CHAPTER VI
THE COMING OF THE PRINCE
The coronation ceremonies in Westminster Abbey were, indeed,magnificent, but it must not be supposed that England was satisfiedwith no further celebration of so joyful an event. Throughout the realmthere were for several days fairs, balls, and entertainments of allkinds. London was illuminated, and the theaters were made free to allwho chose to attend them. People's hearts and purses were opened. Therich were not satisfied with having a good time themselves; they wantedthe children of the land and the poor to have a good time also. In manyplaces feasts were given, and one of the most famous of these was heldin a great open field in Cambridge, where more than fourteen thousandpersons were entertained.
In the center of the field was a space for the band, and around it aplatform. Much money had been subscribed for the feast, but thecommittee felt sure that large numbers of people would be ready to payfrom seventy-five cents to one dollar and a half for the privilege ofwalking about on this platform and seeing what was to be seen. Theywere right, for there was "a most fashionable and select company," whopromenaded around the circular platform and watched the feasters.
Sixty tables, each two hundred and thirty feet long, stretched out fromthe central platform like the rays of a star; and when the signal wasgiven, the fourteen thousand persons, poor people and children of allages, marched to their places. It must have been an amusing processionfor each one was obliged to bring his own plate, knife, fork, and mugfor beer. There was roast beef, and there were various other goodthings; but the member of the committee who wrote the account of thedinner seems to have been especially interested in the puddings."Beautiful puddings," he says they were, and he tells just where eachone was boiled. He states, too, that 2475 pounds of raisins were putinto them.
At the end of the dinner, pipes, tobacco, and snuff were passed to thegrown folk. There was a salute of nineteen guns in honor of the Queen'snineteen years. A balloon, which the enthusiastic committeeman calls a"stupendous machine," was sent up, and the health of the Queen wasdrunk. The Sunday-school children sang a song of better intention thanrhyme, which began:
"Victoria! Victoria! We hail thy gentle rule; Victoria! the Patroness Of every Sunday school."
After the singing, came various games and contests. Men tried to climba well-soaped pole to get a leg of mutton which was fastened to thetop. Others were tied into sacks, and jumped as far as possible in theattempt to win a pair of boots. There was a wheelbarrow race run by tenblindfolded men. A pig was offered to the man who could catch theanimal and swing it over his shoulder by the well-greased tail. Mengrinned through horse-collars to see who could make the ugliest faceand so win a pair of new trousers. Six boys with their hands tiedbehind their backs were given penny loaves and molasses, and a new hatwas waiting for the one who ate his loaf first. Other boys with theirhands tied were "bobbing for apples"--that is, trying to lift appleswith their teeth from a tub of water--and another group of boys werestruggling to see who could first swallow a pennyworth of dry biscuit,and so win a new waistcoat. There were foot races and donkey races andhurdle races, and races among men each with one leg tied up. At lastthe day came to an end with fireworks, and all the happy, tired peoplewent home, fully convinced that under this new sovereign their countrywould be more prosperous than ever.
It seems very strange that this Queen who was worshiped by her peoplein the summer of 1838 should in the course of a few months have becomeexceedingly unpopular with some of her subjects, but so it was. Therewere in England two political parties, the Whigs and the Tories. QueenVictoria's sympathies were with the Whigs. They were in power when shecame to the throne, but in the spring of 1839 the Cabinet proposed animportant bill which Parliament refused to make a law. Under suchcircumstances it is the custom for the Prime Minister and the Cabinetto resign, because such a refusal is supposed to signify that thepeople, whom Parliament represents, do not approve of their acts.
When Lord Melbourne told the Queen that he must resign, she felt verybadly. She must stand at the head of a great nation, and the one inwhose advice she had trusted could advise her no longer. The leaders ofthe Tories were "the Duke," as the Duke of Wellington was called, andSir Robert Peel; and Lord Melbourne told her that her wisest coursewould be to ask the Duke to become her Prime Minister and select aCabinet of Tories. The Duke had declared before this that he did notknow what the Tories would do for a Prime Minister if they should comeinto power. "I have no small talk," he said, "and Peel has no manners?"but when the Queen sent for him, of course he obeyed. She asked him tobe her Prime Minister, and said to him honestly: "I cannot help beingvery sorry to make a change and give up my Ministers, especially LordMelbourne, for he has been almost a father to me."
