' ''^P'-'^^'^'' of "- -ushand and ch , e; IC '"; T' '''""'''^ -covered her spirits when ,e" ' "1 *^ ''' "<" -"■■ch made ai, others seem .r liaT k' T ""^ ^ '°« ^'* of the Prince Consol^Ta, ^^ "^' '^" >'=- on iiau ^en unsatisfactr.v; the 13 the '94 7-^£ PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA great mental strain which he underwent tn ^ n' 1 1 . . "iiucrvvent in orrranisinir fh«» F.xh.b,Uo„ of „S5,, fc„„„, ,^ .,^ ^^^_, ■".. an, a„x,cty a.,c„da„. o„ ,ho Crimean war and *e Indian ' ,"" '" "» »'='^«l ""h ••>" attack of „,,,„,d fever he ^ad no stren,.,,, to „si. .,e disease. The a.L.ed ^;^ of hs w,fe d„r,„g .he fortnight which followed his .eLre was ,n proportion .o the absorbing and passionate love se had •fe. When hope was abandoned, and the doctor, could no on.er conceal their fears fron, her, the Queen wr te ■" tI '?'""'"'"■'" ^^ '■' ■^'"--' ™us. break" The came a change in .he Prince's condition, and the wife's ^oar. beat fas. wi.h hope, but it was onl, for a few hi s.nkng. Bendn,g over him .he Queen whispered, -Tis your own lm,e Wife," and he .urned his head 'and kis Z After .en oclock, on .he fatal ,4.h of December, came Z end and .he grea. and good Prince, who had worn, .rout t'ood report and ill, ...he white ilower of a blame cTf!' passe .o his reward, and the Crown was left indee 'a lonely splendour." '"utea a THE WIDOWED MONARCH '95 <|b^ VII THE WIDOWED MONARCH QUEEN VICTORIA kneeling at the death-bed of her " dear lord and master," as she ever called the Fr nee Consort, will remain one of the most pathetic scenes in the history of this country. Queen she remained to the end, in spite of her woman's anad obtamed some hours' sleep i. seemed like the Joy succeedmg the funeral pea,. The feelings of the people were beauttfully expressed by Mrs. Crosland in her poem • THE IVIDOIVRD MONARCH '99 QUEEN VICTORIA, I86I. "Sleep, for the night is round thee spread, Thou daughter of a line of kings ; Sleep, widowed Queen, while angels' wings Make canopy above thy head I Sleep, while a million prayers rise up To Him who knew all earthly sorrow, That day by day each soft to-morrow May melt the bitter from thy cup." When the first agony of her grief was over, the Oueen summoned her children around her, and told thcm^that though she felt crushed by her loss, she knew what her position demanded, and asked them to help her in fulfilling her duty to the country and to them. Little Prince Leopold. 300 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA the delicate one of the Queen's bairns, ^vho was at this time at Cannes for his health, when told that his father was dead cned piteously, "Do take me to my mamma"; and that old- fashioned little tot. Baby Beatrice, would climb on her mother's knee to look at "mamma's sad cap." Fearing the worst consequences should Her Majesty have another relapse the physicians were urgent that she should leave Windsor before the funeral took place ; but the Queen cried bitterly at the suggestion, saying that her subjects never left their homes or the remains of their dear ones at such times, and why should she. It was only when Princess Alice represented to her that the younger children might suffer if they remained in the fever-tainted Castle that she consented to go with them to Osborne. Before leaving she drove to Frogmore. unere only ten months before she had laid ^o rest her devoted mother, and walking round the gardens on the arm of Princess Ahce, chose a bright sunny spot to bury her dead The same feeling which led the Queen to create homes of her own, apart from the royal palaces, prompted her to have a family burying-place. With a truly democratic spirit Her Majesty preserves her own individuality, and declines to be considered a mere royalty, whose affairs are to be regulated by the State, and whose body must lie in a cold and dreary royal vault, along with kings and queens for whom she cares nothing at all. When the sad time comes, our greatest monarch will probably lie with her mother and husband in the beautiful God's acre of her own choosing. The funeral of the Prince Consort took place, with the honours befitting so great and good a Prince, on the 23rd of December. 1861 the coffin being temporarily placed at the entrance to St' THE WIDOWED MONARCH 301 •i •^''fWP^*^ INTERIOR OF MAUSOLEUM AT FROG- MORE, SHOWING RECUMBENT FIGURE OF THE PRINCE CONSORT. George's Chapel, Windsor, until the beautiful mausoleum had been bu.lt at Frogmore ; upon the lid were laid wreaths of w 11 I \ 1 VICTORIA. B. C. 202 THE PERSONAL LIEE OE QUEAN VICTORIA ■ i green moss and violets, made by the Queen and Princess Al.cc. Ihc unmistakable reality of the sorrow- at the funeral ^vas very striking, and was manifested, not only by the heart- broken sobs of the young Princes, but by the tears of veteran statesmen and ambassadors mingling with those who were of royal km. Though there can be no doubt that the Prince had uon for himself a place in the hearts of those present, one feels that the tears flowed as much in sympathy for her who sorrowed as for him who was gone. In reading the letters and memoirs of courtiers of this period, it is evident that they felt that the Queen had well-nigh received her death- blow ; all speak of her calm, pathetic sorrow being heart- breaking to witness. Amongst others. Lord Shaftesbury writes at this time: "The desolation of the Queen's heart and life the death-blow to her happiness on earth! God in His .nercy sustain and comfort! The disruption of domestic existence, unprecedented in royal history, the painful with- drawal of a prop, the removal of a counsellor, a friend in all public and private affairs, the sorrows she has, the troubles that await her-all rend my heart as though the sufferin-^ were my own." "^ Her Majesty spent the first three months of her widow- hood m absolute retirement at Osborne, where she was greatly comforted by her beloved half-sister, the Princess Hohenlohe, who had hastened from Germany to her side The Princess told Dean Stanley that the Queen found "her only comfort in the belief that her husband's spirit was close bes.de her-for he had promised her that it should be so " • and she further related that the Queen would go each morn- ing to visit the cows on the Prince's model farm. hnc.n«. THE IFIDOWED MONARCH 203 », "^" ^'AJibiV m HER SITTING-ROOM AT OSBORNE -ppcrt and counsollo, as he „ad been .,„. of her wi owed -other was also a. Osborne at this ti.e ; but even wi h near and trusted relations certain reserve and etiquette h o be observed by the Queen, and one ea„ understand the b^terncss of er cry, -.There is „o one left .0 call .e Vcor,a. now. Mother and husband had both been ta.e w..h,n a year, and the old royal family, .hose elderly aunt, an uncles who had been about her in her youth, were'passi: on by one ,„.o the silent land. The Prince of Wales wa! not of an age to take any responsible position, and .hnrtly after h,s father's death set out. in accordance with the Prince •I ! i i '' I ' «4 TIfs PSI^SOA'AZ LIFE OF QUEEN VICIORM Consort's plans, whfch the Queen would not have p„. on one -do, for a prolonged .our in the East, aeeompauL by Anhur Penthyn Stanley (Dean of VVest^instcO. The Queen' eides daughter was bound by the ties of her Gernta,, home -d ,t was .hetefo. upon P.ncess Alice that evetyhD devolve durn,g those hrs. terrible weeks. The nation ha^ never forgotten the taet and Judgment in dealing with M,n,sters and offieials, in the Queen's place, shown by 1 young g,r, of eighteen, and her remarkable conduct called lorth a special article in the Times that^HeJ^r-'"" °' '"°'"" fn-al reform might complain that Her Majesty was too punctilious in her outward signs of mournmg ; but, as she onee playfully said to I^rd Melbourne ,„ her young days, .• What is the use of being " queen ,f you cannot do as you like P " It is said that she refused to sign a Commission because the paper was not bordered w.th black; and we know that for a. least eigh years after the Prince Consorfs death the roya, servants w^e Her Majesty has never, throughout the succeeding years of her wdowhood, worn any but mourning colours, 'so compl was her .solation during her retirement at Osborne that she me a one save for one of the roya, children, who took i . turns to be w,th her, the other members of the family and he v.s.tors even her uncle Leopold, dining separately At her command the late Prince's apartments at Windsor Osborne, and Balmoral were closed, and remain to-day exactly -they were at his death. His favourite horse, Guy Mannenng, „,s turned out to a life of ease in Bushey Park the saddle never again being placed upon his back ; while the' RIA ^c put on panicd by le Queen's lan home, ivcrythinj:: lation has ling with n by this let called complain ard signs to Lord of being that she was not 1st eight nts wore vn attire rs of her romplete that she took it : family larately. Windsor, exactly e, Guy / Park, lile the ^^^' ^J£>OlVJ-u AlONARCli ao5 HER MAJESTY'S SHTING-ROOM AT i.A,.,,o,.AL. memory of his favourite do- Eos uh.Vh r. i preserved on fh. p • . Predeceased him, was I reserved on the Prmce's tomb, where the fii.I,f,.l , - sculptured at his master's fee This L '"'""' Prince when he came to h. • . ^ ^>^co„.panied the Ernest tells the 7 , """^ ' ''""' '''' '''''''^''' ^uke rncst, tells the story that as he and Prince Alh. . through a lr>fl^ r ^>i"cc Albert passed Tou^n a little German town on their wnv f.^ ir i , ■ Window fo^he;elp .0 ! "'''°""' "" "' "^ -'™S= convulsed wi. la^ I Icd^^ ' • "" """ '"' ''™*"- ""faULcr, crouched down in fhr. K,^ft r , carriage out of sight. Not only were "he , preserved in the state in wl,ich he kft .