EDUCATION OF THE PRINCESS VICTORIA.
Additional Grant by Parliament for the Maintenance and Education of
the Princess--Wise Lessons learned at her Mother's Knees--A Visit to
George IV. at Windsor--Assiduous Pursuit of Knowledge--Accession of
William IV.--Victoria becomes next in succession to the Crown--Regency
Bill--Satisfaction of the good Grandmother at Coburg--Her Death--Joy
of Victoria at the Elevation of her Uncle to the Belgian
Throne--Parliamentary Inquiry into the Progress of her
Education--Satisfactory Report in Response--Presented at Court--Great
Ball on her Twelfth Birthday at St. James's Palace--Court Scandal and
Baseless Rumours--The Duchess of Northumberland appointed
Governess--The Princess and the Poet Southey.
The time had now arrived when, in the opinion, not only of the private
friends of the Duchess of Kent, but of the Ministers of the Crown, it was
held that a more liberal provision should be made for the increasing cost
of the training of the Princess, than the very moderate annual allowance
which the Duchess of Kent had as yet received. This matter was formally
brought before Parliament on the occasion of the Princess attaining her
sixth birthday. Up to this date, and for some little time subsequently to
it, King George IV. seems to have hardly paid the slightest heed to his
niece and ultimate successor. On her fifth birthday, Prince Leopold, who
throughout filled a true father's place, gave a banquet in her honour, at
which most of the members of the English Royal Family, and the Prince
Leiningen, son of the Duchess of Kent and half-brother of Victoria, were
present. On this occasion, the child was much admired for her frankness,
quickness, and talent, but especially for her deep attachment to her
mother. Her mother took occasion to impress upon her the consideration
that such attentions as those which were then shown her were rendered in
the hope that she would cultivate the qualities and graces which alone
could make her a worthy and acceptable ruler of the British empire. "It is
not you," said she, "but your future office and rank which are regarded by
the country; and you must so act as never to bring that office and that
rank into disgrace or disrespect." And when the Duchess took her child to
see for the first time the statue which had just been erected at the top
of Portland Place to her father's memory, she was careful to make her know
and feel that "dear papa's likeness was placed there, not merely because
he was a prince, but because he was a good man, was kind to the poor,
caused little boys and girls to be taught to read and write, helped to get
money from good people to cure the sick, the lame, the blind, the deaf,
and did all he could to make bad people good."
In May, 1825, the sixth birthday of the Princess arrived. It became
desirable, not merely to extend the sphere of her knowledge, but to
introduce her to society at unavoidable expense; and, when she appeared in
public and took trips in the country, to surround her with some of the
splendour which properly belonged to her position. Accordingly, Lord
Liverpool, the Premier, presented a Message from the King, requesting that
some provision should be made for the Princess. His lordship spoke in the
highest terms of the Duchess of Kent; eulogised her for having supported
and educated her daughter without making any application to Parliament;
and demonstrated, that her education must, from that date, be much more
wide and costly. He proposed an additional grant of L6,000 per annum to
the Duchess, to continue throughout the minority of her daughter. The
House of Lords cordially acquiesced in the proposal. In the Lower House,
Mr. Brougham, although uniting mother and daughter in one common eulogy,
objected to the amount proposed. Mr. Hume supported him, suggesting an
annuity increasing from year to year; but, on a division, the original
proposal was carried by a majority of fifty.
[Sidenote: GEORGE IV. AND THE PRINCESS VICTORIA.]
Only after this formal act of national recognition does it appear that the
King deigned to turn his personal attention in the direction of his niece.
The year after, we find the Duchess of Coburg writing to her daughter, and
referring to the fact that she had seen by the English papers, that "His
Majesty, Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, and the Princess
Victoria, went on Virginia Water." "The little monkey," she writes, "must
have pleased him. She is such a pretty, clever child." It was reported at
the time that the King, on the occasion of this visit to Windsor, shared
the general delight at the intelligence and sprightliness of his charming
little niece. He caused her to dine in state with him, and when he asked
her what tune she would like the band to play during dinner, she
courteously and naively replied, "God save the King."
The years intervening until 1830 were passed in almost complete quietude
and seclusion by the Princess; her education being now most assiduously
pursued.
