The Princess had special reasons for being “sensible” at this time, for, to the great joy of the Prussian Royal family, she was enceinte.
In August Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort paid a visit of some length to their daughter. The Queen herself describes the visit as “quite private and unofficial,” although she carried in her train not only Lord Malmesbury, the Foreign Secretary in Lord Derby’s Government (which had been formed in February), but also Lord Clarendon, his predecessor, and Lord Granville, who had been Lord President of the Council in Palmerston’s Government.
Prince Albert, at any rate, did not neglect the opportunity of studying the political situation. He wrote to Stockmar a letter highly approving the Prince of Prussia’s political views, while his son-in-law he described as firm in his constitutional principles and despising the Manteuffel Ministry, the members of which he met with obvious coolness.
The Berliners gave a hearty reception to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and the Queen declared to the Burgomaster of Berlin that she felt exceedingly happy there, because she had realised with what love and devotion everyone was attached to the Royal house and to her daughter.
She was delighted with old Wrangel, whom she calls a great character. “He was full of Vicky and the marriage, and said she was an angel.” There was a great deal of sight-seeing, mitigated by charming little gemuthlich family dinners, and a grand review at Potsdam.
Prince Albert’s birthday occurred during the visit, and one of the Queen’s presents to him was “a paper-weight of Balmoral granite and deer’s teeth designed by Vicky.” “Vicky gave her portrait, a small oil one by Hartmann, very like though not flattered, and a drawing by herself. There were two birthday cakes. Vicky had ordered one with as many lights as Albert numbered years, which is the Prussian custom.”
Her Majesty notes with pleasure the arrival of “our dear, excellent old friend Stockmar,” whose presence, however, by no means gave universal satisfaction. Indeed, Sir Theodore Martin says frankly that, although his visit was due solely to his desire to meet the Queen and Prince Consort, it was viewed with rancorous suspicion by the aristocratic party, who held in abhorrence the man whom they knew to be the great advocate for the establishment of constitutional government in Germany. He was even accused of actively intriguing for the downfall of the Manteuffel Administration, having, it was said, “brought in his pocket, all cut and dry from England, the Ministry of the new era.”
Stockmar’s views of what was needful to raise Germany to her proper place among the nations were unchanged, but age and infirmity had for some time made him a mere looker-on. Nevertheless, it is probable that neither the Queen nor Prince Albert in the least realised how inadvisable, in the interests of the Princess Royal, was the old man’s visit.
It must not, however, be thought that the Prussians were indifferent to the Princess Royal’s singular personal charm. We have a most interesting glimpse of this in a long letter written to Queen Victoria by the beautiful and brilliant Duchess of Manchester, herself a Hanoverian by birth, who afterwards married the Duke of Devonshire and for many years held a remarkable position in English society.
The Duchess relates how well the Princess Royal was looking during the manœuvres on the Rhine, and how much she seemed to be beloved, not only by all those who knew her, but also by those who had only seen and heard of her.