The straightforward old soldier was delighted with her frankness, buthe said: "I am somewhat deaf, and I am too old a man to undertake thiswork and serve you properly. Moreover, it would be much better for onewho can lead the House of Commons to be your Majesty's Prime Minister.I advise you to send for Sir Robert Peel."
Now, this girl of nineteen did not like the man who had "no manners,"but she was a lady as well as a Queen, and when Sir Robert appeared--infull dress, as was required--she received him so courteously that hewent away much pleased, having promised to obey her command and form aCabinet. This was easily done, and the next morning he brought her alist of names.
"But you must not expect me to give up the society of Lord Melbourne,"she said.
"Certainly not," was Peel's reply. "Moreover Lord Melbourne is toohonorable a man to attempt to influence your Majesty in any way againstthe existing government." Sir Robert then suggested several men whom heknew that she liked for various positions of honor in the royalhousehold. Finally he said, perhaps a little bluntly, "It will bedesirable to make some changes in the ladies of your Majesty'shousehold." Then a storm arose.
"I shall not part with any of my ladies," declared the Queen.
"But, your Majesty," said Sir Robert, "most of these ladies are closelyrelated to the former Cabinet Ministers." The Queen would not yield,but she was willing to discuss the subject later with him and the Duke.When they appeared before her, they said: "Your Majesty, the ladies ofthe household are on the same footing as the lords."
"No," declared the Queen, "I have lords besides and I have let you dowith them as you chose. If you had just been put out of office and LordMelbourne had come in, I am sure that he would not have asked me togive up my ladies."
"There are more Whigs than Tories in the House of Commons," said Peel,"and if these ladies who are closely related to prominent Whigs areretained, all Europe will look upon England as the country that isgoverned by a party which the sovereign dislikes and in which she hasno confidence."
"I give you my lords," replied the Queen steadfastly, "but I keep myladies." The two nobles were in a dilemma. According to the Britishconstitution, "The Queen can do no wrong"--that is, not she, but thePrime Minister is held responsible for every public act. Sir Robertcould not remain Prime Minister if the Queen positively refused toyield to a course which he thought necessary.
While the Tory leaders were trying to plan some way out of thedifficulty, the Queen sent a letter to Lord Melbourne which was writtenin much the same way that an indignant young girl would write to herfather. "Do not fear," she said, "that I was not calm and composed.They wanted to deprive me of my ladies, and I suppose they woulddeprive me next of my dressers and housemaids; they wished to treat melike a girl, but I will show them that I am Queen of England."
Lord Melbourne called his Cabinet together in such haste that onemember had to be brought from the opera and another from a dinnerparty. He read them the Queen's letter, and asked, "What shall weadvise?"
"Advise her to give up two or three of her principal ladies," suggestedone, "and perhaps that will satisfy Peel."
"Does anyone know exactly what Peel wants," queried another, "and howmany ladies he demands shall be removed?" This was an exceedinglysensible
question, and if it had been taken to Peel for an answer, thetrouble might have been brought to an end. He would probably have beensatisfied with the resignation of two or three of the strongestpartisans and principal talkers among the ladies; and, although theQueen was insisting upon what she believed was her right, yet much ofher indignation arose from her belief that Peel meant to deprive her ofall who were then her attendants perhaps even the Baroness Lehzen. Thequestion was not taken to Peel, however, and the discussion in theCabinet went on.
"Let us write a letter for the Queen to copy and send to Peel," was thenext suggestion, "saying that she will not consent to a course whichshe believes to be contrary to custom and which is repugnant to herfeelings." This suggestion was adopted. The letter was written, and theQueen copied it to send; but before it reached Sir Robert, he resignedhis position, and Lord Melbourne was again Prime Minister.
This was the famous "Bedchamber Plot," and it aroused all England. LordMelbourne and the Whigs said:
"It is a small matter that the Queen should be allowed to retain herfavorite attendants."
