CHAPTER X
THE ROYAL YOUNG PEOPLE
Many people had thought that the Russians hoped to get control ofIndia. If they had succeeded in doing so, the Queen would have beensaved the sorrow that came to her from a revolt of her Indian troopswhich was known as the Sepoy Mutiny. The commanders of the troops wereEnglish, but most of the rank and file were either Mohammedans orHindus. The Mohammedans looked upon the cow as sacred, and the Hindusregarded the hog as unclean, therefore, when cartridges were given themgreased with a mixture of tallow and lard, the soldiers of both peopleswere very angry. Another trouble was that the English government haddeclared that no one should lose his property on account of any changein his religious belief, and this decree aroused the wrath of thenative priests. The revolt was one of the most fearful events known inhistory, for even women and children were murdered as brutally as ifthe Sepoys had been wild beasts.
January, 1858, was the time that had been set for the marriage of thePrincess Royal, and although India was not entirely subdued, the Sepoyswere so nearly under control that England could join heartily in thewedding rejoicings. Buckingham Palace was crowded with guests, so manyprinces and princesses that when they went to the theater, they made,as the Queen said, "a wonderful row of royalties." "Macbeth" and threeother plays were performed in honor of the occasion. For a week, eightyor ninety persons sat at the Queen's dinner table every day. There wereoperas, dinner parties, dances, concerts, and a great ball at which onethousand guests were present.
When the wedding gifts began to arrive, the large drawing room of thepalace became a veritable fairyland, as table after table was piledwith presents. "Fritz," as the family called Prince Frederick William,had brought to his bride a necklace of pearls, which the Queen saidwere the largest she had ever seen. This was only the beginning. ThePrincess and her mother went for a little walk in the palace garden,and when they came in, there were more tables and an entirely newdisplay of gifts; they went to their own rooms, and when they returned,still more gifts had arrived. There were pictures, candelabra, diamondand emerald bracelets, brooches, necklaces, everything in the shape ofjewelry that can be imagined, and, what especially pleased thehousewifely tastes of the Queen, there were quantities of needleworkfrom many ladies of the kingdom, for the Princess was a specialfavorite, and rich and poor were eager to send her some token of theirlove. The young girl was in ecstasies; then she remembered that goingwith "Fritz" meant leaving her father and mother, and she burst intotears.
At the end of the festal week came the wedding day. The Queen said, "Ifelt as if I were being married over again myself, only much morenervous," and when just before the ceremony, she was daguerreotypedwith "Fritz and Vicky," she trembled so that her likeness was badlyblurred.
Early in the morning the bells began to ring, but long before theirfirst peal, thousands were out in the streets, too excited to sleep oreven to remain in their homes. The procession was formed just as it hadbeen eighteen years before at the marriage of the Queen, and the longline of carriages drove from Buckingham Palace to the Chapel Royal ofSt. James. Trumpets were blown, banners were waved, and the whole cityreechoed with the shouts of the merrymakers. The Queen bowed to herpeople as graciously as ever, but she could not forget for a momentthat her oldest daughter was about to leave her, and she wroteafterwards, "The cheering made my heart sick within me."
The procession was even more beautiful than that on the wedding day ofthe Queen, because in this one there were so many children. First camethe members of the royal family, the Duchess of Kent nearest to theQueen and her children, looking very handsome in her gown of violetvelvet trimmed with ermine. Then came the Prime Minister bearing thesword of state. He was followed by "Bertie," who was now a tall youngman of sixteen, and "Affie," the sailor boy of fourteen, both inHighland costume. Everyone was looking for the Queen, and she camedirectly after her two older sons. She was resplendent in a moire skirtof lilac and silver with a long train of lilac velvet, and was allablaze with diamonds. The two little boys, the namesake of the Duke ofWellington, and Leopold, who was not yet five years old, walked one oneither side of their mother. They as well as the older boys werebrilliant in Stuart plaid, which made a glowing contrast with the lilacvelvet. Behind the Queen walked hand in hand the three royal girls,Alice, who was fifteen, and the two younger ones, Helena and Louise.They were in pink satin with cornflowers and marguerites in their hair.The nine royal children were present, with the exception of babyBeatrice, who was not yet one year old. The Queen and the royal familytook their places in the "Royal Closet," a room opening into thechapel.
