LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
VOL. I
| [H.R.H. Princess Victoria and “Dashy.”] From a picture by R. Westall, R.A., at Windsor Castle | Frontispiece |
|---|---|
| FACING PAGE | |
| [Victoire Conroy.] From a sketch by Princess Victoria | 48 |
| *[H.R.H. Princess Sophia.] From a portrait by Sir W. Ross | 62 |
| *[H.S.H. Princess Adelaide of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.] From a portrait by Gutekunst | 96 |
| *[H.S.H. Princess Sophia of Saxe-Coburg, Countess Mensdorff-Pouilly.] From a portrait by Dickinson | 122 |
| [Charles Mathews.] From a sketch by Princess Victoria | 148 |
| *[H.S.H. Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg, aged nine.] From a portrait by Schneider, after Eckhardt | 158 |
| [Madame Malibran.] From a sketch by Princess Victoria | 168 |
| [Gipsy Women.] From a sketch by Princess Victoria | 182 |
| [Luigi Lablache.] From a sketch by Princess Victoria | 190 |
| *[H.M. Queen Adelaide.] From a portrait by Sir W. Ross | 204 |
| *[H.R.H. Princess Victoria.] From a portrait by R. J. Lane, 1829 | 212 |
| *[H.S.H. Charles, Prince of Leiningen.] From a portrait by R. J. Lane | 248 |
| *[H.R.H. The Duchess of Kent.] From a portrait by Stone | 290 |
| [H.S.H. Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg, afterwards King-Consort of Portugal.] From a sketch by Princess Victoria | 326 |
| *[H.S.H. Feodora, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.] From a portrait by Gutekunst, 1830 | 362 |
| *[H.R.H. The Duc de Nemours.] From a portrait by Eugene Lami | 394 |
Note.—The illustrations marked * are taken from the Queen’s private albums, in which she kept portraits of relations and friends, specially painted for her.
INTRODUCTION
I
Apart from the onward surge of Empire during both epochs, apart from the flow of scientific thought and the breeze of literary enthusiasm characterising them, there is much in the atmosphere of Victoria’s advent to the Throne, and her long and glorious tenure of it, to remind us of the central figure of the Elizabethan age.
Both princesses were reared and educated, although for very different reasons, in the uncertain glory of succession to the Throne. Both mounted the Throne early in life alone and unprotected, at a moment of reaction against the abuses of monarchy. Under George III. as under Henry VIII. this country had been subjected to violent commotion consequent on the struggle for national freedom against a foreign power. The Reformation in England and the Napoleonic wars owed their successful issue to the persistent determination of the English people to be free. The hated marriage of Mary and the matrimonial scandals of George IV. had cast a gloom over the temper of the nation. Even the triumph of the popular cause, due to the grudging support given by William IV. to his Whig Ministers, had not restored the forfeited prestige of the Monarchy.
Reaction was the corollary against the fear inspired by Philip in the one case and the humiliating memories of Queen Caroline in the other. That reaction came in the shape of the popular enthusiasm inspired by a young and attractive Tudor princess, who at Hatfield on a late November afternoon in 1558 heard from Cecil that she was Queen of England. Three centuries later a similar outburst followed the accession of another youthful princess only just eighteen years old, looking scarcely more than a child, when she received the homage of Lord Melbourne at Kensington Palace on a June morning of 1837.
It is tempting to follow this seductive pathway through the devious alleys of historical comparison and contrasts. The troubles of Elizabeth’s childhood at Hunsdon, the pitiful laments of her excellent governess at the poverty of her ward’s surroundings, and the hostile atmosphere surrounding her person were reflected in a minor degree within the precincts of Kensington during the early years of Princess Victoria’s life.