Sir Robert and the Tories replied:
"The Prime Minister is responsible for the acts of the Queen, and it isa large matter if she refuses to follow his advice when he believesthat the good of the realm demands a certain course. She is not theQueen of the whole country, she is only the Queen of the Whigs, and thewhole thing is a plot to keep the Whigs in power."
"_We_ are loyal to our sovereign," declared the Whigs.
"_We_ stand by the constitution of Great Britain not by the whims ofa girl of nineteen," retorted the Tories. The amusing part of thestruggle was that the Whigs had always prided themselves on standing bythe constitution and the rights of the people, while the Tories hadfavored increasing the power of the sovereign; but in those days thequestion was too serious to strike anyone as amusing.
As the weeks of the summer and the early autumn passed, matters onlygrew worse. Victoria was spoken of most contemptuously, and was evenhissed in a public assembly. Mr. Greville wrote in his journal: "TheTories seem not to care one straw for the crown, its dignity or itsauthority, because the head on which it is placed does not nod withbenignity to them." Peel was, of course, above such behavior as that ofsome of his violent partisans, but he must have been somewhat surprisedat developments. He had been afraid that the Queen's opinions andjudgment were so weak that she would be influenced by the talk of a fewladies in attendance and would be unable to judge questions fairly andwithout prejudice; but he had found that, whatever might be the faultsof the young lady on the throne, she could never be accused of havingno will of her own.
During the first two years of her reign, the friends of the Queen werewatching her with much anxiety. She was an unusual girl, with anunusual training, but, after all, she was only a girl, and she hadresponsibilities to meet from which, as Carlyle said, "an archangelmight have shrunk." Her position was all the more dangerous because shewas too young to realize her difficulties; and when trouble arose,there was no one in the land of whom she could ask counsel withoutarousing the enmity of someone else. Everyone who was capable ofadvising her was prominent in one political party or the other. If shehad discussed any of her hard questions with even her own mother, andit had become evident that suggestions had come from the Duchess ofKent, there would have been talk at once of "foreign influence."
Meanwhile, "foreign influence" in the person of the wise King Leopoldwas busily at work. The young Queen had reigned for more than twoyears, and the first novelty of her position had passed. At first ithad been delightful to her to feel that she was "the Queen," and thatshe could do precisely as she chose. Even the Bedchamber Plot hadresulted in her having her own way, in keeping her ladies and the WhigCabinet; but so clear-minded a woman as Queen Victoria must haveseen--as, indeed, she declared some years later--that she had notbehaved like a constitutional monarch, and she knew that thousands ofher subjects were indignant with her.
Never was a loving uncle more shrewd in his affection than this "wisestsovereign in Europe;" for just at this time, when his niece was feelingfar less self-sufficient than she had felt some months earlier, heproposed that Prince Albert and his brother Ernest should pay her avisit. The young men came, bringing with them a letter from the Kingwhich spoke of them in most matter-of-fact terms as "good, honestcreatures, really sensible and trustworthy." The point of the letterwas in its closing sentence, "I am sure that if you have anything torecommend to them, they will be most happy to hear it from you."
The Queen knew very well what this sentence signified, and she was moreready to "recommend" than she would have been some months before. Shehad seen her cousins only once, and that was more than three yearsearlier. Prince Albert was then a lovable boy, and the Princess waswilling that her relatives should understand that she would marry himsome day. When nearly two years had passed and she had become Queen,she felt much older and more mature; but she thought of her cousin asstill a boy. She expected to marry him some time in the future, but shewas not willing to permit even any formal engagement at that time. KingLeopold wrote urging her to make some "decisive arrangement" for thefollowing year. The Queen replied: "Albert and I are both too young tothink of marriage at present. He does not know English well enough, andthere are other studies which he needs to pursue."
King Leopold saw that it was of no use to press the question further atthat time, and he told the Prince that the marriage would have to bepostponed for a few years. The Prince saw the truth in Victoria'sobjections. He knew that his position in England would demand all theskill and knowledge that he could acquire, and he admitted that herarguments were strong.
"You understand, and you will wait?" asked his uncle.
