The Letters of Queen Victoria Volume I Part 4

MY DEAR LITTLE HEART,--I hope you are well and don't forget Aunt Adelaide, who loves you so fondly.

Loulou and Wilhelm[1] desire their love to you, and Uncle William also.

G.o.d bless and preserve you is the constant prayer of your most truly affectionate Aunt,

ADELAIDE.

[Footnote 1: Princess Louise and Prince William of Saxe-Weimar, children of d.u.c.h.ess Ida of Saxe-Weimar (sister of the d.u.c.h.ess of Clarence). They were the eldest brother and sister of Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar.]

_The d.u.c.h.ess of Clarence to the Princess Victoria._

_24th May 1822._

Uncle William and Aunt Adelaide send their love to _dear little Victoria_ with their best wishes on her birthday, and hope that she will now become a _very good Girl_, being now _three years old_. Uncle William and Aunt Adelaide also beg little Victoria to give dear Mamma and to dear Sissi[2] a kiss in their name, and to Aunt Augusta,[3]

Aunt Mary[4] and Aunt Sophia[5] too, and also to the _big Doll_. Uncle William and Aunt Adelaide are very sorry to be absent on that day and not to see their _dear, dear_ little Victoria, as they are sure she will be very good and obedient to dear Mamma on that day, and on many, many others. They also hope that dear little Victoria will not forget them and know them again when Uncle and Aunt return.

To dear little Xandrina Victoria.

[Footnote 2: Princess Feodore, the Queen's half-sister.]

[Footnote 3: Augusta, daughter of Frederick, Landgrave of Hesse-Ca.s.sel, wife of the Duke of Cambridge.]

[Footnote 4: Princess Mary, a daughter of George III., married to her cousin the Duke of Gloucester.]

[Footnote 5: Princess Sophia, daughter of George III.]

[Pageheading: EARLY LETTERS]

[The following is the earliest letter preserved of the long series written by the Queen to King (then Prince) Leopold. The Princess was then nine years old.]

KENSINGTON PALACE, _25th November 1823._

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--I wish you many happy returns of your birthday; I very often think of you, and I hope to see you soon again, for I am very fond of you. I see my Aunt Sophia[6] often, who looks very well, and is very well. I use every day your pretty soup-basin. Is it very warm in Italy? It is so mild here, that I go out every day. Mama is tolerable well and am quite well. Your affectionate Niece,

VICTORIA.

_P.S._--I am very angry with you, Uncle, for you have never written to me once since you went, and that is a long while.

[Footnote 6: Princess Sophia, daughter of George III.]

_Prince Leopold_[7] _to the Princess Victoria._

PARIS, _20th April 1829._

MY DEAREST LOVE,--Though in a few days I hope to have the happiness of seeing you, still I wish to recall myself even before that time to your recollection, and to tell you how delighted I shall be to embrace my dearest little child. I have travelled far over the world and shall be able to give you some curious information about various matters.

Stockmar, who was very ill, and whom I despaired of seeing here, did arrive before yesterday,[8] and you may guess what pleasure it gave me. Now I will conclude; _au revoir_, and let me find you grown, blooming, and kind to your old and faithful Uncle,

LEOPOLD.

[Footnote 7: Afterwards King of the Belgians.]

[Footnote 8: I.e. _avant hier_.]

[Pageheading: BIRTHDAY LETTERS]

_The Princess Hohenlohe[9] to the Princess Victoria._

[_May 1829._]

If I had wings and could fly like a bird, I should fly in at your window like the little robin to-day, and wish you many very happy returns of the 24th, and tell you how I love you, dearest sister, and how often I think of you and long to see you. I think if I were once with you again I could not leave you so soon. I should wish to stay with you, and what would poor Ernest[9] say if I were to leave him so long? He would perhaps try to fly after me, but I fear he would not get far; he is rather tall and heavy for flying. So you see I have nothing left to do but to write to you, and wish you in this way all possible happiness and joy for this and many, many years to come. I hope you will spend a very merry birthday. How I wish to be with you, dearest Victoire, on that day!

I have not thanked you, I believe, for a very dear letter you have written to me, which gave me the greatest pleasure. Your descriptions of the plays you had seen amused me very much. I wish I had seen your performance too. Your most affectionate Sister,

FEODORE.

[Footnote 9: The Princess Feodore of Leiningen, the Queen's half-sister, had married, in January 1828, the Prince (Ernest) of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.]

_The d.u.c.h.ess of Clarence to the Princess Victoria._

BUSHEY PARK, _14th August 1829._

A thousand thanks to you, dear Victoria, for your very nice and well-written letter full of good wishes, which I had the pleasure to receive yesterday; and many thanks more for the pretty gifts your dear Mamma has sent me in your name. I wore them last night for your sake, dearest child, and thought of you _very often_.

It gives me great satisfaction to hear that you are enjoying the sea air and like the place which you now occupy. I wish I could pay your Mamma a visit there and see you again, my dear little niece, for I long to have that pleasure, and must resign myself at being deprived of it some time longer. Your Uncle desires to be most kindly remembered to you, and hopes to receive soon also a letter from you, of whom he is as fond as I am. We speak of you very often, and trust that you will always consider us to be amongst your best friends....