„ ' """^ the Queen fallows with all Z " ""'°'" "'''''' her own houdoir a:^:,:^ rr :T.,r"'"^-"' to-day as it was when the Ptince Consort' i^ "l^Z T IS mscribed, "Evervart.vi. • .u- '^^n the door selected fo n,! J.h !' "'"^ "^ '""="'='' '-^""'^* -: that IS- w '■'"'"" '" '''"""'"• '"^ '' -"'d -m 3.gh. o .he heather. Up ,„ .he time of her bereavement she had only stayed there in .he autumn, when .he Prince' wa deer-stalbng ; but the year after his death she began the custom .TarofTh': r • °'- t^-' '-' °-' ^■•""^- ■■- »'^™ :: o her bv '" "'■'■" *° "'»*'^"'' """^ -='--'' bv tZ o " "'T "''"'°"" °' "' ''™^' T"^ «■" --' P--0 ,o an old "T "";''^ ''™' *"= '" '"= ^P""S "< '««-vas nd .h .w 'T' '"' ""^^'f '"^ '■•"^'>' '-' "" "-band, and .he .wo w.dows, so differen.ly placed in life, mingled .hei tears .ogether. The old woman apologised for indulging her gnef; but the Que-., told her that she "was so thanJul .o TIJE WIDUIVED AWNARLH 207 ».. «o..,„ „....„„ „.„,,„ „ ,;^^ -_^^^^ :;;„r»,».. — ' cry with sc^e one who k„„. exactly h„„. she fel. •■ He.- Majesty ,s aKvnys a Scotchwoman when she is a. her Highland K,„e. and du„n, this time of sorrow, i„ characteristic S , ' -h.on, the firs, thing she did was to send for the mh, 1 . was .0 the Rev. Dr. Norman Macleod that she appe ed r re g,o„s guidance, and deeply g.atcfn, was she fo i! laithful counse . Whpn hr^ ^ • .. i wften he pointed out to her the dutv nf ^natK. to the d..ne WHl, she received h. adl^^^ ve y .sueet y, and sent hin. a touching letter of thanks. Dr Macleod afteru-ards wrote: "I am never tempted to conc;^' any conviction from the Queen for I f.nl t, what is trnP n r^ n T ^^"^ sympathises with What ,s t ue, and hkes the speaker to utter the truth exactlv as he believes it." Her Ma.VcH, c exact) j Maclend's pr^achin. ,^" 'T "^ T "' '""^^^' '>' ^'•- -as preaching m ,.54, when he was officiating at Crathie ! 11 i:'i ao8 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA Church, and the references in his prayer to herself and her children gave her, as she sa>-s. a " lump in ! ^r throat." Later .n the day Her Majesty and Prince Albert were taking their usual evening stroll, when they encountered the minister sitting on a block of granite in quiet meditation. The Queen at once advanced tou-ards him and thanked him for his sermon, and the conversation which followed w.s the beginning of a friend- ship which ended only with Dr. Macleod's death. He was constantly at Balmoral during the Queen's earh- widowhood • .n fact, it would .seem that Her Majesty could hardly get on -thout him. She asked not only his spiritual guidance, but made h.m her confidant in matters relating to the training of her children, as she perpetually felt the responsibility of being a wdow with a large family. <' Xo one." she saui, "ever reassured and comforted me about my children like Dr. Mac- leod. At times he turned entertainer for Her Majesty, and would read Burns and Scott to her as she sat spinning In th.s homely occupation the Queen is proficient, having 'taken her first lessons from an old woman at Balmoral, who for many years had in her possession flax spun by Her Majesty, until ,t was begged away thread by thread by enterprising tourists. The Queen has an interesting collection of spinning! wheels, and has sent specimens of her work to exhibitions. It IS interesting to find from Dr. Macleod that her favourite poem from Burns wa.s. "A man's a man for a' that" This however, is but further evidence of Her Majesty's democratic sentiments, which are very evident, notwithstanding her imperial spirit, which brooks no encroachment upon her authority as a constitutional sovereio-n In the course of his talks with the Queen, Dr Macleod THE WIDOWED MONARCH ao9 J PRIVATE WEDD.NC. OF PR.NCFSS A' ,CE AT OSBORNE, JU,.Y, I862. told her Of an old Scotchwoman, who had lost her liusband and several children, and had had ma.:y sorrows, but when asked how she could bear them said : " When he was tacn It made sic a hole in my heart that a' other sorrows gan-r h-chtly through." " So will it ever be with me," was the Oueen'^ remark when she heard the story. One imagines thai there was something of the feeling that one loss more could make her loneliness little greater, in the Queen's consenting to part Avith her beloved daughter Princess Alice, who had been betrothed to Prince Louis of Hesse before her father's death and whose marriage and removal to Germany took place in the July following. Painful indeed is the contrast between the marriages of the Queen's two eldest daughters : the one a joyous repetition of the gay ceremonies which attended her own bridal, and the second performed privately at Osborne '4 if • 10 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VLCTORIA «n a scene of partial mourning, when everybody cried, even to the Arcl,b..shoi,. The sweet young Princess, whom her father called " the beauty of the family." looked pathetically lovely .n her dress of crystalline silk, trimmed with Ifoniton flounces made from a design chosen by the Prince Consort. She was given away by her paternal uncle. Duke Krnest of Coburg the Queen sitting in deep mourning in the background of the br.dal party. There was no wedding breakfast, but after the ceremony the young couple lunched privately with the Queen and <• Haby." as Princess Beatrice was yet called. This was mdecd the "sad marriage" in the royal family. The following month Her Majesty was again at Balmoral where she erected the Cairn to the Prince Consort on the' Craig Lowrigan. " I and my poor six orphans." she writes "all placed stones on it. and our initials, as well as those of the three absent ones." Below the inscription is the beautiful motto from the Apocrypha chosen by the Princess Royal : "He being made perfect in a short time fulfilled a long time • tor ins soul pleased the Lord, ' Therefore hastened He to take him away from among the wicked." During the first years of her widowhood the Queen could not bear to listen to music, still less to take part in its performance wh.ch had hitherto been such a delight to her; neither did she feel able to amuse herself with her favourite pastime of sketching. Mr. Leitch, the artist, who was drawing-master to the Queen and royal family for twenty-two years, describes m a letter to his mother the sadly altered life at Balmoral at this period. He writes : " The Queen is still the kind good, gracious lady that she always was ; but I need hardly cd, even to her father .'illy lovely )n flounces She was )f Cobuiij, Jnd of the : after the the Queen This was Balmoral, rt on the ihc writes, 3 those of beautiful /•al : wicked." could not formancc, ither did istime of ig-master describes Balmoral he kind, J hardly THE WIDOWED MONARCH 21 I THE smK. or ..T.K. OU.THASAC.., n..h ....mok... raoM . sketch BY THE QUEEN. .eli you that there i. a chansc. Indeed ,I,e whole place i= my first v,s,. here-the joyous bustle in the „,„rnins when the Pnnce went out; the Highland ponies and the do^s ■ the 6.1 hes and the pi .rs coding hon,e ; the Queen and her , d fe S0.ng out to n,eet the™ ; and the n,erry tin,e afterwards h closing. „ the following autumn Her Majesty was persuaded rrtlVr d"""'' "' ""'■ '"'''' '''-' ^ ^-p"'^ ~^< a,, outdoor draw.ng.party. The Queen set out on her High- attached '"'"■^T'"' '° ''""" *^ S"™' "- »P -ially attached dunng this period of loneliness, walking alongside the pony, the Princess Louise and Mr. Leitch trudging a| „ , a 12 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA the road together after them. When the place selected for sketching was reached, the Queen seated herself in the middle of the country road, with a rough stone from the Dee as a rest for her paint-box, Lady Churchill holding an umbrella to shade the Queen's eyes. Princess Louise sat on a stone a little farther away, while Mr. Leitch attended the party as instructor, and John Brown looked after the pony. The country folk stared in astonishment as they passed by, and Her Majesty heartily enjoyed the fun, and seemed to revive a little of her lost animation. She sketched for two hours, and then remarked how quickly time passed when she was drawing, and expressed her determination to do more of it. So in her second loneliness the Queen found consolation in the use of pencil and brush, as she had done in her rather dull and monotonous childhood. At the marriage of the Prince of Wales with the Princess Alexandra of Denmark in St. George's Chapel, Windsor, on the loth of March, 1863, the Queen sat apart in her grief, unable to mingle in the gay festivity. It was after the birth of a son to the young couple in January, 1864, that she gave the first sign of returning interest in public life, and com- manded that in honour of the event her birthday in the succeeding May should be celebrated in London with the trooping of the colours and general festivities, which had been suspended since the death of the Prince Consort. The people were, however, disappointed in the hope that Her Majesty was going to resume her old place in society, and indeed the charming manner in which her son's wife was taking her place seemed to render it unnecessary, especially when the Queen was already overburdened with governmenial work, the IRIA selected for the middle he Dee as in umbrella on a stone the party 3ony. The ;d by, and \ to revive two hours, n she was nore of it. isolation in her rather 16 Princess /^indsor, on her grief, r the birth t she gave and corn- ay in the with the had been 'he people r Majesty ad indeed aking her when the work, the THE WIDOWED MONARCH 213 HER MAJESTY IN I863, WITH PRINCESS BtAlRlCE. care of her younger children, and the management of her vast estates. From glimpses one gets into Her Majesty's home l THE yUKEN OPENING I'AUI.IAMENT. !n ^Stf^- - , .«3&? i- ■ : *^. !■.