The Public Life of Queen Victoria Part 2

[Sidenote: GEORGE IV. AND THE PRINCESS VICTORIA.]

Only after this formal act of national recognition does it appear that the King deigned to turn his personal attention in the direction of his niece.

The year after, we find the d.u.c.h.ess of Coburg writing to her daughter, and referring to the fact that she had seen by the English papers, that "His Majesty, Her Royal Highness the d.u.c.h.ess of Kent, and the Princess Victoria, went on Virginia Water." "The little monkey," she writes, "must have pleased him. She is such a pretty, clever child." It was reported at the time that the King, on the occasion of this visit to Windsor, shared the general delight at the intelligence and sprightliness of his charming little niece. He caused her to dine in state with him, and when he asked her what tune she would like the band to play during dinner, she courteously and navely replied, "G.o.d save the King."

The years intervening until 1830 were pa.s.sed in almost complete quietude and seclusion by the Princess; her education being now most a.s.siduously pursued.

The year 1830 made an important difference in the position of the Princess. By the death of George IV., the Duke of Clarence became King, and--the Duke of York having died in 1827--she now stood next in direct succession to the throne. In the last month of the year a Regency Bill was pa.s.sed, of which these were the chief provisions:--In the event of Queen Adelaide bearing a posthumous child, Her Majesty should be guardian and Regent during the minority. If that event should not occur, the d.u.c.h.ess of Kent was to be guardian and Regent during the minority of her daughter, the Princess Victoria, the heiress-presumptive. That Princess should not marry while a minor, without the consent of the King; or, if he died, without the consent of both Houses. When the Report of the Regency Bill was brought up, Lord Lyndhurst moved and carried a clause to the effect that in case the d.u.c.h.ess of Kent should marry a foreigner in the lifetime of His Majesty, but without his consent, she should, by that act, forfeit all pretensions to the Regency.

The Duke of Buckingham, in his "Courts and Cabinets of William IV. and Victoria," thus remarked on this proviso:--

The position of the Princess attracted towards her Royal Highness the solicitude and sympathy of all cla.s.ses of the people. A proper consideration of her chance of succeeding to the throne showed that there was much at stake, and the bitter disappointment caused by the untimely fate of the last female heiress presumptive, gave deeper feeling to the interest with which she was regarded. It was desirable that her youth should be, as much as possible, watched over to protect it from all evil contingencies, and though there could not be a better guardian for the Princess than the one nature had provided her with, the anxiety of a nation demanded precautions that, under other circ.u.mstances, would have been considered totally unnecessary. We can now (1861) afford to smile on the jealous affection with which Her Royal Highness was fenced round thirty years ago.

[Sidenote: THE QUEEN'S GRANDMOTHER.]

The satisfactory settlement of the Regency question gave great satisfaction to the good grandmother at Coburg. She wrote to her daughter, on receipt of the news--

I should have been sorry if the Regency had been given into other hands than yours. It would not have been a just return for your constant devotion and care to your child, if this had not been done.

May G.o.d give you wisdom and strength to do your duty, if called upon to undertake it. May G.o.d bless and protect my little darling!--If I could but once see her again! The print you have sent to me is not like the dear picture I have; the quant.i.ty of curls hide the well-shaped head, and make it look too large for the lovely little figure.

It was not fated that the d.u.c.h.ess of Coburg should ever see her granddaughter again; she died within a twelvemonth of writing the above.

Her latest letters to her daughter were characterised by a peculiar warmth of affection for the Princess. Writing in the summer of 1830, on the occasion of Victoria's birthday, she said--

My blessings and good wishes for the day which gave you the sweet Blossom of May! May G.o.d preserve and protect the valuable life of that lovely flower from all the dangers that will beset her mind and heart!

And when the news of the death of George IV. reached her, she wrote--

G.o.d bless Old England, where my beloved children live, and where the sweet Blossom of May may one day reign! May G.o.d yet for many years keep the weight of a crown from her young head, and let the intelligent, clever child grow up to girlhood, before this dangerous grandeur devolves upon her!

England owes a deep debt of grat.i.tude to this excellent and intelligent woman, for to her we are indebted for that training of her daughter, which fitted that daughter to train in turn, for us and for our advantage, Queen Victoria.