"Yes," answered the Prince, "I will wait, if I have only some certainassurance to go on; but I do not want to be left in the ridiculousposition of Queen Elizabeth's suitors. I do not want all Europe talkingfor years about my marriage and then laughing at the announcement thatVictoria never meant to marry me."
Another year passed. Then came the Bedchamber trouble. King Leopoldwatched every item of news from England. "Now is the time," said thesagacious King to himself, and he proposed the visit.
There had been little correspondence between the cousins. Prince Alberthad sent the Princess sketches of the places that he had visited in histravels, and when she became Queen, he wrote her a somewhat formallittle letter, reminding her that the happiness of millions lay in herhands, and closing rather primly, "I will not be indiscreet and abuseyour time." Victoria must have had in her mind a picture of her cousinthat was a strange combination of a serious young man somewhat given tosermonizing and the stout, merry boy of seventeen who had slipped downto the floor of his carriage and pushed his dog's head up to the windowwhen people pressed around to see the Prince.
With these two conflicting notions in her thoughts, the Queen went tothe head of the staircase in Windsor Palace to welcome her "two dearcousins." The stout boy had vanished but in his place stood a tall,manly, handsome young man, with a cheery, thoughtful face. Two dayslater a letter went from the Queen to "Uncle Leopold," which said, "Mydear Uncle, Albert is fascinating." Then she remembered that she hadtwo cousinly guests and added, "The young men are very amiable,delightful companions, and I am very glad to have them here."
King Leopold wrote at once, "I am sure you will like the cousins themore, the longer you see them." Then he talked about the Prince."Albert is full of talent and fun and draws cleverly. May he be able tostrew roses without thorns on the pathway of life of our good Victoria!He is well qualified to do so."
While the hopeful uncle was writing this letter, Victoria was talkingwith Lord Melbourne.
"My lord," she said, "I have made up my mind at last, and I am ready tomarry Prince Albert whenever he wants me."
"I am very glad of it," replied her fatherly friend. "You will be muchmore comfortable; for a woman cannot stand alone for any time, inwhatever position she may be."
"Do you think tha
t my people will be pleased?" she asked.
"I believe that they will," he replied, for he knew very well how eagerthey were for her marriage. No one liked the Duke of Cumberland, whowas now King Ernest of Hanover, but if the Queen died without children,he would come over to England and wear the English crown as well asthat of Hanover. The feeling against him was so strong that it had evenbeen proposed in Parliament to make a law forbidding him ever to occupythe throne.
On the fourth morning of their visit, the two Princes went hunting. Itwas a long forenoon to the Queen, for she had what she afterwardscalled a "nervous" thing to do. They came back at noon, but they hadhardly time to change their hunting clothes before a message wasbrought to Prince Albert that the Queen wished to see him.
Now, royal etiquette forbade that this Prince of a little German duchyshould ask the sovereign of Great Britain for her hand; so when Albertreached the Queen's apartments, he was obliged to wait until she hadspoken.
"I think you must know why I wished you to come," she said shyly. ThePrince had still to keep silent; he could only bow, but his bow musthave expressed a great deal, for she went on bravely: "It will make mevery happy if you will consent to what I wish."
In just what form the Prince made his reply the Queen did not reveal,but it was evidently satisfactory, for she wrote, "He is perfection inevery way." That very day she sent a letter to King Leopold in whichshe said: "I am so much bewildered by it all that I hardly know how towrite. But I do feel very happy."
A few weeks before this time she had written Baron Stockmar that shecould not think of marrying for three or four years, but that very dayshe wrote him: "I _do_ feel so guilty, I know not how to begin myletter, but I think the news it will contain will be sufficient toinsure your forgiveness. Albert has completely won my heart, and allwas settled between us this morning I feel certain that he will make mevery happy. I wish I could say," continued the modest little sovereignof Great Britain, "that I felt as certain of making him happy, but Ishall do my best."
Prince Albert, too, had some letters to write; and as Victoria hadwritten to King Leopold, his first was to Baron Stockmar. After tellingof his happiness and of his love for the Queen, he wrote: "I cannotwrite more, I am too much bewildered." It certainly was bewildering. Hehad been told not long before that the Queen was determined not tomarry for three or four years at any rate, and that she would notconsent to any formal engagement. He had come to England with adetermination to insist either that she should recognize the informalengagement between them or that it should be broken off.