•**■ ijiana'ti ifei. ■- VICTORIA, qUEEN AND EMPRESS ,„ thankfulness that she saw the barbarous suttee aboh-shcd, and .t was her innucncc which inspired the rapid spread of Zenana work. In July, i88i.she received at Windsor Miss licilby, a medical missionary from India; and after listcnin- to her account of the sufferings of Hindoo women, in time of illness, for need of doctors, the Queen turned to her ladies and said.' " We had no idea that things were as bad as this." Miss Beilby then took from a locket which she wore round her neck a folded piece of paper containing a message to Her Majesty from the Maharanee of Poonah. « The women of India suffer when they are sick." was the burden of the dark-cycd Oucen's appeal. The Empress returned her a message of sympathy and help, and to the women of our own land the Oucen said " We desire it to be generally known that we ^sympathise- with every effort mad , rc'icve the suffering state of the women of India"; and when Lord Duffcrin went out as Governor-General, she commissioned Lady Duffcrin to establish a permanent fund for providing qualified women doctors for work in Indi. Her Majesty continues to take the greatest interest in this work, and is in constant communication with the Viceroy's wife regarding its further organisation and extension. No opportunity is lost by Her Majesty to show her interest in her Indian Empire, and doubtless had the Prince Consort been spared she would have made a progress through the country. This was done in her stead by the Prince of Wales in 1875-6, and it was while he was making the tour that Lord Beaconsfield introduced the Royal Titles Bill into Parliament conferring upon the Queen the title of Empress of India, a distinction regarded by John Bull as superfluous to a Crown 15 li'jj li'il 'I I i aa6 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA the most distinguished in the world; but Her Majesty personally desired it, not, as gossip affirmed, because of the advent at Court of her second son's imperial bride, but as a means of binding her Indian subjects to her in a closer manner. It is said that she showed more interest in the Indian Court of the Colonial Exhibition, 1886, than in any other, and at each of her visits chatted freely with the native workmen. When the Indian delegates to the Exhibition first saw their Empress, a homely-looking lady in a black silk gown, they expressed disappointment, having expected to see her decked out in the pomp and circumstance of a mighty potentate. "But, after all," said they, "what a great power the Queen must wield when she can command such an array of illustrious personages to attend upon her, while she appears as the most simple of all the Court." Of late years Her Majesty has had Indian servants in native dress as personal attendants ; she is also an assiduous student of Hindustani, being able to speak and write in that language; and her favourite State jewel is the priceless Koh-i-noor, about which hangs a tale. When it came into the possession of the East India Company, in 1850, it was handed at a Board meeting to John Lawrence (afterwards Lord Lawrence, the Viceroy) for safe keeping. The precious diamond was laid amongst folds of linen in a small box, and Lord Lawrence slipped it into his waistcoat pocket, and forgot all about it until some days later it was suggested that he should forward it to the Queen. One can imagine his consternation when he rushed to his house to see if it was to be found. "Have you seen a small box in one of my waistcoat pockets ? " he asked breathlessly of his servant. " Yes, sahib," was the reply. >R/A T Majesty use of the ;, biit as a n a closer est in the lan in any the native bition first black silk ted to see a mighty eat power 1 an array he appears years Her s personal lindustani, ; and her out which ■ the East J meeting Viceroy) amongst :e slipped : it until orward it when he " Have :ets?" he the reply. VICTORIA, QUEEN AND EMPRESS 337 THE QUEENS VISIT TO LORD BEACONSFIELD AT HUGHENDEN. " r found it, and put it in one of your boxes." " Bring it here and open it, and see what it contains," said his master. There is nothing in it, sahib, but a bit of glass," the man replied ,n wonderment. The "bit of glass" was in due course despatched to the Queen, whose crown it was to adorn ■ but she has preferred to wear it on occasions as a magnificent' brooch ,n the centre of her bodice. The cutting of the diamond was personally superintended by the Prince Consort I II aa8 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA It is always kept at Windsor, a facsimile being in the royal crown at the Tower. An interesting event in the Queen's family circle took place in February, 1871, when at St. George's Chapel, Windsor, she gave away her clever, handsome daughter Princess Louise to the heir of the Argylcs. The Queen has constantly testified her regard for the old Scottish nobility by visiting their castles. She stayed for the first time as the guest of the Duke of Argylc at Invcrary in 1847, and this interesting note about her future son-in-law occurs in her "Journal": "The pipers walked before the carriage, and the Highlanders on either side as we approached the house. Outside stood the Marquis of Lornc, just two years old, a dear, white, fat little fellow with reddish hair, but very delicate features, like both his father and mother; he is such a merry, independent little child." In the years which followed, Her Majesty had other opportunities for observing Lord Lome; but before she con- sented to the betrothal of her daughter she consulted " the minister," and was assured by Dr. Macleod that he had a high opinion of the young Marquis. A gentleman who saw the festivities at the home-cominj^ of the newly wedded pair to Inverary has told the present writer that the bride's dancing at the Tenants' Ball made quite a sensation— she " footed it " in the reels and strathspeys in a way which did credit to the wife of a Highland chief. Three years later came the marriage of Prince Alfred to the Grand Duchess Marie of Russia, at St. Petersburg, which was the first and only wedding in her family at which the Queen was not present ; but she com- missioned her dear friends Dean Stanley and his wife. Lady Augusta, to convey her maternal greetings and little private VICTORIA, QUEF.^r AND EMPRESS 2zg gifts to the bride, and was most anxious that her Russian daughter-in-law should wear myrtle in her bridal attire. Myrtle IS the German marriage emblem, and Her Majesty is most partieular that all the royal brides shall wear it along with their orange blossoms. During this period the hand of death was laid on many of the Queen's loved ones. Her uncle Leopold, good old Baron Stockmar, and her beloved half-sister the Princess Hohenlohe had all passed away, and the life of her eldest son had hunJ by a thread in December. 1871, but the greatest loss of aH came . the death of Princess Alice. The pathetic story of V: 'Vincess's devoted nursing of her husband and little ones when they were attacked with diphtheria at Darmstadt •s well remembered, and when she succumbed to the disease herself it was felt than she would never rally. Princess Christian says that her sister Alice had never really recovered from the fearful shock she received in ,873. when her little boy Fntz fell from a top window, and was dashed to the ground before the eyes of his agonised mother. Visits to the Queen at Osborne or Balmoral would revive her spirits and bring back the roses to her cheeks, but only for a time. The end came on the anniversary of her father's death, the fatal 14th of December, 1878. Almost the last thing she did was to read a letter from her mother, which Sir William Jenncr who had been despatched by the Queen, had brought It seemed as though her spirit had been lingering for this message from home, and laying it beside her she said, " Now I will fall asleep"; but it was the sleep of death upon which she entered Her last request to her husband was that the dear old English flag might be placed upon her coffin, and she hoped that^hc y 230 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA ! !■ people of cr adopted country would not mind. The life of Princess Alice had been singularly beautiful, and Hke that of her elder sister, the Empress Frederick, full of high endeavour on behalf of her sex. It was a consolation to the Queen to gather the motherless children from Darmstadt around her at Osborne, where they completed their con- valescence, and in the early spring she took one of those Continental trips from which she ahvays receives much benefit This year s'e travelled wcognita as the Countess of Balmoral and spent a month at the Villa Clara, charmingly situated at Baveno, near Lake Maggiore, where she made informal excursions in the district, accompanied by Princess Beatrice The F.pryptian campaign of 1882 was a period of great anxiety to the Queen, and recalled the days of the Crimean war. She received the news of the victory of Tel-el-Kcbir when at Balmoral, and ordered a bonfire to be lighted on Craig Gowan, as had been done at the fall of Sebastopol twenty-one yea., before. In the earlier war she regretted she had not a son old enough for service ; but now with the tidmgs of Tel-el-Kcbir came Sir Garnet VVolseley's telegram that hor soldier-son, the Duke of Connaught, had " behaved admirably, leading his brigade to the attack." His youn- wife Princess Louise of Prussia, to whom he liad been m'Lrried HI March, 1879, was staying at Balmoral at the time; and the Queen, with characteristic impulse, hastened with the telegram to her daughter-in-law's room, and, embracing her wept together with her for joy that their beloved one was safe and so much praised. On the same auspicious day Her Majesty welcomed home her youngest son, the Duke of Albany, with his bride, Princess Helen of VValdcck ; and the '^ORIA The life of '"J like that ■ill of high ation to the Darmstadt their con- ic of those luch benefit. :)f Bahnoral, l\y situated Je informal 5 Beatrice, 'd of great ic Crimean "el-cl-Kcbir lighted on Sebastopol : regretted tv with the s telegram " behaved ^oung wife, n married time; and with the acing her, 1 one was day Her Duke of ; and the VICTORIA, QUEEN AND EMPRESS 231 MR. GLADSTONE CONSULTING THE yUEEN ON A CONSTITUTIO.NA,. CRISIS. rejoicin-s at Balmoral in honour of the double events were exceptionally hearty. In time of war the Queen's first thought is for the sick and wounded, and now she took an early opportunity to visit Nctley Hospital, an institution which owes its existence to her