CONTENTS
| CHAPTER I | |
|---|---|
| PAGE | |
| PRINCESS VICTORIA’S RELATIVES | [1] |
| CHAPTER II | |
| PRINCESS VICTORIA’S MOTHER AND UNCLE | [30] |
| CHAPTER III | |
| PRINCESS VICTORIA’S TUITION IN POLITICS | [59] |
| CHAPTER IV | |
| PRINCESS VICTORIA’S SUITORS | [82] |
| CHAPTER V | |
| QUEEN VICTORIA’S ACCESSION | [107] |
| CHAPTER VI | |
| QUEEN VICTORIA’S ADVISERS | [132] |
| CHAPTER VII | |
| QUEEN VICTORIA’S CIRCLE | [159] |
| CHAPTER VIII | |
| QUEEN VICTORIA’S PRIME MINISTER | [183] |
| CHAPTER IX | |
| QUEEN VICTORIA’S LADIES AND LOVERS | [208] |
| CHAPTER X | |
| QUEEN VICTORIA’S DISLOYAL SUBJECTS | [238] |
| CHAPTER XI | |
| QUEEN VICTORIA’S TRAGIC MISTAKE | [255] |
| CHAPTER XII | |
| QUEEN VICTORIA’S LOVE | [287] |
| CHAPTER XIII | |
| QUEEN VICTORIA’S EARLY MARRIED LIFE | [312] |
| CHAPTER XIV | |
| QUEEN VICTORIA’S TORY MINISTRY | [341] |
| CHAPTER XV | |
| QUEEN VICTORIA’S HOME | [364] |
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
| Queen Victoria. (From a painting by W. C. Ross, A.R.A.) | [Frontispiece] | |
| Queen Adelaide. (From a painting by Sir William Beechey in National Portrait Gallery) | To face page | [36] |
| William IV | „ | [60] |
| * H.R.H. The Duchess of Kent | „ | [94] |
| * Lord Melbourne | „ | [118] |
| King Leopold of the Belgians. (From the drawing by Sir Thomas Lawrence, P.R.A.) | „ | [138] |
| Hon. Mrs. Norton | „ | [150] |
| * Lord Brougham | „ | [165] |
| * Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland | „ | [176] |
| * Sir Robert Peel | „ | [210] |
| * Lady Tavistock | „ | [218] |
| * Lady Flora Hastings | „ | [258] |
| * Lady Portman | „ | [274] |
| 14. H.R.H. Prince Albert. (From a painting by Winterhalter in the National Portrait Gallery) | „ | [314] |
| Queen Victoria. (From the drawing by Drummond, 1842) | „ | [338] |
| * The Duke of Wellington | „ | [352] |
| * Baron Stockmar | „ | [364] |
N.B.—The illustrations marked with an asterisk (*) are from the collection of Mr. A. M. Broadley.
THE EARLY COURT OF QUEEN VICTORIA
CHAPTER I
PRINCESS VICTORIA’S RELATIVES
“We are going presently to write our names for the Duchess of Kent, who has produced a daughter.”—The Hon. Mrs. Calvert. 1819.
The Duchess of Kent was not a very popular woman with the Guelph family. George IV. hated her, and made her less welcome than he had made her husband, his brother, to whom he intimated early in 1819 that he would no longer be received at Court; William IV. did not like her when he was the Duke of Clarence, but his wife was so sorry for her sister-in-law’s misfortunes that she showed her much kindness and affection until, holding the position of Queen herself, she was obliged to resent the hauteur with which she was treated. The Fitzclarences, who surrounded William IV., had little reason to admire her, and the Tory Ministers found themselves treated by her with only spasmodic politeness. The people in general cared nothing one way or another until the Duchess displayed marked Whig tendencies, and then the Tory Press made a custom of criticising all that she did, and displaying a wonderfully intimate knowledge of her affairs, private and public.
For nearly a quarter of a century the life of the Duchess in England was one of stress; indeed, one might repeat of her the oft-repeated words, she “was ever a fighter,” for she seemed always at variance with the reigning monarch. She owed the very rare appearance of herself and her daughter in the Court of George IV. to the kind heart of Lady Conyngham, the King’s mistress, who thereby earned Victoria’s affectionate regard, in spite of her position. Of this lady, by the way, who was coarse, fair, dull, and by no means fascinating, and who succeeded Lady Hertford in the King’s household, some wit said that in taking her George had exchanged St. James for St. Giles.