Queen Victoria (7 page)

The same impression was conveyed by her demeanour at her high Council on the day following, at St. James’s; here, at 10 o’clock, the new monarch was formally proclaimed Queen of Great Britain and Ireland. The quadrangle of the Palace in front of the window where Her Majesty was to appear was filled by her loyal subjects, conspicuous among whom was Daniel O’Connell, waving his hat and cheering vociferously. A salute was fired in St. James’s Park, and the Queen appeared at the window of the Presence Chamber, beneath which were posted the heralds, headed by the Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshal of England, and Sir William Woods (father of the present Garter King-at-Arms), the Sergeants-at-Arms, and State trumpeters. Sir William Woods, acting Garter King-at-Arms, read the Proclamation announcing the Queen’s accession, and ending with the words “to whom we do acknowledge all faith and constant obedience, with all hearty and humble affection, beseeching God, by whom all Kings and Queens do reign, to bless the royal Princess Victoria with long and happy years to reign over us. God save the Queen.” The band of the Guards then played the National Anthem amid the cheers of the crowd.

The second Council was held at noon, of which Greville writes: “She presided with as much ease as if she had been doing nothing else all her life, and though Lord Lansdowne and my colleague had contrived between them to make some confusion with the Council papers, she was not put out by it. She looked very well, and though so small in stature, and without much pretension to beauty, the gracefulness of her manner and the good expression of her countenance, give her on the whole a very agreeable appearance, and with her youth inspire an excessive interest in all who approach her, and which I can’t help feeling myself. After the Council she received the Archbishops and Bishops, and after them the Judges.” Crabb Robinson, in his diary, relates an incident which proves that, though the Queen could behave with extraordinary dignity when it was required, she had not lost the gaiety and spirit of her youth. “The Bishop of London told Amyot,” he says, “that when the Bishops were first presented to the Queen, she received them with all possible dignity and then retired. She passed through a glass door, and, forgetting its transparency, was seen to run off like a girl as she is… This is just as it should be. If she had not now the high spirits of a girl of eighteen, we should have less reason to hope she would turn out a sensible woman at thirty.”

On the morning of her accession one of the first acts of the new Queen was to write a letter of condolence to her widowed Aunt Adelaide, now Queen Dowager. This she addressed to “Her Majesty, the Queen;” it was pointed out that the correct address would have the additional word “Dowager,” but she refused to make the alteration, saying, “I will not be the first person to remind her of it.” Greville remarks of this, “Conyngham, when he came to her with the intelligence of the King’s death, brought a request from the Queen Dowager that she might be permitted to remain at Windsor till after the funeral, and she has written a letter couched in the kindest terms, begging her to consult nothing but her own health and convenience, and to remain at Windsor just as long as she pleases. In short, she appears to act with every sort of good taste and good feeling, as well as good sense, and as far as it has gone nothing can be more favourable than the impression she has made, and nothing can promise better than her manner and conduct… The young Queen, who might well be either dazzled or confounded with the grandeur and novelty of her situation, seems neither the one nor the other, and behaves with a propriety and decorum beyond her years.”

Of all the letters and congratulations received at this time by the Queen, we may well believe that the most welcome was that from her cousin, Prince Albert, who, on hearing of the late King’s death, wrote instantly as follows: -

Bonn,
26th
June
, 1837.

“MY DEAREST COUSIN, - I must write you a few lines to present you my sincerest felicitations on that great change which has taken place in your life. Now you are the Queen of the mightiest land of Europe, in your hand lies the happiness of millions. May Heaven assist you and strengthen you with its strength in that high and difficult task. I hope that your reign may be long, happy, and glorious, and that your efforts may be rewarded by the thankfulness and love of your subjects. May I pray you to think, likewise, sometimes of your cousins in Bonn, and to continue to them that kindness you favoured them with till now. Be assured that our minds are always with you. I will not be indiscreet and abuse your time. Believe me, always, your Majesty’s most obedient and faithful servant,

“ALBERT.”