Westminster Abbey.]
All the guests had assembled long before the entrance of theprocession, and now they were all watching eagerly for the Prince ofPrussia and the Princess Royal of England. The Prince, in his dark blueuniform, looked thoroughly a soldier. He made a profound bow to theQueen, knelt in prayer for a few minutes, then stood waiting to receivehis bride. After the gorgeous colors worn by those who had precededher, the white moire dress and the wreath of orange blossoms and myrtlemade the Princess look very childlike. She walked between her fatherand King Leopold, her train borne by the eight young girls who were herbridesmaids. They were in white tulle with pink roses. Among the roseswere sprigs of white heather, for even in the excitement of thiswedding season, the Queen did not forget her Scottish home.
The Prince was much more calm than the Archbishop of Canterbury, forthe clergyman was so nervous that he left out some passages from themarriage service. At the moment that the ring was put on the finger ofthe bride, the cannon were fired as at the marriage of the Queen; butnow the people of Germany must not be forgotten, and as the first gunsounded, a telegram was sent to Berlin. The last words of the servicewere read, "The Lord mercifully with his favor look upon you," and the"Hallelujah Chorus" burst forth, followed by Mendelssohn's "WeddingMarch," as the bride and bridegroom went forth from the chapel hand inhand.
All London was keeping holiday, and throngs had gathered aboutBuckingham Palace, ready to greet the returning party with mosttumultuous applause. The honeymoon was to be spent at Windsor, and theEton boys, who always claimed a share in royal rejoicings, dragged theroyal carriage from the railroad station to the castle.
A few days later came the final good-bys, and these were much harderthan if the bride had not been of the royal family, for kings andqueens can make few visits. It was a very tearful time, "a dreadfulday," wrote the Queen. "I think it will kill me to take leave of dearpapa," the bride had said to her mother, but the moment of parting hadto come. The snow was falling fast, but all the way to the wharf atGravesend were beautiful decorations and crowds of people, and on thepier were companies of young girls wearing wreaths and carrying flowersto strew before the feet of the bride. "Come back to us if he doesn'ttreat you well," called a voice from the crowd, and the steamer movedslowly away from the wharf. Prince Albert watched it for a few minutes,then returned to the Queen, who was lonely in her great palace, solonely that even the sight of baby Beatrice made her sad, reminding herthat only a few hours before the little one had been in the arms of thebeloved eldest daughter.
"The little lady does her best to please him," Prince Albert hadwritten on the day of the Princess's engagement; but now she hadthousands of people to please, and the father and mother at home waitedanxiously for letters and telegrams and reports of friends to know whatwelcome the Germans had given to their daughter, for so much of herfuture comfort among them depended upon the first impression that shemade. "Dear child," wrote Prince Albert to her, "I should have so likedto be in the crowd and hear what the multitude said of you." He hadalready received a proud and jubilant telegram from "Fritz,"--"Thewhole royal family is enchanted with my wife." The Princess Hohenlohe,the Queen's beloved half-sister, wrote from Berlin, "The enthusiasm andinterest shown are beyond everything. Never was a princess in thiscountry received as she is."
Later in the year, the royal father and mother contrived to make afortnight's visit to
Germany, and found the "Princess FrederickWilliam" "quite the old Vicky still." Prince Albert's birthday wascelebrated during their stay. The children at home were alsocelebrating it with the Duchess of Kent. They recited poems and playedtheir pieces of music and exhibited the pictures that they had drawn.Several days earlier, they had all sent birthday letters to Germany,and these letters were given a prominent place on the "presents table."The Queen's gift to her husband was a portrait of baby Beatrice, donein oil. The Princess did not forget the Scotch home that she loved, andamong her gifts to her father was an iron chair for the Balmoralgarden.
