A.D. 1840. Meanwhile the queen summoned her privy council and announced to them her marriage engagement, and, at the opening of parliament in January, she repeated the announcement from the throne. She had the satisfaction of finding that her choice of a husband was universally approved of, and time proved that she could scarcely have made a wiser one; for there is probably no queen who ever had as happy a married life as Victoria.
Baron Stockmar was sent to England, as the prince's representative, to settle the terms of the treaty of marriage, and to arrange the prince's future establishment there. A letter to the queen concerning his household shows how sensible the prince was, especially in his determination to side with no party? He says: "I should wish particularly that the selection be made without regard to politics; for, if I am really to keep myself free from all parties, my people must not belong exclusively to one side. Let the men be of very high rank or very accomplished or very clever, or persons who have performed important services for England. It is necessary that they should be chosen from both sides,—the same number of Whigs as of Tories; and, above all, it is my wish that they should be men of high character and well educated. I am satisfied you will look upon this matter as I do; and I shall be much pleased if you will communicate what I have said to Lord Melbourne, so that he may be fully aware of my views."
Now arose three points of discussion in England before the marriage treaty could be signed. They were, first, religion,—a report having been circulated that the prince was inclined to Catholicism. It was soon shown that he and all his family were Protestants, and that there was no essential difference between the communion services of the German and English churches.
Second, the annuity,—which, after considerable debate between the two political parties, was fixed at thirty thousand pounds, though the queens of the three preceding sovereigns, as well as the Princess Charlotte when she married Prince Leopold, had been granted fifty thousand. The prince felt disturbed when he heard of this diminution in his allowance, not so much because of his desire for money as because it struck him as a sign that the English people were not pleased with the marriage. However, Baron Stockmar, with his usual thoughtfulness, wrote a letter to the prince, explaining that it was only on account of the commercial distress throughout the country, and not from any personal motives, that parliament had decided as it did.
The third point of discussion was more a matter of feeling, particularly with regard to the bride, because it was a question of precedence and rank. The English Constitution made clear the position of the wife of a king, who had the highest rank next to her husband, but said nothing on this point about the husband of the queen-regnant. It was easily settled, however, and gave the prince the first place after the queen, although it was not until many years after the marriage that the title of prince-consort was formally granted to him.
An enthusiastic welcome awaited Prince Albert on his arrival in England, and the people streamed out of every town and village on the road to cheer him. The impression he made was most favorable, and all those who were not prejudiced by party feeling soon liked him thoroughly.
The marriage took place on the tenth of February, and thousands of the queen's subjects lined the roads between Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, to view the bridal procession on its way to and from the chapel. The young couple spent three days quietly at Windsor, and then returned to London.
Although the prince occupied the first position of any gentleman in the kingdom, a few members of the royal family disputed his right of precedency and that was a source of disquietude, which was felt also whenever he travelled on the continent with the queen. Then in his own household his position was not at first clearly defined, and that was excessively disagreeable to a man of the prince's character. In May he wrote to his friend, the Prince von Lowenstein: "In my home life I am very happy and contented; but the difficulty in filling my place with the proper dignity is that I am only the husband, and not the master, in the house." It was his aim to become the queen's private secretary and chief adviser, and to assume control of the royal household. He desired no power for himself, but studied English law and politics, that he might be able to assist and advise his wife with regard to any difficult question that might be brought before her; in short, to be the head of his family and household. And he succeeded, not in a day, but in course of time, and by the exercise of great tact and self-control. He had decided opinions, and was never indifferent to the foreign or domestic relations of his adopted country; but he never directly interfered with the machinery of the government or the duties of the sovereign. He devoted himself nobly and unselfishly to the task of doing all the good in his power towards making his wife's reign a prosperous and happy one to the nation.
His path was made smoother by the queen's excellent judgment and warm affection; for she lost no opportunity of making it felt that she and her husband were one in purpose, as in heart and authority. The prince had an invaluable adviser in Baron Stockmar, whose knowledge of men and of politics made him thoroughly reliable. Lord Palmerston spoke of him "as one of the best political heads he had ever met with, and one of the first statesmen of Europe."
The royal marriage was succeeded by all sorts of public entertainments, which served to introduce the prince to court life; but they were a great strain upon him, for he had lived so quietly and regularly all his life that the late hours he had to keep were hard to bear. Besides, the pressure of public duties obliged him to neglect his music and drawing for awhile, and this was a serious deprivation. The prince was an excellent musician, and played both the piano and the organ, but particularly the latter, with rare skill. When work became so planned out as to afford some leisure hours, the royal couple devoted them to etching and to music. To sing and play together was their chief amusement. So highly was Prince Albert's musical knowledge thought of that he was appointed one of the directors of a series of classical concerts, that soon became popular, and went far towards cultivating a taste for the best music. He was interested in all branches of art, and never failed to encourage painters and sculptors as well as musicians.