The year 1830 made an important difference in the position of the
Princess. By the death of George IV., the Duke of Clarence became King,
and--the Duke of York having died in 1827--she now stood next in direct
succession to the throne. In the last month of the year a Regency Bill was
passed, of which these were the chief provisions:--In the event of Queen
Adelaide bearing a posthumous child, Her Majesty should be guardian and
Regent during the minority. If that event should not occur, the Duchess of
Kent was to be guardian and Regent during the minority of her daughter,
the Princess Victoria, the heiress-presumptive. That Princess should not
marry while a minor, without the consent of the King; or, if he died,
without the consent of both Houses. When the Report of the Regency Bill
was brought up, Lord Lyndhurst moved and carried a clause to the effect
that in case the Duchess of Kent should marry a foreigner in the lifetime
of His Majesty, but without his consent, she should, by that act, forfeit
all pretensions to the Regency.
The Duke of Buckingham, in his "Courts and Cabinets of William IV. and
Victoria," thus remarked on this proviso:--
The position of the Princess attracted towards her Royal Highness the
solicitude and sympathy of all classes of the people. A proper
consideration of her chance of succeeding to the throne showed that
there was much at stake, and the bitter disappointment caused by the
untimely fate of the last female heiress presumptive, gave deeper
feeling to the interest with which she was regarded. It was desirable
that her youth should be, as much as possible, watched over to protect
it from all evil contingencies, and though there could not be a better
guardian for the Princess than the one nature had provided her with,
the anxiety of a nation demanded precautions that, under other
circumstances, would have been considered totally unnecessary. We can
now (1861) afford to smile on the jealous affection with which Her
Royal Highness was fenced round thirty years ago.
[Sidenote: THE QUEEN'S GRANDMOTHER.]
The satisfactory settlement of the Regency question gave great
satisfaction to the good grandmother at Coburg. She wrote to her daughter,
on receipt of the news--
I should have been sorry if the Regency had been given into other
hands than yours. It would not have been a just return for your
constant devotion and care to your child, if this had not been done.
May God give you wisdom and strength to do your duty, if called upon
to undertake it. May God bless and protect my little darling!--If I
could but once see her again! The print you have sent to me is not
like the dear picture I have; the quantity of curls hide the
well-shaped head, and make it look too large for the lovely little
figure.
It was not fated that the Duchess of Coburg should ever see her
granddaughter again; she died within a twelvemonth of writing the above.
Her latest letters to her daughter were characterised by a peculiar warmth
of affection for the Princess. Writing in the summer of 1830, on the
occasion of Victoria's birthday, she said--
My blessings and good wishes for the day which gave you the sweet
Blossom of May! May God preserve and protect the valuable life of that
lovely flower from all the dangers that will beset her mind and heart!
And when the news of the death of George IV. reached her, she wrote--
God bless Old England, where my beloved children live, and where the
sweet Blossom of May may one day reign! May God yet for many years
keep the weight of a crown from her young head, and let the
intelligent, clever child grow up to girlhood, before this dangerous
grandeur devolves upon her!
England owes a deep debt of gratitude to this excellent and intelligent
woman, for to her we are indebted for that training of her daughter, which
fitted that daughter to train in turn, for us and for our advantage, Queen
Victoria.
An event of considerable influence upon the well-being and happiness of
the Queen we must not omit to chronicle, ere we pass onwards in the course
of our narrative. Prince Leopold had been designated by the great
guaranteeing Powers as the ruler of the newly emancipated state of Greece.
He was prepared to accept the position. This distressed his niece, who had
been brought up under his kindly tutelage from her birth; but
circumstances which it does not concern our purpose to dwell upon, induced
Leopold to break off the Greek negotiation. Shortly after, to the great
delight of Victoria, he was nominated by the Powers, and accepted by his
future subjects, as King of the Belgians. This ensured his being
constantly comparatively near to his niece. How frequent were his visits
to England, as long as his life lasted, no resident in London needs to be
informed; up till within the last few years, his face was almost as
familiar in the parks as those of the members of the Queen's own family.
He often appeared in London suddenly, and without announcement, having
been summoned, it was generally believed, on such occasions, to consult
with the Queen on some point of imminent moment. Such summonses he always
responded to with instant alacrity.
[Sidenote: ABSURD RUMOURS.]
