The Letters of Queen Victoria Volume Iii Part 110

[Pageheading: A BRILLIANT CEREMONY]

[Pageheading: DISTINGUISHED GUESTS]

_The Crown Princess of Prussia to Queen Victoria._

KoNISBERG, _19th October 1861_.

MY BELOVED MAMMA,--Last night I could not write to you as I would have wished, because I felt so knocked up that I went to bed. I have got such a very bad cold on my chest, with a cough that leaves me no rest, and of course cannot take care of myself, and am obliged to stand and sit in every sort of draught with a low gown and without a cloak, so it is no wonder to have caught cold. I have not had a cough since I don't know when. I should like to be able to describe yesterday's ceremony to you, but I cannot find words to tell you how fine and how touching it was; it really was a magnificent sight! The King looked so very handsome and so n.o.ble with the crown on; it seemed to suit him so exactly. The Queen, too, looked beautiful, and did all she had to do with perfect grace, and looked so _vornehm_; I a.s.sure you the whole must have made a great impression on everybody present, and all those to whom I have talked on the subject quite share my feeling. The moment when the King put the crown on the Queen's head was very touching, I think there was hardly a dry eye in the church. The _Schlosshof_ was the finest, I thought--five bands playing "G.o.d save the Queen," banners waving in all directions, cheers so loud that they quite drowned the sound of the music, and the procession moving slowly on, the sky without a cloud; and all the uniforms, and the ladies'

diamonds glittering in the bright sunlight. I shall never forget it all, it was so very fine! Dearest Fritz's birthday being chosen for the day made me very happy; he was in a great state of emotion and excitement, as you can imagine, as we all were. Mr Thomas[39] was in the chapel. I hope he will have been able to take down some useful memoranda. The Grand Duke of Weimar,[40] the King and ourselves, have ordered drawings of him.

The _coup d'[oe]il_ was really beautiful; the chapel is in itself lovely, with a great deal of gold about it, and all hung with red velvet and gold--the carpet, altar, thrones and canopies the same. The Knights of the Black Eagle with red velvet cloaks, the Queen's four young ladies all alike in white and gold, the two Palastdamen in crimson velvet and gold, and the Oberhofmeisterin in gold and white brocade with green velvet, Marianne and Addy in red and gold and red and silver; I, in gold with ermine and white satin, my ladies, one in blue velvet, the other in red velvet, and Countess Schulenberg, together with the two other Oberhofmeisterin of the other Princesses, in violet velvet and gold. All these colours together looked very beautiful, and the sun shone, or rather poured in at the high windows, and gave quite magic tinges.

The music was very fine, the chorales were sung so loud and strong that it really quite moved one. The King was immensely cheered, wherever he appeared--also the Queen, and even I.

There were illuminations last night, but I did not go to see them, as I was too tired and felt so unwell. There are five degrees of cold (Reaumur), and one is exposed to draughts every minute.

Sixteen hundred people dined in the Schloss last night! The King and Queen were most kind to me yesterday; the King gave me a charming little locket for his hair, and only think--what will sound most extraordinary, absurd, and incredible to your ears--made me Second _Chef_ of the 2nd Regiment of Hussars! I laughed so much, because really I thought it was a joke--it seemed so strange for ladies; but the Regiments like particularly having ladies for their _Chefs!_ The Queen and the Queen Dowager have Regiments, but I believe I am the first Princess on whom such an honour is conferred.

The Archduke addressed the King yesterday, in the name of all the foreign Princes present, in a very pretty speech.

It is such a pleasure to see good Philip here, and the two Portuguese cousins. Juan[41] is very nice, but he does not talk much; he has a very fine, tall figure, and is nice-looking. I should think he must be like his father. Prince Hohenzollern [42] is become Royal Highness, and the t.i.tle is to descend to his eldest son. Half Europe is here, and one sees the funniest combinations in the world. It is like a happy family shut up in a cage! The Italian Amba.s.sador sat near Cardinal Geisel, and the French one opposite the Archduke. The Grand Duke Nicolas is here--he is so nice--also the Crown Prince of Wurtemberg,[43] Crown Prince of Saxony,[44] Prince Luitpold of Bavaria,[45] Prince Charles of Hesse[46] (who nearly dies of fright and shyness amongst so many people), and Heinrich; Prince Elimar of Oldenburg,[47] Prince Frederic of the Netherlands,[48] and the Grand Duke and d.u.c.h.ess of Weimar, who wish to be most particularly remembered to you and Papa.