initiative, and which she has always watched over with maternal care. It was the first pubh'c place which she 5 H ; : I ! I 2j2 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA Visited after her husband's death, and she was greatly touched by a dying soldier lifting his eyes to her and saying " I thank God that He has allowed me to live long enou'h to sec your Majesty with my own eyes." During another visit she talked with a man who had been shot through the lungs at Lueknow. It was the Queen's custom after going the round of the wards to visit the married quarters for the accommodation of the wives and children of the patients in the hospital, and the women received an agreeable surprise when the Queen looked in upon them in the midst of their household occupations. After the Egyptian campaign she dchghted the inmates by the gift of five knitted quilts, one bemg entirely her own work, and it bore the royal crown and the initials "V. R." in the corner; another was knitted by Inncess Beatrice, and marked with her initials; while the remaining three were worked by ladies of the Court, a border bemg added to each by the Queen's own hands. We fancy there must have been some difficulty at Netley in deciding who was to have the honour of sleeping under the Queen's quilt. At this time Her Majesty testified her regard for the noble band of nurses by establishing the Order of the Red Cross or Ladies. The installation took place at Windsor, when the Princess of Wa-es and Princess Beatrice were the fir.t names enrolled, and ten lady nurses received the honour for the.r services in the Zulu and Egyptian campaigns. \A/e cannot pass away from this period of the Queen's life Without a reference to her literary activities and the delight she took m the society of men of letters, as evinced by the fact that her most frequent visitors were Dean Stanley, Sir Arthur Helps, and Sir Theodore Martin. Sir Arthur Helps edited VICTORIA, QUEEN AND EAfPRESS ^hl ™. »„„» .„. „„„„ .„„„. ^„^^,^.^ ^__^^_^^^^,^^ ^,^_^^ ^^^^^^ __^^^^^^^ her Journal ,„ ,he Highlands"; Sir Tl.codcrc Martin was for seven years engaged upon the "Life of the Prince Consort" under the Queen, direction ; and Dean S. ey was fre It ^ the W. „.ccu„. for enabling her to informally meet literary I^Tl ^T' '■" ^ """ '° "'^ »'»'"■ '"^ '- «^' D an Sanleys m ,869: ..The Stanleys and wc were all in a flow of talk and some flunkeys had done sotting cofe.pots and tea-cups of a sublime pattern, when Her Majesty, p„„eL, to the minute, glided in, escorted by her d,.n/„ fa n..,i, <• A . ., ^ tiame-m-ivaitniff (a Duchess of Atho!) and by the I'rincess Louise, decidedi; 234 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA a very pretty young lady, and clever too, as I found out in talking to her afteruards. The Queen came softly forward, a kindly smile on her face, gently shook hands with all the' three women, gently acknowledged with a nod the silent bows of us male monsters ; and directly in her presence every one was at ease again. She is a comely little lady, with a pair of kind, clear, and intelligent grey eyes ; still looks almost young (in spite of one broad wrinkle which shows on each cheek occasionally); is still plump; has a fine, low voice, soft ; indeed, her whole manner is melodiously perfect. It is impossible to imagine a politer little woman ; nothing the least imperious; all gentle, all sincere, looking uncmbarrassing- rather attractive, even ; makes you feel, too (if you have any sense in you), that she is Queen." On this occasion Robert Browning, Sir Charles Lycll, and Grote the historian were present ; and with each the Queen had her little say, and made inquiries as to the work upon which they were engaged. A year later Dickens was commanded to Windsor, and he was most struck by the simple natvetd of the Queen's manner and her acquaintance with literature. The works of George Eliot were a constant source of pleasure to her : and it need hardly be said that she admired the author of " Idyiis of the King," the dedication of which remains the most beautiful tribute to her husband's memory. She paid a visit to Tennyson at Freshwater, as she did to Lord Beaconsfield at Hughenden, although she appreciated the latter more as a statesman than as a Uttcmteur. She sent her three sons to attend his funeral, and a wreath of primroses was laid upon the coffin with the inscription, " His favourite flowers, from Osborne ; a tribute of affection from Queen Victoria." In short, Her , . w ^-^'\tJ,0at.H- 1 ■*»«*«4«^. VICTORIA. QUEEN AND EMPRESS ,35 Majc».y prides herself upon having personally known mo„ of the famous authors of her reign, fron, Wordsworth to Tenjson, and she is not witho„ appreeiation for the rising Sirnple confidonee in her readers is shown in her High- nd Journ^ds, in which the little ineidents of her fan^ily Hfe . Scotland are so franUy told. Apart fron, .he inLes. at.ach,ng .0 the royal author, the books arc of value for th Braph,c sketches which they contain of Highland life and scene Whether it be a christening, a wedding, a burial or a shcc^.chpp.ng, the celebration of the Sacrament at Crathie Church, a torchlight dance, or the festival of Hallowe'en, it ■s descnbed as it passed bef.re the writer's eyes, and lea;es upon the reader an impression lasting and vivid. Specially mterestmg is the author's descrlnllon of =:.„,►■ , ,...,. , ucscrjption ot bcotts country and Abbotsford where she had tea in the room In which the ovchst d.ed. and lingered about the study where he wrote. When requested that she should inscribe her name in his journal, she replied that "it would be a presumption for her .0 do so, but finally yielded to the wish of those present. Equally entertaining is her account of Prince Charlie's country, through which, curiously enough, she was conducted by Cameron of Loehiel, whose great-grand-uncle was the real movmg cause of the rebellion of '45 ,0 dethrone Her Majesty s great-great-grandfather. " Yes," she writes "I feel a sort of reverence in going over these scenes In this most beautiful country, which I am proud ,0 call my own, where there was such devoted loyaltv to the f»m:i„ „r J'""/ 10 tne tamily of my ancestors -for Stuart blood is in my veins, and I am no^v their repre- sentative, and the people are as devoted and loyal to me as 236 rilF. PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA they were to that unhappy race." The demand for the Queen's « Iliyhland Journal " was enormous. It is said that the circulatinj^T libraries ordered it by the ton, and the prcs.s swarmed with reviews, wliich tlie royal author reau with great interest, although we fancy the spice of the experience was lost by the previous overlooking of the reviews by the ladics-in-waiting. The proceeds of the sales were devoted to establishing bursaries, male and female, in the parish school of Crathie and the Queen's Schools at Girnock. The dedica- tion of the second volume, " More Leaves," by the Queen to her "Loyal Highlanders, and especially to her devoted personal attendant and faithful friend, John Brown," was the cause of much comment. This instance of a mighty queen and empress dedicating her book to a servant is unique in literature ; but Her Majesty regards a faithful servant as an honoured friend, and one of the most beautiful traits in her character is that she never forgets those who serve her. Honest John was as plain-spoken as he was faithful, and the story is told in Deeside that one day, when the Queen was out, she desired to sketch, and asked for a table to be borrowed from a neighbouring cottage. There was great difficulty in finding one of the right height ; table after table was returned, and the eager people were in despair at not being able to suit the royal requirements. At length John Brown seized hold of the most likely one of the discarded tables, and setting it down before his royal mistress, said with irresistible logic, " They canna mak' one on purpose for you," at which the Queen laughed, and settled down to her sketching. Brown had his eye, too, on his mistress's appearance, and did she come out in a warm comfortable garment a little antiquated .i-«SK.g*Sf..S^!«».*j!;ii^-ii:^ ORIA nd for the is said that d the press reau with experience iws by the devoted to rish school rhe dcdica- Quccn to T devoted ," was the ;Iity queen unique in 'ant as an its in her serve her. 1, and the )ueen was ble to be tvas great iftcr table not being in Brown ablcs, and rresistiblc at which ;. Brown did she ntiquatcd VICTORIA, QUEEN AND EMPRESH •37 JOHN BROWN I.EAU.NG T,.E QUEENS PUNV ,N Ti.E iUCMLANDS. in cut. he would remark. " Whats that you've got on the day?" Despite his brusqueness, the faithful fellow would have stood between the Queen and a bul'ct any day. and indeed anx.ety for her safety caused his death. During the years ,881-2 attempts had been made upon the Queen's life on two occasions, and she was feeling nervous ^'th regard ^ the Fenian outrages, when a great scare was created in Wmdsor by Lady Florence Dixie declaring that she had been attacked by Fenians in the grounds of her house not far from the Castle. So anxious was Her Majesty that she sent John Brown to explore the shrubberies of Lady Florence D.r.e's house, and in doing so he took a chill, which resulted in h.s death, on the 27th of March, ,883, after three days' illness aj8 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA His royal mistress gave orders that his body should be con- ^cyed to his native Hi<,di!ands for burial. The grave can be seen by the visitor to Oathie churchyard, along with that of iTu.cic Clark, who succeeded Brown as Her Majesty's personal attendant, and died a short time ago. Inside the church a monument was erected to his memory by <• his grateful and affectionate sovereign and friend, Victoria R.I.." with the .nscription. '• Kings love him that speaketh right Apropos of the Queen's kindness to her servants, a story was lately told the writer by a gentleman acquainted with the girl to whom ,t