An event of considerable influence upon the well-being and happiness of the Queen we must not omit to chronicle, ere we pa.s.s onwards in the course of our narrative. Prince Leopold had been designated by the great guaranteeing Powers as the ruler of the newly emanc.i.p.ated state of Greece.

He was prepared to accept the position. This distressed his niece, who had been brought up under his kindly tutelage from her birth; but circ.u.mstances which it does not concern our purpose to dwell upon, induced Leopold to break off the Greek negotiation. Shortly after, to the great delight of Victoria, he was nominated by the Powers, and accepted by his future subjects, as King of the Belgians. This ensured his being constantly comparatively near to his niece. How frequent were his visits to England, as long as his life lasted, no resident in London needs to be informed; up till within the last few years, his face was almost as familiar in the parks as those of the members of the Queen's own family.

He often appeared in London suddenly, and without announcement, having been summoned, it was generally believed, on such occasions, to consult with the Queen on some point of imminent moment. Such summonses he always responded to with instant alacrity.

[Sidenote: ABSURD RUMOURS.]

In the year 1831, the public became anxious to know how the education of the heiress-presumptive to the throne progressed; what was the nature of her studies, and which she preferred and most diligently pursued. Prompt, responsive, and satisfactory statements were rendered. It appeared that since the accession of King William, her tuition had been almost entirely entrusted to English teachers. Mr. Amos instructed her in the principles of the English Const.i.tution, Mr. Westall in drawing; she had made considerable progress in Latin, and could read Horace with fluency. It was further stated that her love of music was enthusiastic, and that it was the orchestral rather than the dramatic attraction that caused her to frequent the theatres so much as she did. It was remarked that, on the occasion of the coronation of William IV., which took place on the 8th of September, neither the Princess nor her mother were present. Their absence was explained by the announcement, that the health of the Princess rendered a sojourn in the Isle of Wight necessary. Prudent persons held that, even had it been otherwise, her tender years and peculiar position rendered her absence preferable to her presence. She was but twelve years old, and it was commonly stated that only a year before had it been deemed wise _fully_ to make her aware of the regal destiny which was before her.

Gossip-mongers--a whole host of whom circulated the most absurd rumours about the Princess from her most tender years until long after she had become Queen--alleged that the real reason of her absence was the fact that her proper place in the ceremony was not a.s.signed to her. The real truth we believe to have been as follows. Since the accession of her uncle Clarence, Victoria had been plunged into a round of gaiety which did not at all comport either with her years or a certain fragility of health, which now for a short time succeeded the fine animal power and spirits of the years preceding. She had been presented at the first drawing-room held by Queen Adelaide, the most magnificent that had been held since the presentation of Charlotte, Princess of Wales, on the occasion of her marriage. This was her first appearance in state. She arrived with her mother, attended by the d.u.c.h.ess of Northumberland, Lady Charlotte St.

Maur, Lady Catherine Jenkinson, the Honourable Mrs. Cust, Lady Conroy, the Baroness Lehzen, Sir J. Conroy, and General Wetherall. Her dress was made entirely of articles manufactured in Great Britain, and consisted of a simple, modest, and becoming blonde frock. She was the great object of interest present, stood on the left of the King, and contemplated the _elite_ of her future subjects with a dignified amiability which charmed every one. On her twelfth birthday, in the same year, she was overwhelmed with presents; amongst others, two beautiful ponies, presented by the d.u.c.h.ess of Gordon, which became especial pets. The Queen gave a juvenile ball in her honour, which Queen Victoria has often talked of in later times, as the scene which of all others made the deepest impression on her childish imagination. Spite of all this, and of the notorious and profuse kindness with which the King and Queen Adelaide had always treated her, many were found to believe that they were jealous of, and meant to slight her. The truth was, that the d.u.c.h.ess of Northumberland, who, at the suggestion of the King himself, had been appointed to the high and important office of governess to the Princess, began to be alarmed at the consequences of so much festivity and excitement. She objected to her frequent attendance at drawing-rooms, and also recommended absence from the fatiguing coronation ceremony.

[Sidenote: THE PRINCESS AND SOUTHEY.]