The farewells had to be said much too soon. Then came the return toEngland and the other children. They were growing up fast. The Princeof Wales was at Oxford, not idling his time away, but working so hardthat the irrepressible _Punch_ called him "A Prince at High Pressure."Alfred, who was now fourteen, had just passed his examination andreceived his midshipman's appointment. The examiners would have beensatisfied with fifty correct answers, but the Prince had presentedeighty; and when his father and mother landed at Osborne, there hestood on the wharf in his naval cadet's uniform, half-blushing, andlooking as happy as a boy who was not a prince would have looked aftercoming out of a three-days' examination with flying colors. Severalmonths earlier, Prince Albert had watched him reef a topsail in astrong breeze, and said it almost took his breath away to see him "doall sorts of things at that dizzy height."
The circle of children soon began to widen, for early in 1859 Princess"Vicky" became the mother of a boy, and the Queen, not yet forty yearsof age, was a grandmother. The child was named Frederick William VictorAlbert. Ever since her marriage, the Princess had kept up a constantcorrespondence with home. She wrote her mother every day, sometimestwice a day, telling all the little events of her life. To her fathershe sent every Monday long letters on general topics, and he alwayssent a reply two days later. No one knew better than he thedifficulties that lay before her in making her home in a foreigncountry, and often his letters gave her bits of advice that had comefrom his own experience. Sometimes they were little pictures of homelife. Once he told her of a "splendid snowman" that the children hadmade, with a yellow carrot for a nose and an old hat of "Affie's" onhis head. After the birth of Frederick William Victor Albert, theletters from Germany never forgot to tell the latest news about thelittle German baby; and the English letters quoted the sayings of babyBeatrice, whom Prince Albert called "the most amusing baby we everhad." One day he wrote of this little one, "When she tumbles, she callsout in bewilderment, 'She don't like it, she don't like it.' She cameinto breakfast a short time ago with her eyes full of tears, moaning,'Baby has been so naughty, poor baby so naughty,' as one might complainof being ill or of having slept badly."
While Buckingham Palace had still its merry group of children, the twoolder sons, "Bertie" and "Affie," were on their way across the ocean.Prince Alfred was making a voyage to the Cape of Good Hope, and thePrince of Wales was going to Canada. During the Crimean War, the colonyhad raised and equipped a regiment to aid the mother country, and hadmost urgently invited the monarch to visit her lands in the west; butbecause of the exposure and fatigue it was not thought wise for her toaccept the invitation. Canada had then asked that one of the Princesshould be appointed governor. They were far too young for any suchposition, but the promise was made that the Prince of Wales shouldvisit the colony. In the spring of 1860 it was decided that he shouldgo early in the autumn.
The Prince was delighted with the expedition, and was ready to bepleased with whatever came to hand. In Newfoundland a ball was givenfor him, and he danced not only with the ladies of the official circle,but with the wives and daughters of the fish-merchants, and had thetact to make himself liked by all. "He had a most dignified manner andbearing," said the wife of the Archdeacon. "God bless his pretty faceand send him a good wife," cried the fishermen. His visit to Canada wasnot all amusement, for he had the usual royal duties to perform. Heopened an exhibition, laid the last stone of the Victoria Bridge overthe St. Lawrence, and laid the corner stone of the new parliamentarybuildings at Ottawa. No fault could be found with his manner ofattending to such duties, but he won the hearts of the people less bylaying corner stones than by such bits of boyishness as singing withthe band one day when they chanced to play some of his favorite airs.He saw Blondin walk across Niagara Falls on a tight-rope. "I beg ofyou, don't do that again," he said earnestly to the performer. "Thereis really not the least danger; I would willingly carry you over on myback," replied Blondin, but the Prince did not accept the offer.
When Mr. Buchanan, President of the United States, heard that thePrince of Wales was coming to Canada, he wrote to the Queen, invitingthe Prince to visit him at the White House, and assuring her that herson would receive a very cordial greeting from the Americans. The cityof New York meant to have a royal visit all to herself, and thereforesent a special invitation for him to come to that city.
