Queen Victoria (25 page)

“WINDSOR CASTLE,
December
26th
, 1871.

“The Queen is very anxious to express her deep sense of the touching sympathy of the whole nation on the occasion of the alarming illness of her dear son the Prince of Wales. The universal feeling shown by her people during those painful, terrible days, and the sympathy evinced by them with herself and her beloved daughter the Princess of Wales, as well as the general joy in the improvement of the Prince of Wales’s state, have made a deep and lasting impression upon her heart which can never be effaced. It was, indeed, nothing new to her, for the Queen had met with the same sympathy when, just ten years ago, a similar illness removed from her side the best, wisest, and kindest of husbands.

“The Queen wishes to express, at the same time, on behalf of the Princess of Wales, her feelings of heartfelt gratitude, for she has been as deeply touched as the Queen by the great and universal manifestations of loyalty and sympathy.

“The Queen cannot conclude without expressing her hope that her faithful subjects will continue their prayers to God for the complete recovery of her dear son to health and strength.”

This letter addressed to her subjects aroused among the people a deep feeling. Each one read it as a personal acknowledgment, and the warmth of affection to their Sovereign and family was manifested by the spontaneity and sincerity of the national thanksgiving for the restoration to health of the Prince of Wales, which was held on the 27th of February, 1872. This service had at first been arranged more as a private act of devotion on the part of the Queen and her household; but it assumed, day by day, the proportions of a national festival, until it culminated in the grandest outburst of unanimous popular emotion which had been witnessed since the times of the Tudors.

Two
days
after
the
ceremony
at
St
.
Paul’s
,
the
following
letter
was
published
in the
London
Gazette
: -

“BUCKINGHAM PALACE,
February
29th, 1872.

“The Queen is anxious, as on a previous occasion, to express publicly her
own
personal
very
deep
sense of the reception she and her dear children met with on Tuesday, February 27th, from millions of her subjects on her way to and from St. Paul’s.

“Words are too weak for the Queen to say how very deeply touched and gratified she has been, by the immense enthusiasm and affection exhibited towards her dear son and herself, from the highest down to the lowest, on the long progress through the capital, and she would earnestly wish to convey her warmest, and most heartfelt thanks, to the whole nation for this great demonstration of loyalty.

“The Queen, as well as her son and her dear daughter-in-law, felt that the whole nation joined with them in thanking God for sparing the beloved Prince of Wales’s life.

“The remembrance of this day, and of the remarkable order maintained throughout, will for ever be affectionately remembered by the Queen and her family.”

Another period of deep suspense and anxiety, fortunately coming, like the illness of the Prince of Wales, to a joyful termination, was the Egyptian war of 1882, which brought home to Her Majesty the anxiety and suspense inseparable from those who have near and dear relations in the field. The Queen has always watched the movements of her brave sailors and soldiers with a tender and anxious care; but it was not till September, 1882, that one of her own sons was under fire in a distant land. An English army had been despatched to Egypt to assist the Khedive in the subjugation of his rebellious army under Arabi Pasha. The troops were commanded by Sir Garnet, now Lord, Wolseley, and under him the Duke of Connaught was in command of the brigade of Guards. The Egyptian army, in a strongly entrenched position at Tel-el-Kebir, awaited the final attack of the British troops, which was delivered on the 12th of September. In “More Leaves from the Journal” the Queen writes: -

“
Monday
,
September
11, 1882.

“Received a telegram in cypher from Sir John McNeill (who was on the Duke’s personal staff), marked
very
secret
, saying that it was ‘determined to attack the enemy with a very large force on Wednesday.’ How anxious this made us, God only knows; and yet this long delay had already intensified our suspense. No one to know, though all expected something at the time.”

“
Tuesday
,
September
12th.