The selection of this lady for the important office which she filled was a wise one, and the public judgment approved it. She possessed great personal attractions, mental powers of unusual range, and the highest rank. The appointment was by no means a nominal one, or one merely of state. Her visits to Kensington Palace were constant, and she frequently remained there all day. On one occasion, while her Grace was instructing her pupil, Southey called, and was greeted by the Princess and the _gouvernante_ very warmly. He conversed for some time with the ladies; first on poetry, then on history. He afterwards used to state with pride, that the Princess told him that she read his prose and poetical compositions with equal delight. The "Life of Nelson" especially charmed her. "That," she said, "is a delightful book indeed; and I am sure I could read it half a dozen times over." The gossip-mongers also alleged that the d.u.c.h.ess endeavoured to give a political bias to the education of the Princess. Some uneasiness was created at this. But when the matter was properly inquired into, it was ascertained that, neither in the selection of books to be studied, nor in the remarks made upon their text, was the slightest party colour given to the education of the royal pupil of the d.u.c.h.ess. It was while under the care of this lady that the Princess acquired her well-known admirable horsemans.h.i.+p. To Fozard, the best riding-master of the day, was entrusted her tuition in riding. She soon became distinguished by the ease of her carriage, and her truly royal air and demeanour. This was a common subject of admiring remark by distinguished foreigners; amongst others, by Count Orloff, to whom, in 1832, the d.u.c.h.ess of Kent gave a splendid banquet. The Princess, after she was removed from the active care of the d.u.c.h.ess of Northumberland, gave the best proof of her grat.i.tude and sense of the services she had rendered her, by keeping up with her Grace a constant epistolary correspondence.

Wherever she went, in the many tours through England which she made while pa.s.sing through her teens, she wrote letters to the d.u.c.h.ess describing whatever interested and instructed her in what she saw. This correspondence was really a voluntary continuation of her education.

CHAPTER VI

THE PRINCESS IN HER TEENS.

Visits paid to many parts of England--Love of Cathedrals and Church Music--Trip to North Wales and the Midland Counties--Visit to a Cotton Mill--To Oxford--Gala Day at Southampton--Interview with the Young Queen of Portugal--Confirmation of the Princess--Tour to the North--York Musical Festival--At Ramsgate with the King of the Belgians--A n.o.ble Deed at Tunbridge Wells.

In the year subsequent to the coronation of King William, the d.u.c.h.ess of Kent and her daughter spent much time in making visits to various parts of England. We have already seen that they were in the Isle of Wight at the date of the coronation. The same year, they spent some time at Worthing, and visited Lord Liverpool and his daughters at Buxted Park, whence they proceeded to Malvern, where their liberal relief of distress caused them to be much beloved. While at Malvern, they visited the cathedral at Worcester. Cathedrals were especial favourites with the Princess, and Church music gratified her as much as ecclesiastical architecture. To the public inst.i.tutions of the cathedral cities which she visited she was an invariable benefactress, and willingly beggared herself of all her pocket-money that she might be the better able to meet the demands of art, science, literature, and poverty upon her benevolence. This year they also visited Hereford and Bath, and were magnificently entertained by the Earls Somers and Beauchamp, at Eastnor Castle and Maddresfield Court.

[Sidenote: AN AUTUMNAL TOUR.]

In 1831, they sojourned for a time at Claremont, in the Isle of Wight, and at Weymouth. The next year chronicled a more extensive autumnal tour than any hitherto undertaken. To North Wales they repaired first. Having seen its romantic beauties, they reached the ancient city of Chester on the 17th of October and on entering the cathedral were respectfully received and courteously addressed by the Bishop. The d.u.c.h.ess of Kent thus replied to the welcome of the Prelate:--"I cannot better allude to your good feeling towards the Princess than by joining fervently in the wish that she may set an example in her conduct of that piety towards G.o.d, and charity towards man, which is the only sure foundation either of individual happiness or national prosperity." From Chester they proceeded to Eaton Hall, the palatial residence of the Grosvenors and thence to Chatsworth, the still more splendid abode of the Cavendish family. From Chatsworth they went to Belper, where they examined the cotton mills of the Messrs. Strutt, and were most cordially received by the numerous factory hands. Mr. James Strutt, by means of a model, explained to the Princess the several processes of cotton-spinning, which she listened to with keen attention and ready apprehension. The Queen retained a lively and fragrant recollection of this visit; and, years after, she created the son of her _cicerone_ a peer, by the t.i.tle of Lord Belper. The week following they visited Hardwicke Hall, Chesterfield, and Matlock. Thence they proceeded to Shugborough, the seat of the Earl of Lichfield. Their next honoured entertainer was the Earl of Shrewsbury, at Alton Towers.

