Queen Victoria to Sir Robert Peel.
THE PRINCE TO HOLD LEVÉES
Buckingham Palace, 17th March 1843.
The Queen has spoken again to the Prince about the Levées, who has kindly consented to do what can be of use and convenience to the Queen. There is one circumstance which must be considered and settled, and which the Queen omitted to mention to Sir Robert Peel when she saw him. The chief, indeed the only, object of having these Levées, is to save the Queen the extreme fatigue of the Presentations which would come in such a mass together when the Queen held them herself; the Prince naturally holds the Levées for the Queen, and represents her; could not therefore everybody who was presented to him be made to understand that this would be tantamount to a presentation to the Queen herself? There might perhaps be an objection on the part of people presented to kneel and kiss the Prince's hand. But this could be obviated by merely having the people named to the Prince. The inconvenience would be so great if nobody at all could be presented till late in the season, that something must be devised to get over this difficulty.
Sir Robert Peel to Queen Victoria.
LEVÉES
Downing Street, 18th March 1843.
Sir Robert Peel presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and begs leave to submit to your Majesty that should your Majesty determine that the Prince should hold Levées on behalf of your Majesty, the best course will be to announce the intention from the Lord Chamberlain's Office in terms to the following purport:
"His Royal Highness Prince Albert will, by Her Majesty's command, hold a Levée on behalf of Her Majesty on ——
"It is Her Majesty's pleasure that presentations to the Prince at this Levée shall be considered equivalent to presentations to the Queen.