“… I prayed earnestly for my darling child, and longed for the morrow to arrive. Read Korner’s beautiful Gebet vor der Schlacht, ‘Vater, ich riife Dich’ (Prayer before the battle, ‘Father, I call on Thee’). My beloved husband used to sing it often. My thoughts were entirely fixed on Egypt and the coming battle. My nerves were strained to such a pitch by the intensity of my anxiety and suspense that they seemed to feel as though they were all alive.”

“
Wednesday
,
September
13th.

Took my short walk and breakfasted in the cottage. Had a telegram that the army marched out last night. What an anxious moment!… Another telegram, also from Reuter, saying that fighting was going on, and that the enemy had been routed with heavy losses at Tel-el-Kebir. Much agitated.

“On coming in got a telegram from Sir John McNeill, saying, ‘A great victory; Duke safe and well.’ Sent all to Louischen (the Duchess of Connaught). The excitement was very great. Felt unbounded joy and gratitude for God’s great goodness and mercy… A little later, just before two, came the following most welcome and gratifying telegram from Sir Garnet Wolseley: -

“‘ISMALIA,
September
13th, 1882.

“‘Attacked Arabi’s position at five this morning. His strongly entrenched position was most bravely and gallantly stormed by the Guards and line, while cavalry and horse artillery worked round their left flank. At seven o’clock I was in complete possession of his whole camp… Enemy completely routed, and his losses have been very heavy; also regret to say we have suffered severely. Duke of Connaught is well and behaved admirably, heading his brigade to the attack.’

“Brown brought the telegrams, and followed me to Beatrice’s room, where Louischen was, and I showed it to her. I was myself quite upset, and embraced her warmly, saying what joy and pride and cause of thankfulness it was to know our darling was safe, and so much praised! I feel quite beside myself for joy and gratitude, though grieved to think of our losses, which, however, have not proved to be so serious as first reported. We were both much overcome… A telegram from Sir Garnet Wolseley to Mr. Childers, with fuller accounts, arrived. The loss, thank God! is not so heavy as we feared at first. A bonfire was to be lit by my desire at the top of
Craig
Govoan
at nine, just where there had been one in 1856, after the fall of Sebastopol, when dearest Albert went up to it at night with Bertie and Affie. That was on September 13th, very nearly the same time, twenty-six years ago.” That very day, a few hours afterwards, the Duke of Albany arrived with his bride.

On the 23rd of September, 1872, the Queen received the distressing news of the death, at Baden-Baden, of her sister, the Dowager Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. The declining health of the Princess had been for some time a source of anxiety, but so rapid a termination of the illness was unexpected and was a painful shock to Her Majesty, who lost a most affectionate sister to whom she had always been warmly attached.

Six years later, came a yet deeper sorrow, when the first of the Queen’s own children was to follow the husband and father into the silent land - Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse, who had been taken ill on the 7th of December, 1878, with diphtheria, caught in attendance upon her husband and upon her children, all of whom, except Princess Elizabeth, now the Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia, had suffered, and one of whom had died from the illness. Her own sufferings were borne with wonderful patience, and at first it was believed that her life might be spared; but it was not to be, and on the fatal 14th December she died, murmuring to herself, “From Friday to Saturday, four weeks - May - dear Papa - !” It was exactly four weeks to the day since her child, Princess Marie, known to her family by the pet name of May, had died, and seventeen years since the death of the Prince Consort. In her grief the Queen had the warm sympathy of the whole nation, which well remembered the devotion of the Princess to her father in the illness from which he died, and to her brother during that from which he mercifully recovered. In the land of her adoption her loss was equally deplored, for there she had won the love of the people by her constant care for their interests, more especially during the trying times of the Franco-German War, when the sick and wounded learned to bless her name as their comforter and friend. Her remains were laid to rest in the mausoleum at Rosenhohe, where a tomb, bearing a recumbent effigy by Boehm, representing the Princess holding in her arms the Princess Marie, is now placed. This effigy was copied from that which adorns the mausoleum of the Prince Consort at Frogmore. A memorial of another kind is to be found in the “Biographical Sketch and Letters of the Princess,” so ably edited by her sister, Princess Helena, Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, in which it can be seen that the love of husband and children, only deepened the affection which she had for her loved and widowed mother.