The King and Queen are most kind to Lord Clarendon, and make a marked difference between their marked cordiality to him and the stiff etiquette with which the other Amba.s.sadors are received.

I think he is pleased with what he sees. The King has given the Queen the Order of the Black Eagle in diamonds. I write all these details, as you wish them, at the risk of their not interesting you, besides my being, as you know, a very bad hand at descriptions. I shall make a point of your having newspapers.

I am unable to appear at the _cour_ this morning, as my cough is too violent: I hope to be able to be at the concert this evening, but I own it seems very doubtful. The state dinner looked very well; we were waited on by our _Kammerherren_ and pages--the King being waited on by the _Oberhofchargen_--and our ladies stood behind our chairs. After the first two dishes are round, the King asks to drink, and that is the signal for the ladies and gentlemen to leave the room and go to dinner, while the Pages of Honour continue to serve the whole dinner really wonderfully well, poor boys, considering it is no easy task.

To-morrow we leave Konigsberg for Dantzic--we have not had one day's bad weather here, nothing but suns.h.i.+ne and a bright blue sky. I was so glad that Heaven smiled upon us yesterday, it would have been so sad if it had poured; it looked a little threatening early in the morning and a few drops fell, but it cleared completely before nine o'clock.

Fritz would thank you for your dear letters himself, but he is at the University, where they have elected him _Rector Magnificus_, and where he has to make a speech. We have all got our servants and carriages and horses here _every_ day--300 footmen in livery, together with other servants in livery, make 400. All the standards and colours of the whole Army are here, and all the Colonels. Altogether, you cannot imagine what a crush and what a scramble there is on every occasion; there was a man crushed to death in the crowd the other day, which is quite dreadful. I must say good-bye now, and send this scrawl by a messenger, whom Lord Clarendon means to expedite. Ever your most dutiful and affectionate Daughter,

VICTORIA.

[Footnote 39: George Housman Thomas, artist (1824-1868). The picture he produced on this occasion was ent.i.tled, _Homage of the Princess Royal at the Coronation of the King of Prussia_.]

[Footnote 40: Charles Alexander, 1818-1901, grandfather of the present Grand Duke.]

[Footnote 41: Prince John, brother of King Pedro, was making a tour with his elder brother, Louis, the Duc d'Oporto.]

[Footnote 42: Prince Charles Anthony of Hohenzollern was the father of the young Queen Stephanie of Portugal, who had died in 1859.]

[Footnote 43: Prince Charles Frederick, 1823-1891.]

[Footnote 44: Prince Albert, who became King in 1873.]

[Footnote 45: Brother of King Maximilian II.]

[Footnote 46: Son of the Elector Frederick William I.]

[Footnote 47: Brother of the reigning Grand Duke.]

[Footnote 48: Uncle of the King of Holland.]

[Pageheading: THE PRINCESS ROYAL]

_The Earl of Clarendon to Queen Victoria._

KoNIGSBERG, _19th October 1861_.

Lord Clarendon presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and humbly hopes that your Majesty will not be displeased at his not having written sooner, but every moment has been occupied by _fetes_ and ceremonies here, and the visits to Royal Personages, who are in great numbers, and Lord Clarendon also wished to delay sending off the messenger until the Coronation was over.

That most interesting and imposing ceremony took place yesterday, and with the most complete and unalloyed success; everything was conducted with the most perfect order; the service not too long, the vocal music enchanting, but _the_ great feature of the ceremony was the manner in which the Princess Royal did homage to the King. Lord Clarendon is at a loss for words to describe to your Majesty the exquisite grace and the intense emotion with which Her Royal Highness gave effect to her feelings on the occasion. Many an older as well as younger man than Lord Clarendon, who had not his interest in the Princess Royal, were quite as unable as himself to repress their emotion at that which was so touching, because so unaffected and sincere....