The United States showed no lack of interest in the young man.Reporters from the leading American papers followed him about inCanada; and when he crossed to Detroit, he found the whole cityilluminated, and the streets so crowded that he had to slip into hishotel by the side entrance. He visited the grave of Washington, andplanted a tree by the tomb of the man who had prevented him frombecoming the ruler of all North America. His visit to the White Houselasted for five days, and at its close, President Buchanan wrote to theQueen: "In our domestic circle he has won all hearts."
In New York a ball was given for him which he enjoyed; but he was farmore enthusiastic over a parade of the New York Fire Department. Sixthousand firemen in uniform turned out one evening, all with lightedtorches except those who manned the ropes. A delightful trait in bothhis parents was their feeling that honors shown them were not merelyactions due to their position, but were marks of courtesy and kindness;and the Prince showed this same characteristic, for at the review hecried with grateful delight, "It is splendid, and it's all for me,every bit for me!"
On the Prince's return voyage he was so delayed by contrary winds thattwo warships were sent out to search for him. He reached home late inNovember, and on his return a letter was written to President Buchananby the Queen, expressing her gratitude for the kindness shown her sonand speaking very warmly of the friendship between England and theUnited States.
While the Prince of Wales was receiving the honors of the westerncontinent, the midshipman brother was on his way to South Africa. Whenhe landed at Cape Town, the English governor accompanied him on a shorttour through the English possessions, during which he laid the firststone of the famous breakwater in Table Bay. He was cheered and feastedand received with all the honors that could be devised so long as hewas on land; but when he returned to his vessel, he was no longertreated as a prince; for on shipboard he was simply a midshipman and inno wise different from the other naval cadets. When the chief of anAfrican tribe came to visit the ship, he saw the young Princebare-footed and helping the other midshipmen to wash the decks. Thechief went away wondering, and a little later, he and his councilorssent to the English a most interesting letter. It read:
"When the son of England's great Queen becomes subject to a subject,that he may learn wisdom, when the sons of England's chiefs and noblesleave the homes and wealth of their fathers, and with their youngPrince endure hardships and sufferings in order that they may be wiseand become a defense to their country, when we behold these things, wesee why the English are a great and mighty nation."
When the two brothers returned to England, they found that their sisterAlice had followed the example of the Princess Royal and had becomeengaged. The fortunate man was Prince Louis of Hesse. Prince Albertwrote to his daughter in Germany of "the great Alician event," saying,"Alice and Louis are as happy as mortals can be."
Not long after these cheerful times, a deep sorrow came to the lovingheart of the Queen. In the midst of the days that were so full of carefor her children, her home, and the duties of state not only inEngland, but also in Africa an
d Asia, the constant thought of the Queenhad been her mother's comfort. When the daughter could not be with hermother, letters were sent every day, and frequently several times aday, and nothing was neglected that could add to the Duchess's ease andhappiness. For some time she had not been well, and in the spring of1861 came the dreaded summons to her bedside. In a few hours she wasgone. "Oh, if only I could have been near her these last weeks!" wrotethe Queen to King Leopold.
Save the sovereign herself, there was no woman in England whose deathwould have affected the whole country so deeply. Statesmen recalled thedays when the Duchess of Kent was left alone in a strange land, withoutmeans, disliked by the reigning king, and weighed down by theresponsibility of educating a child to stand at the head of the nation.In the character of their sovereign, they saw proof of the able,devoted, conscientious manner in which this sacred duty had beenperformed; and the address of sympathy sent by Parliament to thesorrowing Queen was as sincere as if it had been written by a personalfriend, and not by a body of lawmakers. "It is a great sorrow to me notto have Feodore with me now," wrote the Queen to King Leopold; butneither he nor the Princess Hohenlohe was able to be present at thelast services.