While there, they visited Lichfield Cathedral and graciously received congratulatory addresses from the clergy and corporation. Their next stage was the seat of Lord Liverpool, who was one of the staunchest friends of the d.u.c.h.ess of Kent, of whom his daughter, Lady Catherine Jenkinson, was one of the Ladies-in-waiting. Proceeding homewards, they honoured with successive visits Earl Powis, the Hon. R. H. Clive, M.P., the Earls of Plymouth and Abingdon. From the seat of the latter they went to Oxford, which city they entered with an escort of yeomanry. The Vice-Chancellor presented an appropriate address in the Theatre, which was crowded with the celebrities of the University. The d.u.c.h.ess of Kent made the following answer:--

We close a most interesting journey by a visit to this University, that the Princess may see, as far as her years will allow, all that is interesting in it. The history of our country has taught her to know its importance by the many distinguished persons who, by their character and talents, have been raised to eminence by the education they have received in it. Your loyalty to the King, and recollection of the favour you have enjoyed under the paternal sway of his house, could not fail, I was sure, to lead you to receive his niece with all the disposition you evince to make this visit agreeable and instructive to her. It is my object to insure, by all means in my power, her being so educated as to meet the just expectation of all cla.s.ses in this great and free country.

Their Royal Highnesses returned to Kensington on the 9th of November.

In 1833, the rambles of mother and daughter did not extend beyond the south coast; Portsmouth, Weymouth, and the Isle of Wight being the respective halting-places. While residing at Norris, East Cowes, they attended the ceremony of opening the new landing-pier at the fast rising port of Southampton. A steamer towed the Royal yacht from Cowes into Southampton Water, where were waiting a deputation, representing the corporation of the town, in an eight-oared barge, with one of the town-sergeants standing with the silver oar in the leads. The deputation having stated the object of the day's ceremonial, the d.u.c.h.ess of Kent replied to the effect that she desired her daughter early to become attached to works of utility. They were then rowed ash.o.r.e, amid the cheers of 25,000 spectators, and entertained at luncheon; subsequently, being requested to name the pier, the d.u.c.h.ess designated it the "Royal Pier."

Countless festivities followed in the evening, and "the townspeople were almost as proud of the presence of the Princess, as of the completion of their pier."

[Sidenote: THE PRINCESS AND A WIDOWED ACTRESS.]

The year 1834 was that in which the Princess was confirmed. This holy rite was administered by the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the Chapel Royal, St.

James's, in July. Next month, mother and daughter visited Tunbridge Wells; the month following they went northwards, visited the Archbishop of York at Bishopsthorpe, and attended the grand musical festival in his cathedral. On their homeward route, they were entertained by the Earls of Harewood and Fitzwilliam, and the Duke of Rutland; pa.s.sed some time with the King and Queen of the Belgians, at Ramsgate, and finally visited the Duke of Wellington at Walmer Castle. An incident which occurred during their stay at Tunbridge, must not be omitted from our biography. The husband of one of the actresses in the small theatre of the place died, leaving an impoverished wife, who was just about to become a mother. The fact came to the knowledge of the Princess, and she applied to her mother for aid. She at once gave 10 to her daughter, who added an equal sum from her own purse; she became her own almoner, hastened to the afflicted woman, conversed with her, and continued to make inquiries about her condition. Nor did this end her care. When she came to the throne, three years later, she at once sent to the poor woman a kindly intimation that an annuity of 40 would be paid to her for life.

Another series of visits, and renewed intercourse with the much-loved uncle and his young Orleanist wife at Ramsgate, filled the autumnal months of 1835.

CHAPTER VII.

EARLY DAYS OF PRINCE ALBERT.

Birth--Melancholy Story of his Mother--Brought up under the Care of his two Excellent Grandmothers--His Winning Ways as a Child--His Tutor, Florschutz--The Brothers, Ernest and Albert--Visit to Brussels, and its Beneficial Effects--Hard Study--Tour through Germany, &c.--First Visit to England, and Meeting with Victoria--Studies at Brussels--Enters the University of Bonn--Tour to Switzerland and Italy--Public Announcement of Betrothal--Leaves Coburg and Gotha for his Marriage.