The following letter from the Queen appeared in the
London
Gazette
: -

“OSBORNE,
December
26th
, 1878.

“The Queen is anxious to take the earliest opportunity of expressing publicly her heartfelt thanks for the universal and most touching sympathy shown to her by all classes of her loyal and faithful subjects on the present occasion, when it has pleased God to call from this world her dearly-beloved daughter, the Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse. Overwhelmed with grief at the loss of a dear child, who was a bright example of loving tenderness, courageous devotion, and self-sacrifice to duty, it is most soothing to the Queen’s feelings to see how entirely her grief is shared by her people. The Queen’s deeply afflicted son-in-law, the Grand Duke of Hesse, is also anxious to make known his sincere gratitude for the kind feelings expressed towards himself and his dear children in their terrible bereavement, and his gratification at the appreciation shown by the people of England of the noble and endearing qualities of her whom all now mourn. Seventeen years ago, at this very time, when a similar bereavement crushed the Queen’s happiness, and this beloved and lamented daughter was her great comfort and support, the nation evinced the same touching sympathy, as well as when, in December, 1871, the Prince of Wales was at the point of death. Such an exhibition of true and tender feeling will ever remain engraven on the Queen’s heart, and is more to be valued at this moment of great distress in the country, which no one more deeply deplores than the Queen herself.”

At the funeral of the Princess Alice, two of her brothers were present - the eldest, whose recovery she had herself witnessed, and the youngest, who was fated to follow her. Prince Leopold had, from his early years, been always of delicate constitution - as the Princess Alice had said, he had been three times given back to his family from the brink of the grave. Living a retired and studious life, he gave promise of succeeding to his father’s position as head of all progressive movements in literature and art. Trained while young at home, in 1872 he went, at his own particular wish, to Oxford, and matriculated at Christ Church. Here he mixed freely with those of his own age, but he equally cultivated the society of those older in years who were distinguished in literature and science. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1874, and later received a commission in the army and the command of the Seaforth Highlanders. In the debates of the House of Lords, which he entered as Duke of Albany in 1881, he took little part, though his interest in the politics of the day was keen and intelligent, but he made a great reputation as a public speaker, particularly in London, and at Manchester, where he pleaded the cause of music and of education. His health, as he grew older, so much improved, that it was hoped he might be able to throw off his constitutional weakness; but after two years of married happiness he died suddenly at Cannes, on the 28th of March, 1884, leaving his widow with one daughter. A son was born to him, after his death, on the 19th of July. His remains were brought over to England, and he now lies in the Albert Chapel at Windsor, within the sound of the organ he loved so well when alive. A most touching tribute to his memory is the poem called “The Untravelled Traveller,” by Dean Stanley, originally written in 1875, and reprinted at the time of his death.

On the eve of her departure for the Continent to be present at the marriage of her grand-daughter Princess Victoria of Hesse with Prince Louis of Battenberg, the Queen, through the Home Secretary, addressed the following letter to her people: -

“WINDSOR CASTLE,
April
14th, 1884.

“I have on several previous occasions given personal expression to my deep sense of the loving sympathy and loyalty of my subjects in all parts of my Empire. I wish, therefore, in my present grievous bereavement, to thank them most warmly for the very gratifying manner in which they have shown not only their sympathy with me and my dear so-deeply-afflicted daughter-inlaw, and my other children, but also their high appreciation of my beloved son’s great qualities of head and heart, and of the loss he is to the country and to me. The affectionate sympathy of my loyal people, which has never failed me in weal or woe, is very soothing to my heart.

“Though much shaken and sorely afflicted by the many sorrows and trials which have fallen upon me during these past years, I will not lose courage, and, with the help of Him who has never forsaken me, will strive to labour on for the sake of my children, and for the good of the country I love so well, as long as I can.