"I cannot imagine life without her," said the Queen sadly; butnevertheless, life had to go on. Others may sometimes stop to mourn,but the duties of a sovereign may not be neglected even for sorrow. Anew cause of anxiety had arisen that came nearer home than even thesufferings of the Crimean soldiers. War had broken out in the UnitedStates, and the supply of cotton to England was rapidly diminishing. Ifthe cotton supply failed entirely, the mills of England would have tostop; many thousands of spinners and weavers would have no work; andthe sufferings of the manufacturing districts would be intense. Thegovernment made an earnest effort to increase the amount of cottonimported to England from India; but the emergency was so sudden thateven during the first few months of the war, there were many honest,hard-working people in England who were sorely in need.
When autumn came, the Queen was free to go for a little while to thebeloved Balmoral for the rest and quiet which she so greatly needed.The simple life of the Highlands did more for her than anything elsecould have done. On this visit, Prince Albert, the Queen, the PrincessAlice, Prince Louis of Hesse, with Lady Churchill and General Grey inattendance, went on two of what the Queen called "Great Expeditions,"that is, trips of two or three days by carriage and by pony. To theQueen these trips were as fascinating as they were novel. The partytried to keep their identity a secret, and sometimes they succeeded:Prince Albert and the Queen called themselves _Lord_ and _LadyChurchill_: the real Lady Churchill was now _Miss Spencer_, and GeneralGrey became _Dr. Grey_. They were as excited as children in a newgame over playing their parts properly, and the struggles of the twomen-servants to remember not to say "Your Majesty" and "Your RoyalHighness" amused them immensely. "The lady must be terrible rich,"whispered an awe-struck woman to one of the servants, "for she has somany gold rings on her fingers." "And you have many more than I," saidthe aggrieved monarch to Lady Churchill. Two or three times they stayedall night at little village inns. The Queen wrote in her journal thatat one of them the bedroom given to her and the Prince was hardly morethan large enough for the bed, but she found no fault with it, andcalled it "very clean and neat." The dinner was "nice, clean, and good"according to her description, for this sovereign of Great Britain, withseveral magnificent palaces of her own, was so ready to be pleased withwhat was done for her that she could be contented in the tiny inn of aHighland village. At a second inn, which seems to have beenparticularly poor, she admits that there was "hardly anything to eat,"but closes her account less like the ruler of millions than like a halfamused and half disappointed little schoolgirl, "No pudding and no fun.We soon retired."
The efforts to avoid being "found out" were like a continual frolic.The royal party trembled when they heard the distant sound of a drumand fife, but felt safe again on being told by a little maid at the innthat it was "just a band that walked about twice a week." Sometimesthey came to tiny villages where they were "suspected;" and at last, ongetting up one morning, they heard the tread of somewhat irregularmarching, led by a drum and fife and bagpipe. There was no escape then,for they were found out at last. A company of volunteers was drawn upin front of the door to do them honor; the women of the village stoodby with bunches of flowers in their hands; and the landlady wasglorified by a black satin dress with white ribbons and orangeblossoms. There was nothing to do but to bow with all gratitude anddrive away as fast as possible.
Such a woman was Victoria of England, ready to be pleased with thesmallest things, praising what was good, saying little of what was notgood, and enjoying every little pleasure with a childlike zest andsimplicity. And yet, this gentle little lady understood so perfectlyher rights and duties as monarch of Great Britain that when herSecretary of Foreign Affairs persisted in being quite too independentin his methods of transacting business, she did not hesitate to writeto him the following very definite sentences:
"The Queen thinks it right, in order to prevent any mistake for the future, to explain what it is she expects from the Foreign Secretary. She requires:
"1. That he will distinctly state what he proposes in a given case, in order that the Queen may know as distinctly to what she has given her royal sanction.
"2. Having once given her sanction to a measure, that it be not arbitrarily altered or modified by the Minister. She expects to be kept informed of what passes between him and the Foreign Ministers, before important decisions are taken, based upon that intercourse; to receive the foreign dispatches in good time, and to have the drafts for her approval sent to her in sufficient time to make herself acquainted with their contents before they must be sent off."
It is worth noting that the royal lady who wrote this epistle hadsufficient self-control to delay for five months forwarding it to theoffending Secretary, hoping that his methods would be amended and thatso severe a rebuke would become unnecessary.
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