relates. She was one of the housemaids at Balmoral and the Queen, chancing to meet her on the staircase one day. saw that she had been crying, and asked the reason of licr grief. Seeing that the girl was reluctant to speak. Her Majesty commanded her to come to her private sitting-room and there tell her what was the matter. The girl reluctantly cxplamed that she had received notice to leave because she objected to attending the Established Kirk along with the rest of the Balmoral servants. Upon hearing this, the Queen sent for the head of her household, and desired that the housemaid in question should have her notice withdrawn and that in future no one in her service should be persecuted on account of their religious views. The death of John Brown came at a time when the Oueen was suffenng severely from a fall on one of the staircales at W„.dsor Castle, which sprained her knees and crippled her for several weeks; and in the following year, before she had recovered her health and spirits, she was smitten by a still heavier blow in the death of her youngest son. Prince Leopold suddenly at Cannes, whither he had crone for a ch.nc^c uld be con- ;ravc can be tvith that of ty's personal ic church a rratcful and ' with the I Apropps was lately the jr|ri to Lt Halmoral, :aircase one I reason of speak, Her itting-room, reluctantly ccausc she I with the the Queen 1 that the withdrawn, persecuted the Queen aircases at ipplcd her e she had by a still 2 Leopold, a change. VICTORIA, Q_UKEN AND EMPRESS m PRINCESS BEATRICE'S WEDDING PROC.SUO.N ..EAV.N.. WIHl'{>INo„A„ CHURCH. broken ,o her a. Osbomc by the la.o Sir H. , "" and, .hough ,„,c prostrated by-tie„.:'' ?"""'''' r .1 ^ ^y u, bne was. as ever thnix^htfu! or other, and desired Princes. Beatrice to leavL her^ sWe 240 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA i and hasten to comfort the young widow at Claremont. whose dehcate condition rendered the shock of the tidings more senous. The Empress Eugenie, who was staying near Osborne came to the Queen to offer consolation, and after spending' some hours with her was able to report that Her Majesty was greatly relieved by being able to talk over her loss with one who knew what bereavement was. Some years before the positions had been reversed, and it was the Queen who had comforted the Empress, first, after the death of the exiled Emperor, and again when her only son met such a terrible death in the Zulu war of 1879. Prince Leopold, like his father, had premonitions of death. " He would talk to me about death," writes one who was with him a i^^v daj-s before he d.cd. " and said he would like a military funeral." I asked "Why, sir, do you talk in this melancholy manner?" As ho was about to answer he was called away, and said, « I'll tell you later." I never saw him again, but he finished his answer to me, to another lady, and said: "For two nights now Prmcess Alice has appeared to me in my dreams, and says she is quite happy, and that she wants me to come and join her." The body of the Prince was brought from Cannes and mterred at St. George's, Windsor. In 1885. the year following Prince Leopold's death, came the last marriage in the Queen's family, that of " Baby " Beatrice, who had now for fourteen years been her mother', devoted attendant, to the late Prince Henry of Battcnberg Princess Beatrice, having been so much with grown-up people when a child, was a little quaint in her ways, and several stones are told of her funny little speeches. When a little lady of six she found it very difficult to get proper respect shown 'TORIA cmont, whose tidings more near Osborne, iter spending Majesty was OSS with one s before the 'en who had f the exiled h a terrible )ld, like his talk to me days before •" I asked, r?" As ho id, " ril tell his answer lights now !, and says come and om Cannes eath, came f "Baby" r mother's ^attcnberg. -up people id several little lady ect shown VICTORIA, Q^UEEN AXD EMPRESS 2<)1 THE QUEEN EMBRACING HER CHILDREN AFTER THE JUBILEE SERVICE. her by her nephew and niece of Germany, and taking Dr Maclcod into her confidence, she said: "What do you think Dr. Macleod? I am an aunt, and yet my nephew William the present Emperor) won't do what I bid him. Both he and Elizabeth refused to shut the door ! Is that not naughty ? " The wedding of the Queen's youngest daughter took place \6 .^' p i 111 II M 24i TUB PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA from Osborne at the little ivy-clad village church of Whipping- ham. Only semi-State was observed. The bride wore her mother's Honiton lace and veil, and was attended by her ten young nieces in white tulle frocks. Little children strewed flowers and decked the wayside with homely tributes of affection, and the whole scene was an ideally perfect village wedding. It was arranged that the bride should continue to live with her mother as Princess in waiting. The marria«««;!».« mmm ■MM iil* PERSONAL TASTES AND CHARACTERISTICS ^53 THE QUEEN VISJTiNG HIGHLAND TENANTS, had an example of this in the autograph letters which the Queen addressed to the Sultan of Turkey regarding the atrocities in Armenia, and to her grandson of Germany upon 'V ?%','S««!;T,!*H 254 TUB PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA his attitude to England over the rebellion and raid in the Transvaal. Her Majesty has now sat upon the throne of this country for a longer period than any of her predecessors. The glories of the sixty years of her reign, and the unexampled prosperity which the country has enjoyed under her beneficent rule, are for the historian to tell ; but when one pauses to study the personal character of the Queen, and the attributes which have made her beloved at home n: d revered abroad, they are to be summed up in one simple phrase— she is a good woman. Not faultless, certainly ; the charming wilfulness of the child has a survival in maturer age. Strong and passionate in her attachments, the Queen could be, in her young days, quick and hasty even with those whom she loved best ; but shallowness is no part of her nature, neither does she harbour resentment. Absolute truthfulness and sincerity are the qualities which dominate her character, and also gratitude towards those who have served her faithfully, be they great Ministers of State or humble servants. It is a part of the nobleness of her disposition that she does not assume that she has a right to special attention because of her high position. One frequently meets in her diaries with expressions of pleasure at kindness shown to her when visiting at the houses of her subjects, as though it were something unmerited. Among the many touching incidents of her gratitude to those who had been her faithful friends was the visit paid by her to Sir John Biddulph when he lay dying at Abcrgeldie Mains. " You have been very kind to me, your Majesty," said the dying man. "No," replied the Queen, as she pressed his hand, "it is you who have been very kind to inc!^ if A lid in the is country he glories prosperity : rule, are study the ^hich have cy are to d woman. the child lionate in Ling days, best ; but le harbour are the gratitude hey great irt of the ume that 1 position, f pleasure ses of her Among hose who )y her to lie Mains. said the esscd his PERSONAL TASTES AND CHARACTERISTICS 255 An utter detestation of shams is another of Her Majesty's characteristics, shown by the fact that those who have obtained her greatest confidence have been honest, even to bluntness. She likes to get at the root and reality of things, and the time- server stands no chance before her keen scrutiny. Her fondness for her faithful Highlanders has become almost a proverb, and she is never so happy as when talking with the old folks at Balmoral without form or ceremony, and much of her love for her Scottish home may be attributed to the fact that there she can throw off the restraints of royalty more thoroughly than in any other place. She is an exemplary landowner, and has erected schools, model cottages, established a free library, and provided a trained sick nurse for the tenants at Balmoral. To her cottagers at Osborne she is also ever the friend in time of need ; and when she erected alms-houses on her estate for the use of poor old women, she retained one tiny room for herself, thus, as it were, becoming an alms-woman herself and keeping her poorer neighbours company. In matters of religion the Queen has shown herself singularly free from prejudice. At Balmoral she has always worshipped according to the simple style of the Scottish Church and partaken of its rites in communion, while she chose for her chief spiritual guides Dr. Norman Maclcod and Principal Tulloch. In England the service in her private chapels is the simplest form of the Episcopalian Church, and her close friendship with Dean Stanley would point to the fact that she inclines to the broader school of thought, and thinks more of deeds than of creeds. She has ever .set a good example in Sabbath observance ; and many years ago, when it came to her knowledge that trades- people were employed to bring provisions to Buckingham I am Ml.' fi'st; 256 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA Palace on Sunday morning, she at once ordered that no eatables were to be brought into the Palace on Sunday. The Queen is fond of quoting the saying of Schopenhauer, "If it were not for the honest faces of dogs, we should forget the very existence of sincerity " ; and from her childhood to the present time she has always had dogs about her. Her earliest favourite, "Dash," a black-and-tan spaniel, was her constant companion when, as the Princess Victoria, she took her morning walk in Kensington Gardens, and his joyous bark was the first welcome she received on her return to Buckingham Palace from her coronation. " Looty," a lovely silken, long-haired dog brought by a British officer from China, was a later favourite. When the Summer Palace at Pekin was burning, this little dog was discovered curled up amongst soft