This is the first letter written by the Prince in English, and shows what proficiency he had made in the language so soon to be his own. “How much,” says one who had deeply studied his character, “of the Prince’s great nature is visible in it - though addressed to a young and powerful Queen, there is not a word of flattery in it. His first thought is of the great responsibility of the position, the happiness of the millions that was at stake. Then comes the anxious hope that the reign may be glorious, and then how gracefully and naturally the tender regard of an affectionate relation comes in at the last.” To his father, at the same time, he writes, “The death of the King of England has everywhere caused the greatest sensation. From what Uncle Leopold, as well as Aunt, writes to us, the new reign has begun most successfully. Cousin Victoria is said to have shown astonishing self-possession. She undertakes a heavy responsibility, especially at the present moment, when parties are so excited, and all rest their hopes on her. Poor Aunt has again been violently attacked in the newspapers, but she has also found strenuous supporters.”

On the 13th of July, the Queen and the Duchess of Kent, greatly to the regret of the loyal subjects of the royal suburb, took their departure from Kensington to take up their residence at Buckingham Palace, formerly known as the Queen’s House, having been bought by George III, and settled on Queen Charlotte, in lieu of Somerset House, the ancient home of the Queens of England. It was rebuilt by George IV, but not completed till the reign of William IV, who disliked it extremely, and never lived there. The Queen was greeted with hearty cheers, and seemed to leave with much regret the place of her birth and the home of her childhood. From Buckingham Palace four days later, she went in state to dissolve Parliament; the route from the Palace to the House of Parliament was densely thronged to see the young Queen, who was dressed, on this occasion, in white, with a tiara of brilliants, and wore the ribbon of the Garter over her shoulder. At three o’clock she entered the House of Lords and ascended the throne; when, prompted by Lord Melbourne, who stood by her side, she desired the Lords to be seated. Her Majesty then read her speech, with that clear intonation for which her voice has always been distinguished, concluding by saying, “I ascend the throne with a deep sense of the responsibility which is imposed upon me; but I am supported by the consciousness of my own right intentions, and by my dependence upon the protection of Almighty God. It will be my care to strengthen our institutions, civil and ecclesiastical, by discreet improvement, wherever improvement is required; and to do all in my power to compose and allay animosity and discord. Acting upon these principles, I shall, upon all occasions, look with confidence to the wisdom of Parliament and the affections of my people, which form the true support of the dignity of the Crown, and ensure the stability of the Constitution.” Among those present in the House of Lords was Fanny Kemble, than whom no one could have been more competent to give an opinion on elocution: “The enunciation was as perfect as the intonation was melodious, and I think it is impossible to hear a more excellent utterance than that of the Queen’s English by the English Queen.” The American statesman, Charles Sumner, was also present, and has recorded his own impression: “Her voice is sweet and finely modulated, and she pronounced every word distinctly and with a just regard to its meaning; I think I never heard anything better read in my life than her speech.”

On the 22nd of the following month the Queen removed with the Court to Windsor Castle, where she soon had the pleasure of welcoming her uncle, King Leopold, and his consort, Queen Louise. Of this first sojourn at Windsor some interesting details are preserved in the diary of the late Sir Charles Murray, who was then a newly-appointed Groom-in-Waiting, from which post he was shortly afterwards promoted to be Master of the Household. On his arrival at Windsor, he writes, “I was presented and kissed hands, after which I joined the cavalcade, consisting of twenty-five or thirty equestrians, and we made a promenade about the Great Park for two hours. There was little or no form or ceremony observed as to precedence. The Queen rode generally in front, accompanied by the Queen of the Belgians (who was here on a short visit with her royal husband), and the King, the Duchess of Kent, and now and then she called up Lords Conyngham, Wellington, or Melbourne to ride beside her. Her Majesty’s seat on horseback is easy and graceful, and the early habit of command observable in all her movements and gestures, is agreeably relieved by the gentle tone of voice, and the natural playfulness, with which she addresses her relatives or the ladies about her. I never saw a more quick or observant eye. In the course of the ride it glanced occasionally over every individual of the party, and I am sure that neither absence nor impropriety of any kind could escape detection. At halfpast seven the guests and the household again met Her Majesty in the corridor, and we proceeded to dinner, the arrangements for which were handsome and without parade. The ladies retired to the drawingroom, and we followed in a quarter of an hour. The band was in attendance at and after dinner, and played some excellent music, chiefly of Rossini and Bellini. During the evening Her Majesty conversed with her principal guests. She also played two games at draughts with the Queen of the Belgians, both of which she gained.
Quod
felix
faustumque
omen
. There was a whist table, consisting of the Duchess of Kent, the King of the Belgians, Duke of Wellington, and Lilford.”