[Sidenote: THE INFANT COUSINS VICTORIA AND ALBERT.]

Albert, the second son of Duke Ernest I. of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and his wife, the Princess Louise, daughter of the Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, was born at the Rosenau, a charming summer residence belonging to the Duke, about four miles from Coburg, on the 26th of August, 1819. His mother is described as handsome, though of very diminutive proportions, fair, with blue eyes; and her son Albert, whom she idolised, closely resembled her. She was clever and entertaining; yet her marriage was an unhappy one, and a separation took place by mutual consent in 1824, after which date the d.u.c.h.ess never saw her children. Two years later the separation was turned into a divorce. The Prince never forgot her, but spoke of her to his dying day with much tenderness, and the very first gift which he ever made to the Princess Victoria was a little pin which his mother had given him. Not until the Prince was almost a young man did his mother die. When she died her race became extinct, save in the persons of her two sons. Many years later, her remains were brought to Coburg, and laid in the family mausoleum beside the Duke and his second wife. This mausoleum was not completed until 1860, in which year Queen Victoria deposited a votive wreath on the tomb of the mother of her husband. Prince Albert's paternal grandmother, the d.u.c.h.ess Dowager of Coburg, in writing to her daughter, the d.u.c.h.ess of Kent, announcing Albert's birth, lauded his beauty, and--little thinking how the fortunes of the two infant cousins were to be intertwined hereafter--thus concluded her communication:--"How pretty the _May Flower_ (the Princess Victoria, born the preceding May) will be when I see it in a year's time. Siebold cannot sufficiently describe what a dear little love it is. Une bonne fois, adieu! Kiss your husband and children." Siebold was an accoucheuse who had attended at the births of both the children. On the 19th of September the Prince was christened, and thus named:--Francis Charles Augustus Albert Emmanuel.

The young Prince seems to have been adored as a child by all, whether relatives or others, who came in contact with him. "He leads captive,"

said his fond mother, when he was two years old, "all hearts by his beauty and gentle grace." After the sad separation of his father from his mother, the Prince was brought up largely under the care of his father's mother, whom the Queen describes, from personal recollection, as "a most remarkable woman, with a most powerful, energetic, almost masculine mind, accompanied with great tenderness of heart, and extreme love for nature."

Of an evening she used to tell to her two grandchildren, Ernest and Albert, the stories of Sir Walter Scott's novels, and, when they were old enough, employed them in writing letters to her dictation. She fondly described Albert, when he was not yet two years old, by the pet, diminutive name, "Alberinchen." And she says--"With his large blue eyes and dimpled cheeks, he is bewitching, forward, and quick as a weasel. He can already say everything." The step-maternal grandmother of the Prince too, second wife of his maternal grandfather, was sensible, kindly, and good, and took an interest in the children by no means inferior to that displayed by their own grandmother. With the former lady they spent very much of their time in their early years, at Gotha, and at her mansion in the vicinity of that town.

When Albert was not yet four years old he, with his brother, was removed to the care of a tutor, Herr Florschutz, who most admirably discharged his duties, which he continued to fulfil until his pupils had become young men. With the a.s.sistance of masters for special subjects, he conducted the whole of their early educational training, and continued to control their studies until they left the University of Bonn. The two brothers, spite of the difference of about a twelvemonth in their ages, pursued all studies in common, and the closest brotherly love and amity united them from first to last.

[Sidenote: BOYHOOD OF PRINCE ALBERT]

The younger Prince was not nearly so robust as his brother, but his intellect was more vigorous, and his force of will decidedly greater; "he always held," said his uncle Leopold, "accordingly, a certain sway over his elder brother, who rather kindly submitted to it." The Princes were not much, in their early years, with their father, who was much from home, especially when settling the junction of the duchy of Gotha with his own of Coburg. The former he succeeded to partly in right of his wife, and partly by a mutual compact of exchange of territory, entered into with other reigning princes of the old Saxon stock. This period was pa.s.sed by the Princes at Rosenau, with their tutor, varied by visits to the mansions of the two grandmothers.