If His Majesty had the mind, the judgment, and the foresight of the Princess Royal, there would be nothing to fear, and the example and influence of Prussia would soon be marvellously developed. Lord Clarendon has had the honour to hold a very long conversation with Her Royal Highness, and has been more than ever astonished at the _statesmanlike_ and comprehensive views which she takes of the policy of Prussia, both internal and foreign, and of the _duties_ of a Const.i.tutional King.

Lord Clarendon is not at all astonished, but very much pleased, to find how appreciated and beloved Her Royal Highness is by all cla.s.ses.

Every member of the Royal Family has spoken of her to Lord Clarendon in terms of admiration, and through various channels he has had opportunities of learning how strong the feeling of educated and enlightened people is towards Her Royal Highness. All persons say most truly that any one who saw Her Royal Highness yesterday can never forget her.

Lord Clarendon is sorry to say that the Princess Royal has a feverish cold to-day--nothing at all serious--and as Her Royal Highness stayed in bed this afternoon, did not attend the great concert at the Palace this evening, and, as Lord Clarendon hopes, will not go to Dantzic to-morrow, Her Royal Highness will probably be quite fit for the many fatiguing duties she will have to perform next week....

[Pageheading: THE EMPEROR NAPOLEON'S AIMS]

[Pageheading: AUSTRIA AND PRUSSIA]

_The Earl of Clarendon to Queen Victoria._

BERLIN, _20th October 1861_.

Lord Clarendon presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and humbly begs to say that yesterday he had the honour of being sent for by the Queen, with whom he had a long and interesting conversation....

The Queen expressed her deep regret at the tone of the English newspapers, but admitted that the German Press repaid the English insults with large interest. Her Majesty said, however, that she and the King, and all sensible men with whom their Majesties hold communication, were determined to disregard the attacks, and by every possible means to draw nearer to England.

Lord Clarendon took the opportunity of warning the Queen respecting the Emperor and his _idee fixe_, that his dynasty could only be secured by the territorial aggrandis.e.m.e.nt of France. Lord Clarendon expressed his conviction that if the King had resembled M. de Cavour, some strong proposals would already have been made to them, but that the Emperor's plans had been foiled by the honourable character of the King. There ought, nevertheless, to be no delusion here, but on the contrary, a careful avoidance of the traps which cajolery and flattery were setting for Prussia, because at any moment the Emperor might think it necessary for his own purposes in France to seize upon the left bank of the Rhine, and that all cla.s.ses in France, no matter to what party belonging, would be delighted at his so doing, and his popularity and power in France would be enormously increased by it.

The Queen agreed, but was under the notion, which Lord Clarendon was able effectually to dispel, that the dilapidated state of French finances would prevent the Emperor from undertaking a war upon a large scale.

Lord Clarendon thinks that he strengthened the Queen's opinion respecting "eventualities" and the necessity of making preparations and evoking a national spirit against foreign aggression, such as that recently manifested in England, and which had done so much in favour of peace as far as we ourselves were concerned. Her Majesty, however, said that Prussian policy towards Germany opened so large a chapter that she wished to reserve the discussion of it for our next conversation.

Lord Clarendon fears that Count Bernstorff is disposed to think that Austria's difficulty is Prussia's opportunity, and to be exigent as to the concessions upon which a better understanding between the two countries must be based. Lord Clarendon was confidentially informed yesterday that a Cabinet had just been held for the first time since Count Bernstorff became a member of it, and that with respect to internal affairs he had greatly alarmed and annoyed some of his colleagues by his retrograde opinions. Lord Clarendon had the honour of dining with the Crown Prince and Princess last night. The dinner was perfect, and everything conducted in the most admirable manner; there was afterwards a ball at "The Queen's" which was really a splendid fete. The festivities and the visitings are so uninterrupted that everybody is unwell and tired. The Duc de Magenta's grand fete takes place on the 29th. The Austrian Minister gives a ball to-morrow (_Sunday_), which day has unfortunately been fixed by the King, to the annoyance of all the English; but Lord Clarendon has determined that the Emba.s.sy shall attend, otherwise the King might consider that we wished to give him a public lesson upon the observance of the Sabbath.