The Queen opened Parliament in person on January 16, 1840, and her speech included the formal announcement of her betrothal to Prince Albert. |Announcement to Parliament.| Strangely enough the first criticism came from the Duke of Wellington, of all her subjects the least likely to question Her Majesty’s decision. He complained that it ought to have been officially declared that Prince Albert was a Protestant, and he moved to insert the word “Protestant” in the Address in reply to the speech from the throne. Lord Melbourne thought the amendment was superfluous, but it was agreed to without a division.
Less harmonious were the proceedings of the following week in the other House, when Lord John Russell moved for a grant of £50,000 a year to the Queen’s consort, to be paid out of the Consolidated Fund. |Debates.| Colonel Sibthorpe, a Tory member, well-known for his eccentricity, moved an amendment to substitute £30,000, which was supported by Sir Robert Peel and the Opposition. Lord John resisted it with great warmth, declaring that “no Sovereign of this country had been insulted in such a manner as her present Majesty had been”; but the Government were badly defeated by a combination of Tories and Radicals, and Colonel Sibthorpe’s amendment was carried by a majority of 104.
W. Drummond.] [From an Engraving
in the British Museum.
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN IN HER BRIDAL DRESS.
The fact is that people who have grown up familiar only with the present relations of the Royal family with the public can hardly realise how prevalently censorious opinions were held regarding the Queen, and how much prejudice Prince Albert had to live down. |A famous duel.| On the 17th of the very month in which these debates took place, a duel was fought between Mr. Horsman, Whig member for Cockermouth, and Mr. Bradshaw, who had used discourteous and disloyal language about the Queen in a speech made at Canterbury. Horsman had said that Bradshaw had the tongue of a traitor and the heart of a coward. After an exchange of shots, the seconds induced Bradshaw to retract and apologise. It may be mentioned here that the abolition of duelling was one of the first objects to which Prince Albert devoted his efforts after his naturalisation. He proposed the substitution of Courts of Honour to arbitrate in quarrels between gentlemen, and though he did not prevail on the Commander-in-Chief to establish these, there can be no doubt that the Prince’s personal influence was greatly the cause of suppressing a system which was in full force during the early years of the reign.
The Queen’s marriage to Prince Albert was celebrated on February 10, 1840. During the summer of that year the Queen was fired at by a lunatic potboy as she drove up Constitution Hill with the Prince, but happily escaped all injury. |The Queen fired at.| One sometimes hears doubts expressed about the necessity for the elaborate precautions taken for the safety of Royal personages, who, it is supposed by some people, might safely trust themselves more freely to the goodwill of their subjects. But there is nothing more certain than this—that, however popular or deserving a monarch may be, there are always crazed or desperate individuals with schemes of insult or violence, waiting an opportunity to carry them out.
Sir G. Hayter, R.A.] [From the Royal Collection (by permission of Messrs. Graves, Publishers of the Engraving).
A. Prince George of Cambridge. B. Duchess of Cambridge. C. Princess Mary. D. Prince Ernest. E. Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. F. Queen Adelaide. G. Prince Albert. H. The Queen. J. Duke of Sussex. K. Archbishop of Canterbury. L. Duchess of Kent. M. Princess Augusta of Cambridge. N. Duke of Cambridge. P. Princess Sophia Matilda.