The Duchess of Kent had loved Albert from the first, and she was veryhappy in the thought of the marriage. She and the Baroness Lehzen,together with Lord Melbourne and Prince Albert's brother, were the onlyones in England who knew the secret until five or six weeks had passed.Then came a difficult five minutes for the young Queen. She had to meether Council of eighty middle-aged men and tell them of her engagement.It is no wonder that she "hardly knew who was there." The picture ofthe Prince in her bracelet gave her courage, and though Lord Melbournewas far down the room, she caught a kind look from him and saw thetears of sympathy in his eyes. Her fingers trembled, but she sooncontrolled herself and read: "It is my intention to ally myself inmarriage with the Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha." She wentthrough the rest of the paper with her usual clear, sweet voice, andone of the Councilors wrote of the event: "Certainly she did look asinteresting and as handsome as any young lady I ever saw."
When the reading of the paper was finished, the Lord President asked:"Have we your Majesty's permission to publish this declaration?" TheQueen bowed and left the Council Chamber. About two months later shehad something even harder to do; she had to open Parliament and askthat an income should be granted to the Prince. Another matter also hadto be settled, and that was what position he should hold in England.Whether he should enter a room before or after dukes, earls, andmembers of the royal family was a question that gave rise to muchdiscussion. These two questions were not settled as the Queen wished,for the sum granted to the Prince was but three-fifths of what herMinisters had asked, and Parliament refused to pass a law giving himprecedence next to herself. The Duke of Wellington said, "Let the Queenput the Prince just where she wishes him to be;" and this she did, asfar as England was concerned, by issuing an order in Council that heshould stand next to herself. Some of her royal relatives wereindignant and King Ernest declared positively that he would never giveprecedence to the younger brother of a German duke. "I won't give wayto any paper royal highness," he declared. The Queen was both hurt andangry at these decisions but Prince Albert's only fear was lest theyindicated objection to the marriage on the part of the English, and hewrote: "While I possess your love, they cannot make me unhappy."
A little more than a week after this letter was written, the day of thewedding came. It had been the custom to celebrate royal weddings in theevening, though other weddings must by law take place before noon; buton this, as on most other subjects, the Queen had a very definiteopinion. "I wish to be married as my subjects are married," she said,"and the ceremony must be at noon."
"Is it the will of your Majesty that the word 'obey' be omitted fromthe promise that you make to the Prince?" asked the Archbishop ofCanterbury.
"No," she answered with decision. "I am not to be married as a queen,but as a woman."
The wedding day was stormy, but that made little difference to bride,groom, or any of the brilliant company assembled in the Chapel of St.James'. The Prince wore the uniform of a British field-marshal, withthe collar of the Garter, and looked exceedingly handsome. As he cameinto the Chapel, the organ burst out into the strains of "See, theConquering Hero Comes." He stood by the altar waiting for his bride,and in a short time she appeared, escorted by the Lord Chamberlain. Shewore a dress of heavy white satin, woven in England. Her veil had madescores of poor women happy, for she had ordered it of the lace-makersof Honiton in Devon. She wore no crown, but only a wreath of orangeblossoms. She had diamond earrings and necklace, and a few diamonds inher hair. Twelve bridesmaids in white tulle and white roses bore hertrain; and a hard time they had, for, although it was six yards long,they found it too short for so many bearers. One of them wrote: "Wewere all huddled together, and scrambled rather than walked along,kicking each other's heels and treading on each other's gowns."
Albert, Prince Consort, in the uniform of a fieldmarshal.]
At the moment the ring was placed on the Queen's finger, the guns inthe Park and at the Tower were fired, and the bells rang out theirmerriest peals. When the ceremony was over, the party returned toBuckingham Palace for a wedding breakfast. The bridesmaid who wrote theaccount of the wedding said that Prince Albert "seemed a little nervousabout getting into the carriage with a lady with a tail six yardslong," but they all reached the palace in safety. After the breakfastthe sunshine at last beamed down upon them, and the young couple spedaway for their honeymoon at Windsor Castle.