A few days after he writes: “We rode out at four, and as the King and Queen of the Belgians were of the party, we went rather slow and had but a short ride… Our young Queen’s manner to King Leopold is most respectful and affectionate; indeed, her manner to everyone about her is perfectly winning and appropriate, and her countenance lights up with the most agreeable and intelligent expression possible. September 10th. - This being Sunday we accompanied Her Majesty to the Chapel, and the party included her royal visitors, as well as the Chancellor, the Premier, Master of the Horse,
etc.
In the afternoon she took a short drive in the Great Park, and I went out on the terrace, which presented a very gay and beautiful appearance, as the bands both of the Grenadier and Life Guards were playing near the new fountain, and all the officers of the two regiments, as well as the belles of Windsor and the neighbourhood, were enjoying their holiday promenade. At dinner I had a very interesting conversation with Baroness Lehzen, who has been for many years Her Majesty’s governess and preceptress. I know of nothing more creditable to herself or to her illustrious pupil, than the fact that one of the first acts of her reign, was to secure and retain her preceptress in an honourable situation about her own person. Her Majesty treats the Baroness with the most kind and affectionate confidence, and the latter tells me that she has carefully copied every letter of
private
correspondence of her young mistress, both before and since her coming to the throne; but that, since she has been Queen, Her Majesty has
never
shown her one letter of Cabinet or State documents, nor has she spoken to her, nor to any woman about her, upon party or political questions. As Queen she reserves all her confidence for her official advisers, while, as a woman, she is frank, gay, and unreserved as when she was a young girl. What a singular and excellent judgment is shown in this - Heaven grant it may be kept up, and rewarded by the affection and prosperity of her Subjects. I had a long conversation with her on the 24th, while riding, chiefly on the subject of modern languages. She speaks French perfectly, and both reads and understands German, but does not like speaking it. Her Majesty is also a good Italian scholar. Her conversation is very agreeable; both her ideas and language are natural and original, while there is a latent independence of mind and strength of judgment discernible through the feminine gentleness of tone in which her voice is pitched. Every day that I have passed here has increased my admiration of the excellent judgment shown by
Mme.
de Lehzen in her education, and of the amiable and grateful feeling evinced by Her Majesty towards her governess. It does the highest honour to both. There is another person in the household whose character it is not easy to penetrate or to describe, Baron Stockmar. He is certainly possessed of great abilities, but is silent and reserved, while his general state of health seems almost to preclude the possibility of his being lively or communicative. At dinner he eats nothing, and talks less than he eats; but I observe that he holds quiet conversations with Lord Melbourne and Palmerston in the morning, and I should think it likely that he was much in the confidence of the Queen. He is a most intimate and faithful friend of the King of the Belgians. A day or two ago, she (the Queen) inspected the Life Guards and Grenadiers, on horseback, accompanied by the Duchess of Kent, Lord Hill, Conyngham, and the rest of her Suite. She was dressed in a habit of the Windsor uniform, and wore a military cap, with a gold band passing under the chin. As the several companies and squadrons passed and saluted her, she raised her hand and returned the salute of each; and the grave earnestness of her manner, as well as the graceful self-possession of her attitude, struck me particularly.”

These graphic details give a pleasing impression of the routine of the Court life, and, indeed, with a few alterations, a tolerably accurate description of the manner in which the time is passed at the present day. Here, also, is recorded the first impression made on a shrewd observer by that remarkable man who afterwards so unobtrusively, but so powerfully, influenced the conduct of affairs in the British Court, by his profound knowledge and practical wisdom.