In the year 1831, the public became anxious to know how the education of
the heiress-presumptive to the throne progressed; what was the nature of
her studies, and which she preferred and most diligently pursued. Prompt,
responsive, and satisfactory statements were rendered. It appeared that
since the accession of King William, her tuition had been almost entirely
entrusted to English teachers. Mr. Amos instructed her in the principles
of the English Constitution, Mr. Westall in drawing; she had made
considerable progress in Latin, and could read Horace with fluency. It was
further stated that her love of music was enthusiastic, and that it was
the orchestral rather than the dramatic attraction that caused her to
frequent the theatres so much as she did. It was remarked that, on the
occasion of the coronation of William IV., which took place on the 8th of
September, neither the Princess nor her mother were present. Their absence
was explained by the announcement, that the health of the Princess
rendered a sojourn in the Isle of Wight necessary. Prudent persons held
that, even had it been otherwise, her tender years and peculiar position
rendered her absence preferable to her presence. She was but twelve years
old, and it was commonly stated that only a year before had it been deemed
wise _fully_ to make her aware of the regal destiny which was before her.
Gossip-mongers--a whole host of whom circulated the most absurd rumours
about the Princess from her most tender years until long after she had
become Queen--alleged that the real reason of her absence was the fact
that her proper place in the ceremony was not assigned to her. The real
truth we believe to have been as follows. Since the accession of her uncle
Clarence, Victoria had been plunged into a round of gaiety which did not
at all comport either with her years or a certain fragility of health,
which now for a short time succeeded the fine animal power and spirits of
the years preceding. She had been presented at the first drawing-room held
by Queen Adelaide, the most magnificent that had been held since the
presentation of Charlotte, Princess of Wales, on the occasion of her
marriage. This was her first appearance in state. She arrived with her
mother, attended by the Duchess of Northumberland, Lady Charlotte St.
Maur, Lady Catherine Jenkinson, the Honourable Mrs. Cust, Lady Conroy, the
Baroness Lehzen, Sir J. Conroy, and General Wetherall. Her dress was made
entirely of articles manufactured in Great Britain, and consisted of a
simple, modest, and becoming blonde frock. She was the great object of
interest present, stood on the left of the King, and contemplated the
_elite_ of her future subjects with a dignified amiability which charmed
every one. On her twelfth birthday, in the same year, she was overwhelmed
with presents; amongst others, two beautiful ponies, presented by the
Duchess of Gordon, which became especial pets. The Queen gave a juvenile
ball in her honour, which Queen Victoria has often talked of in later
times, as the scene which of all others made the deepest impression on her
childish imagination. Spite of all this, and of the notorious and profuse
kindness with which the King and Queen Adelaide had always treated her,
many were found to believe that they were jealous of, and meant to slight
her. The truth was, that the Duchess of Northumberland, who, at the
suggestion of the King himself, had been appointed to the high and
important office of governess to the Princess, began to be alarmed at the
consequences of so much festivity and excitement. She objected to her
frequent attendance at drawing-rooms, and also recommended absence from
the fatiguing coronation ceremony.
[Sidenote: THE PRINCESS AND SOUTHEY.]
The selection of this lady for the important office which she filled was a
wise one, and the public judgment approved it. She possessed great
personal attractions, mental powers of unusual range, and the highest
rank. The appointment was by no means a nominal one, or one merely of
state. Her visits to Kensington Palace were constant, and she frequently
remained there all day. On one occasion, while her Grace was instructing
her pupil, Southey called, and was greeted by the Princess and the
_gouvernante_ very warmly. He conversed for some time with the ladies;
first on poetry, then on history. He afterwards used to state with pride,
that the Princess told him that she read his prose and poetical
compositions with equal delight. The "Life of Nelson" especially charmed
her. "That," she said, "is a delightful book indeed; and I am sure I could
read it half a dozen times over." The gossip-mongers also alleged that the
Duchess endeavoured to give a political bias to the education of the
Princess. Some uneasiness was created at this. But when the matter was
properly inquired into, it was ascertained that, neither in the selection
of books to be studied, nor in the remarks made upon their text, was the
slightest party colour given to the education of the royal pupil of the
Duchess. It was while under the care of this lady that the Princess
acquired her well-known admirable horsemanship. To Fozard, the best
riding-master of the day, was entrusted her tuition in riding. She soon
became distinguished by the ease of her carriage, and her truly royal air
and demeanour. This was a common subject of admiring remark by
distinguished foreigners; amongst others, by Count Orloff, to whom, in
1832, the Duchess of Kent gave a splendid banquet. The Princess, after she
was removed from the active care of the Duchess of Northumberland, gave
the best proof of her gratitude and sense of the services she had rendered
her, by keeping up with her Grace a constant epistolary correspondence.
Wherever she went, in the many tours through England which she made while
passing through her teens, she wrote letters to the Duchess describing
whatever interested and instructed her in what she saw. This
correspondence was really a voluntary continuation of her education.