shawls and rugs in one of the wardrobes, and the officer who rescued him and brought him to England as a present to the Queen gave him the significant name of " Looty." A picture of him by Mr. F. W Reyl was exhibited in the Royal Academy many years ago. Her Majesty has a special fondness for collies, and among these faithful animals "Noble" and "Sharp" were for many years chief favourites, and always travelled with her to and from Balmoral. "'Noble,'" she writes in her diary, "is the most biddable dog I ever saw. He will hold a piece of cake in his mouth without eating it, until he may. If he thinks we are not pleased with him, he puts out his paws and begs in such an affectionate way." A beautiful collie named " Darnley II." has been for many years Her Majesty's chief pet. He has a special " cottage " of his own, apart from the kennels of the other dogs. In their beautiful homes in the grounds of Windsor Castle are to be seen skycs, cullies, pugs, and dachs, in great variety ; but ••"""''*^-'-"'^- 3 eatables penhauer, uld forget Dod to the 'er earliest • constant X morning IS the first alace from aired dog favourite. I little dog igs in one id brought : him the Mr. F. W years ago. long these lany years and from ; the most :ake in his we are not n such an ey II." has is a special other dogs. Castle are ariety ; but ^AJ,SONAL TASTES AND CIIARACTEIUSTICS ^57 "5IIARP," THE QUKENS COLLIE. the Queen's particular pride are her Italian " Spitzes," a breed of beautiful buff-coloured dogs which .she was the first to introduce into this country. " Marco." with his lovely white coat and almost human intelligence, is a.iother chief favourite with his royal mistress. It would be a mistake to suppose that these pets are unduly pampered, for the Queen believes that plain hvmg induces high thinking in dogs as well as in human beings. Her Majesty has been one of the most accomplished horse- women of her time, and her ponies have an almost equal share of attention with her dogs. There is "Jessie," which was her favounte riding mare for twenty-five years, and carried her through many a Highland expedition; then there are her two Shetland ponies, and " Flora » and " Alma," presented by King Victor Emmanuel, and a grey Arab, a present from the Thakore of Morv.. The royal mews at Windsor cover an extent of four '7 258 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA acres, and have accommodation for one hundred horses. The harness-horses arc nearly all of them grey, and those for the broughams are dark chestnut. But specially proud is the Queen of her twelve cream-coloured horses, which I have been privileged to see in the mews at Buckingham Palace, looking very beautiful indeed with their long, silky tails nearly touching the ground. Their ancestors took the girl Queen, nearly sixty years ago, to her coronation, and the stock is always kept up for Her Majesty's use on State occasions. An amusing little favourite of the Queen was " Picco," which she used to drive in a pony-carriage some years ago. He was a Sardinian pony, presented by the King of that country, and was only forty-four inches high. That charming naturalist Frank Buckland has given an amusing account of his attempts to sketch this fussy, nervous little fellow, who was highly indignant at having his measurements taken. The Queen was greatly diverted by the account of her pet's behaviour, for she is fond of studying the characters of the animals about her, and likes them to have their pictures taken. Bushcy Park is used as a kind of home of rest for the pet horses who are no longer fit for active service. There " Picco" was sent to end his days, and, as a useful lesson in humility, he had " Aldcrney," a costcrmonger's rescued victim, given him for a companion. One day, when the Queen was driving in the Isle of Wight, she saw a costermonger savagely beating a beautiful white pony, and, stopping her carriage, she offered to buy the ill-used animal, in order to save him from his life of misery. She gave him the name of " Aldcrney," and proinoted him to a life of ease in Bushcy Park, where he doubtless entertained his aristocratic friend " Picco " with the doinsfs of costerland. "-"imn PERSONAL TASTES AND CHARACl ERISTICS 359 KgUESTRIAN PORTRAIT OF QUEEN VICIORJA. To-day thr Queens chief favourite is " Jacquot," the strong, handsome d.^nkey with the white nose and knotted tail, which draws her chair in the gardens of Frogmore or through the immmm^-'^'^.^^f-in ■• i ' 'I a6o Tff£ PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA shady glades at Osborne, and has accompanied Her Majesty to the Highlands and to Florence and the Riviera. The Queen's love for the brute creation does not limit itself to those animals who have the good fortune to be her pets. She has been a vvarm supporter of those societies which labour to ameliorate the sufferings of animals, and views the modern thirst for scientific discovery by means of vivisection with apprehension. In a letter sent at her command by Sir Thomas Biddulph, in 1872, to Lord Harrow by, then President of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, this passage occurs : " The Queen hears and reads with horror of the sufferings which the brute creation often undergo from the thoughtlessness of the ignorant, and, she fears, also, sometimes from experiments in the pursuit of science. For the removal of the former the Queen trusts much to the progress of education, and, in regard to the pursuit of science, she hopes that the entire advantage of those anzesthetic discoveries from which man has derived so much benefit himself in the alleviation of suffering may be freely extended to the lower animals." Her Majesty is a great sympathiser with that branch of the Society's work which aims at educating the children in the board schools to a sense of kindness to dumb animals by means of prizes given for essays upon the subject. The Queen's anxiety to protect lambs from what she con- ceived to be premature killing resulted in rather an amusing Hasco some years ago. She had been reading gloomy articles in the newspapers about the decrease of English sheep, and she immediately attributed it to the excessive slaughter of very young lambs, and gave orders that no lamb was to be used in the royal househc4d The price of the meat at once fell to i iSiM^ ii«awiW««< '^mf'MuiMt^^J'-^iaXi.&r. PERSONAL TASTES AND CIIA RACTERIS2ICS 261 fourpencc a pound, and it became necessary to explain to the Queen that the consumption of Iamb was not the cause of the trouble, it was a question of brecdiiifj, and she then withdrew her mandate. This little incident is but one of many which serve to show her anxiety to promote thf public good by her example. Many years ago, before county councils existed for the supervision of public amusements, the Queen made her influence felt in Birmingham. At a ffite In Aston Park a woman who had been forced to wallc on a rotten tight-rope was dashed to pieces in a shocking manner. Such was the callous- ness of the committee that they permitted the festivities to proceed in spite of the dreadful occurrence. A few days later the Mayor of Birmingham was the astonished recipient of a letter from the Queen's Secretary, to this effect : " Her Majesty cannot refrain from making known her personal feelings of horror that one of her subjects— a female - should have been sacrificed to the gratification of the demoralising taste, unfortu- nately prevalent, for exhibitions attended with the greatest danger to the performers. If any proof were wanting that such exhibitions are demoralising, it would be found in the decision arrived at to continue the festivities, the hilarity, and the sports of the occasion after an event so melancholy. The C^een trusts that the Mayor, in common with the townspeople of Birmingham, will use his influence to prevent in future the degradation by such exhibitions of the park which she and the beloved Prince Consort opened for the rational recreation of the people." In the early days of railway travelling the Queen, who, with charactmstic fearlessness, had been one of the first to trust to the " Steam demon," was very active in bringing pressure '.-A I pi; m ' r 363 2'//£ PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA to bear upon the railway companies to induce them to take greater precaution for the protection of passengers. It was she who, in conjunction with the Prince Consort, put an end in this country to the barbarous custom of duelling. Recently, when standing on Wimbledon Common looking at the spot where the last duel in this country was fought, an old man came up to me who had himself been a witness of the scene, and he described it in quaint and graphic language. " I shall never forget," he said, " my feelings as a lad when I saw the man who had been shot lying with his dead, upturned face upon the turf, and Lord Cardigan, who had shot him, hurrying away with his friends. Ah, well ! the Queen put an end to that sort of thing ; she's done a few good things in the course of her time." To-day, now that legislation has become so much more humanitarian in its scope than it was forty or fifty years ago, one is apt to lose sight of the immense influence of royal example. In the good old days the chief restraint on social customs was fashion. As was the Court, so were the people. Probably no English monarch has done more for the purification of societ; and for the elevation of a simple domestic life than Victoria. If great ladies to-day prefer to spend their leisure hours in the support of pet philanthropies instead of the excite- ment of lotteries, was it not the Queen who set the vogue by associating her great name with schemes of beneficence ? She was a visitor in the wards of our great hospitals long before ladies of birth and social position took up such work to any extent. That philanthropy is to-day fashionable is due to a wave of influence coming from the throne and permeating all classes of society. All the Queen's daughters, and indeed daughters-in-law also, are women w tio delight in good works ; i I iiimiSmmSiiSttiimSm PERSONAL riSTES AND CHARACTERISTICS 263 THE QUEENS INDIAN AITIC.NDANTS. and although they owe much of their impetus in that direction to the Prince Consort, it was the Queen who gave her children such an admirable father. Her Majesty chose her husband for his good qualities, and nothing but her sa;iction and support made it possible for him to carry through his schemes. The nation was at one time barely respectful to him, and did not awaken to a full appreciation of his merits until it was too late. But for the Queen, Prince Albert might have occupied no better I ^! tl 111 ( t a64 T///i PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA a position in the country than did the insignificant husband of Qjccn Anne. Another of Her Majesty's charactenstics which has in- fluenced the national life of iier own sex is the Queen's love of fresh air and outdoor exercise. There is a connection between our venerated sovereign taking her breakfast in a tent on the lawn and spending many hours of each day driving, whatever the weather may be, and the fine, healthy, well-developed girl of the period swinging her tennis racket, playing hockey, and boating and cycling. When the Queen was young such things were not, and the mammas of that time were probably shocked when they first heard, fifty and more years ago, of Her Majesty going deer-stalking with her husband fur nine hours at- ^ stretch, undertaking perilous mountain expeditions, a ; walking about in the wilds of Balmoral with a hood <;r.,,v!i over her bonnet to protect her face from the rain. She v- as fond, too, of taking an early walk before breakfast ; and on one occasion, when paying a visit to Blair Athole, she set out alone early one morning before any one was about, and wandered so far — beguiled by the fresh autumn air -that she lost her way, and was obliged to appeal to some reapers whom she saw working in a field to show her the way back. She always encouraged her daughters to take plenty of outdoor exercise, and they were expert skaters at a time when the pastime was an uncommon one for ladies. Princess Alice was a particularly graceful skater, and after her marriage found that she was nearly the only lady in Darmstadt who could skate. The Queen gave her countenance to ladies riding the tricycle at a very early stage of the introduction of that ^^H PERSONAL TASTES AND CHARACTERISTICS a6s H THE QUEEN AiND THE REAPERS. machine. It was while taking her favourite drive along the Newport Road in the Isle of Wight that she for the first time saw a lady riding a tricycle, and she was so much pleased that she ordered two machines to be sent to Osborne for some of her ladies to learn to ride upon. When the more expeditious bicycle came into use, Her Majesty looked askance for a time at ladies using it; but now she takes the greatest delight in watching the merry cycling parties of princesses which start daily from Balmoral in the autumn, and she has enjoyed many of her hearty laughs IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) % A '' :\ \ ^9) V <^ 6^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ^ .V yA:%' .^ J? i/j h 366 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA at those who were in the learner's stage, and had not mastered the mystery of maintaining the balance. That latest innovation in the way of vehicles — the motor-car — is regarded by the Queen with special interest, for when she was a girl there was an effort made to introduce coaches run by steam on to the roads, but the public did not take to the idea of these horseless carriages, and so they dropped out of existence, and " Jarvey " won the day. On at least one occasion Her Majesty rode in one : it was when she was about twelve years of ,.ge. With her mother, the Duchess of Kent, she had been to visit His Majc.:ty King George IV. at the Royal Lodge, and they made the return journey from Windsor to London in a steam coach. There is an old man still living at Windsor who is not a little proud that he can recall the occasion. In lier attitude to modern inventions the Queen has hitherto shown herself ready to accept new ideas, but it is said that .she does not take to the electric light, and will not have it introduced into the royal palaces. At Balmoral she has the rooms lighted by candles, and burns wood fires, as she finds this old-fashioned style cosier, and it reminds her of her young days. The Queen first adopted gas in 1854, when it was used to light the new bail-room at Buckingham Palace on the occasion of the first visit of Napoleon and the Empress Eugenie to this country. The ceiling of the room was decorated in various colours to enable Her Majesty to form an idea of the effect of the new illuminant. She and the Prince Consort were so pleased with it that they shortly afterwards introduced it into Windsor Castle. Probably the Queen thinks tb.at to h.avc witnessed one had not :e. That or-car — is A-hcn she 2 coaches not take ' dropped at least when she ithcr, the :.:ty King he return 1. There t a little uccn has but it is 1 will not Tioral she I fires, as ninds her in 1854, ckingham )leon and ig of the r Majesty int. She that they - Castle, ssed one V PERSONAL TASTES AND CHARACTERISTICS z&j entire revolution in the way of domestic lighting is enough in a lifetime, and she will leave the adoption of the electric light to younger people. The early B/itish cus- tom of erecting cairns, or heaps of stones, to commemorate events is one greatly in favour with GARDENS AT FROGHORE. the Queen. The first royal cairn was erected when she took possession of Balmoral, and the estate is now quite rich in these unique memorials, there being one to com- memorate the P.ince Consort's death and the marriages I l 11 i •ri 268 TIf£ PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA of each of her children. One might say that Her Majesty has a passion for having memorials of her domestic joys and sorrows, and she is most punctilious in the observance of anniversaries. She keeps her own birthday, and has a birthday cake like other people, and is keenly appreciative of the presents which are sent to ' er by every member of her family, even to the youngest branches. The Prince Consort's birthday is also observed, and his health drunk in silence. Since her great bereavement her mind has naturally dwelt much on death observances, and she has herself drawn up a complete code of directions for the arrangement of royal funerals and layings out. Different shrouds are directed to be used for the male and female members of the family, also for the married and unmarried ; and female members of the royal family abroad are to be represented by one of their own sex. When the Duchess of Cambridge died in 1889, the Queen insisted that the funeral should be in semi-State, although the aged Duchess had herseH red to be buried quite privately. She was one of the few left who had known the Queen in the heyday of her youth and had really loved and cared for her, and Her Majesty was determined that her much-revered aunt should be buried with the observances due to her high birth as well as to her excellent character. The apartments used by deceased royalties in the Queen's palaces and houses are kept locked up. Those of Princess Charlotte at Claremout have been preserved as she left them for more than seventy years. Prince Albert's private rooms at Windsor, Osborne, and Balmoral, and the Duchess of Kent's at Frogmore, also remain undisturbed, and the Queen has testified her special I I PERSONAL TAyitS ANL> CHARACTERISTICS 269 CAIRNS AND OTHER MEMORIALS. esteem for John Brown by directing that the rooms which he used at Windsor Castle are to be kept sacred to his memory. Her Majesty has a great objection to embalming, and has prohibited it with regard to royal persons, unless the circum- stances are very exceptional. After the sad death of the n ZJO THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA Prince Imperial at the hands of the Zulus, and the im- possibility there was of preserving his body for the Empress to take a last look at it, the Queen so far relaxed her regu- lations as to permit the various accessories for embalming being taken out when one of the royal family undertook foreign service. The wisdom of this arrangement has been sadly seen in the case of Prince Henry of Battenberg. Her Majesty is a little behind the spirit of the times in regard to regulations for mourning. She advocates absolute retirement for a time in the case of bereaved people, and the most lugubrious signs of outward mourning. It would seem, also, that she does; not favour the re-marriage of widows, judging from the significant fact that not one of the royal widows, be she young or be she middle-aged, has been provided ah a second husband. In the case of widowers Her Majesty's strictures are not so severe. She has instituted several changes with regard to royal weddings. She herself set the example of being married in the morning, royal marriages having formerly been celebrated in an evening It was not customary in former reigns for royalties to retire for a honeymoon ; His Majesty King George III. remained at St. James's and held levees immediately after his marriage. The Queen and Prince Albert had a brief honeymoon of two days at Windsor ; then the Duchess of Kent and all the Court came flocking down to escort the royal pair back to a round of functions and festivities in London. Even that very young bride the Princess Royal had, like her mother, only two days of absolute retirement. Since that the royal honeymoons have been gradually increasing in length, and the latest rA the im- Empress icr regu- nbalming ndertook las been g- he times idvocates bereaved nourning. -marriage not one Idle-aged, the case re. to royal married rly been n former Majesty Id levees d Prince Windsor ; flocking functions ng bride :wo days leymoons he latest PERiiONAL -lAHTES AND CHARACTERISTICH 271 0jf^!!^^L THE QUEEN SKETCHING IN THE HIGHLANDS. bride, Princess Maud, has had a whole week of seclusion, and then it was only broken in upon by a visit from her mother and sister. The custom of brides mingling myrtle with their orange blossoms is, as we all know, a fashion introduced by the Queen. In matters of Court etiquette Her Majesty is punctilious to a degree, and her memory for pedigrees, as for faces, is unrivalled. A story is told by a Court lady that a question arose at the royal table between herself and Lord Beaconsfield as to the genealogy of some obscure Italian duke who had suddenly come into notice. No one could tell who he was. "There is one person who could give the information," said I 272 THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA Lord Bcaconsficld, "and that is the Queen." He took the first opportunity of asking the question. " The Duca di ? " replied Her Majesty. "Oh yes, I remember perfectly," and she forthwith gave a full history of his family. Prime Ministers of modern times have sometimes found the Queen's remarkable memory a little embarrassing, as in discussion on political questions she will confront them with the views of Peel or Palmerston, or with the advice given her by Lord Melbourne in the first year of her reign ; and it is reported that Lord Salisbury was once driven to delicately hint that there was a difference between the state of affairs in '^7 and '87. Her Majesty has always been very strict with regard to regulations for Court dress. All ladies, of whatever age, are required to appear in bodices with low necks and short sleeves. Plumes must always be worn standing erect from the back of the head ; no modification is permitted. When a lady who formerly reigned as a society beauty and is now a theatrical star was to be presented, she arranged her Court head-dress in quite an artistic manner, pinning down the feathers upon her lovely hair in a most becoming manner. All went well until she passed before the Court functionary preparatory to making the entree ; then she was ordered to remove the pins, as no lady was permitted to enter the Presence except with her plumes erect. It had always been the practice to forbid the attendance at drawing-rooms of ladies divorced, even though it was for no fault of their own ; but the Queen, with her admirable sense of justice, came to the conclusion that this was scarcely fair, and decided that a lady of blameless life ought not to be excluded from Court by reason of her husband's misdeeds. The matter I tHIA e took the I di ? " tctly," and y. Prime he Queen's icussion on e views of r by Lord ported that that there and '87. regard to ir age, are 3rt sleeves, lie back of lady who atiical star :ss in quite her lovely until she :o making »ins, as no with her attendance was for no e sense of r fair, and : excluded he matter PERSONAL TASTES AND CHARACTERISTICS 273 OLD GKATllIE CHUJJCH. was brought before the Cabinet some years ago, but allowed to drop without its being decided. The question was revived in 1889, and it was arranged that ladies debarred by divorce may make special application for admission to Court to the Queen herself, who decides on the merit of each case, after having had the report of the trial laid before her. There is, I believe, a record of one lady who had obtained divorces from two husbands in succession gaining the Queen's permission to be presented on her third marriage. 18 i til I'.ili. i!i^ III! I iif f I' 274 T//£; PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA To one so fond of outdoor life and the beauties of nature as Her Majesty, flowers are naturally a special delight, and she prefers to see them growing rather than when used for indoor decoration. In the grounds at Osborne there is a flower-bed specially planted for the Queen's pleasure with pinks and carnations, as she is very fond of these old-fashioned flowers, and frequently takes tea on a spot near to the bed. During her drives from Osborne to Newport she had noticed the lovely gardens and houses belonging to Mr. Nunn, the famous manu- facturer of the lace called by his name, and one day expressed a wish to see over them. Ever afterwards a basket of Mr. Nunn's choicest blooms was sent daily to the Queen when she was at Osborne, and the gift gave her the greatest pleasure. At the time of the Jubilee a loyal gentleman suggested the wearing of the Queen's favourite flower as a badge, and wrote to Sir Henry Ponsonby to inquire what it was. Her Majesty replied that in summer she perferred the rose to any other flower. Probably it is the sweet and delicate odour of the national flower as well as its beauty which pleases the Queen, as she greatly dislikes strong perfumes. Speaking of scents, one is reminded that Her Majesty had such a dislike to the smell of cigars and tobacco that smoking was for many years prohibited in Windsor Castle, a restriction in which the Prince Consort fully concurred. Cards requesting that gentlemen would not smoke were neatly framed and hung in the rooms of the lords-in-waiting and equerries of the royal suite, and the servants and workpeople were forbidden to smoke inside the Castle. No such rigid restriction exists to-day, which is attributed to the influence of John Brown, who liked his pipe, and, being as canny as he was faithful, persuaded the Queen if nature as It, and she for indoor flower-bed pinks and ed flowers, During her the lovely ous manu- xpressed a ^r. Nunn's she was at i. At the wearing of Sir Henry ed that in robably it as well as y dislikes ajesty had t smoking restriction requesting and hung the royal to smoke ay, which his pipe, le Queen PERSONAL TASTES AND CHARACTERISTICS 275 that a little tobacco smoke was " no a bad thing to have about a hoose." Previous to the death of the Prince Consort the Queen was devoted to music, and spent a great deal of time both in singing and playing. They were both most anxious to see music more universal in the homes of the people, and strongly advocated its being taught in the public schools-a fact which may be interesting to those engaged in controversy to-day regarding the use of pianos in the board schools. Since the death of the Prince she has scarcely played at all, but she remains to the present time one of the kindest patrons of singers and musicians, who count a command to perform before the Queen a personal pleasure, as she is .so appreciative, and will talk with them of the great " stars " whom she has listened to in the days gone by Sketching was the Queen's favourite recreation as a child, and so it remains to-day. She is particularly proud of her art collection at Windsor, and, when there, docs not let many weeks go by without taking a look round the Royal Library, which contains one of the finest collections of engravings and speci- mens of old masters, bo'l English and foreign. But her unrivalled collection of nhniaturcs is her particular pride, and she boasts sometimes that she had but one rival in the country, and that was his Scottish majesty, the late Duke of Buccleuch. The Queen will live in history as the most enlightened and consistent of constitutional monarchs, as well as being revered as a great and noble woman. Those who have been privileged to enjoy her friendship all speak of the beautiful blending of naivete and kindness with great personal digniiy which render her so charming in private life. As a ruler she is wise, judicious 376 rilE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA and sagacious, and above everything; distinguished by a high sense of duty. Reverence deep and I'. sting lives for her in the hearts of the people, and in concluding this story of her personal life one can but echo those beautiful lines of Mrs. Crosland : M I "Victoria! writ large in lines of light, The name through coming ages will remain In foremost rank with those great few that blight Ne'er tarnished, shining on without a stain." I *1 I )RIA by a high for her in tory of her ics of Mrs. ?ht i THE PERSONAL LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA. EXTRACTS FROM NOTICES OF THE PRESS "The volume should meet the wishes of a large public in these days of diamond jubilees. — Times. "The book is liberally illustrated, well printed, and handsomely bound. For a ladies library there could be nothing of its kind more suitable, and even men, whose interest lies chiefly with the public and wider aspects of the Queen's life, will find many parts of it attractive" — Stand«// J/,,// Gazette. Mrs. looley, in addition to the ordinary sources of information, has been favoured with many special anecdotes and particulars of incidents in the Queen's career. This gives her book a distinct value. It is very pleasantly written, and contains many interesting illustrations " — Westminster Gazette. . "In dealing with the personal side of the Queen's life, as distinct from that aspect of it which has to do with Her Majesty's public career, Mrs. Tooley has been ennabled, apparently by persons moving in Court circles, to add largely to the store of pleasant anecdotes and incidents."—Scotsman. " Written with fine taste and delicate reserve, the biography presents the Queen in such a manner as to enhance the affection with which all her subjects regard her. The illustrations are numerous and admirable, and the book is handsomely bound in red buckram."— Independent, " Among the many biographies which have been published in recent years, there is none which presents a more charming picture of Her Majesty s home and personal life. . . . The story, which is throughout concise and connected, is told in simple and direct language."— 6/. James' Budget. One of the most popular books of the present season. ... A more diarming or acceptable gift-book it would be impossible to find "— Court Journal. "An important addition to the many biographies that have been written about Her Majesty. . . . Mrs. Tooley has accomplished her task m a manner which holds the reader's attention from bcginnina to ^nA."— Queen.