MATILDA'S ARRIVAL IN DENMARK.
1766.
When Matilda was told that her marriage would take place a year earlier
than at first arranged she burst into tears, and no longer concealed
her extreme reluctance to the Danish match. The Princess-Dowager of
Wales commanded Sir Joshua Reynolds to paint the portrait of the future
Queen of Denmark before her departure from England, and the great
painter complained that he was unable to do justice either to the
Princess or himself, because she was always weeping.[55] But neither
tears nor lamentations had any effect with the Princess-Dowager; that
stern mother told her daughter to remember that princes and princesses
were not as ordinary mortals, free to wed as inclination suggested,
and she recalled the fact that she, herself, had been sent from her
secluded German home at the age of seventeen to England, to wed a
husband whom she had never seen.
[55] Northcote's _Memoirs of Sir J. Reynolds_, vol. i.
Matilda's home had not been altogether a happy one because of this same
mother, but she was fondly attached to her brothers and to her invalid
sister Louisa Anne, and she loved the land of her birth. She forced a
smile in response to those who came to offer their congratulations, but
she took no interest in the preparations for her marriage. She seemed
to have a foreboding of evil, and it was evident to all that she was a
most unwilling bride, sacrificed upon the altar of political expediency.
Not much time was allowed the young Princess for reflection, for soon
after the message was received from the Danish court her marriage and
departure were pushed on with all speed. On June 3, 1766, a message
from the King was delivered to Parliament asking for the marriage
portion of the Princess Matilda. After some debate, more on matters of
form than the actual sum, a portion was voted of £100,000.
This important preliminary over, the King decided that his sister was
to be married by proxy in England on October 1, and leave for Denmark
the next day. The event excited some public interest, and we glean the
following particulars from the journals concerning the preparations for
the bride's journey:--
"Tuesday the provisions dressed in the royal kitchen at Somerset House
were sent on board the yachts at Gravesend. The Princess Matilda's
baggage was yesterday sent down and the yachts sailed last night for
Harwich."[56]
[56] _The Gazetteer_, September 23, 1766.
"There are orders for two coaches, two post-chaises and four saddle
horses to be ready on Thursday next at five o'clock to attend the
Queen of Denmark to Harwich."[57]
[57] _The Gazetteer_, September 29, 1766.
"We hear that Princess Matilda has ordered genteel presents to all her
servants, and also some benefactions to be distributed among a number
of poor persons after her departure."[58]
[58] _The Public Advertiser_, September 29, 1766.
"Detachments of the Queen's, or Second Regiment of Light Dragoons, are
stationed on the Essex Road to escort the Queen of Denmark to Harwich.
'Tis imagined the Princess will only stop to change horses, as the
necessary refreshments are carried in the coach. One of the King's
cooks goes over with her Royal Highness."[59]
[59] _The Public Advertiser_, October 1, 1766.
George III. personally superintended the arrangements for his sister's
marriage and journey to Denmark. We find from him the following letter
to the Secretary of State:--
"I return you the proposed ceremonial for the espousals of my sister
which I entirely approve of. The full power must undoubtedly _ex
officio_ be read by you, and the solemn contract by the Archbishop of
Canterbury. I desire, therefore, that you will have it copied, only
inserting the royal apartments of St. James's Palace instead of the
Chapel Royal, and my brother's Christian name in those places where it
has, I think, evidently been, through the negligence of the copier,
omitted where he speaks. As in all other solemn declarations, that is
always used as well as the title. The Archbishop should then have
it communicated to him, that he may see whether it is conformable to
precedents, besides the dignity of his station calls for that mark of
regard from me."[60]
[60] Letter of King George III. to the Right Honourable Henry Seymour
Conway, Secretary of State, Queen's House, September 20, 1766. British
Museum, Egerton MS. 82, fol. 20.
On Wednesday, October 1, 1766, between seven and eight o'clock in the
evening, the Princess Matilda was married by proxy to the King of
Denmark in the council chamber of St. James's Palace. Her brother, the
Duke of York, stood for Christian VII., and the ceremony was performed
by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the presence of the King, the Queen,
the Princess-Dowager of Wales, and other members of the royal family.
A large company of nobility, gentry and foreign ministers were also
present. Immediately after the ceremony the Queen of Denmark, as she
was called, received the congratulations of the court, but she looked
pale and dejected and her eyes were full of unshed tears. The same
evening the Queen took formal leave of her brother, George III.
Matilda slept that night at Carlton House, and the next morning at
half-past six, in the grey light of a chill October dawn, she said
good-bye to her mother, and set out on her long journey. Three coaches
were waiting to convey the Queen to Harwich, the road was lined with
infantry, and a company of Life Guards was drawn up to escort her as
far as Mile End. These preparations caused a small crowd to assemble
in Pall Mall. The parting between Matilda and her mother was most
affecting. The marriage had been the Princess-Dowager's pet project,
but even she felt a pang when she bade her youngest child farewell and
sent her to the keeping of a strange prince in a far-off land. Her
farewell present to her daughter was a ring on which the words were
engraved, "May it bring thee happiness". When the young Queen came out
of the house to enter her coach it was noticed by the waiting crowd
that she was weeping bitterly, and this so affected many of the women
and children that they wept in company. The Duke of Gloucester, Baron
Bothmar,[61] the Queen's vice-chamberlain, who had been sent from
Denmark to escort her Majesty, and Lady Mary Boothby accompanied Queen
Matilda. The Life Guards conducted her as far as Mile End, and were
there relieved by a detachment of Light Dragoons who escorted the Queen
as far as Lord Abercorn's house at Witham, where it was arranged that
she would dine and sleep the night. Of this stage of her journey it is
written: "Her Majesty was dressed in bloom-colour with white flowers.
Wherever she passed the earnest prayers of the people were for her
health and praying God to protect her from the perils of the sea. An
easy melancholy at times seemed to affect her on account of leaving
her family and place of birth, but upon the whole she carried an air
of serenity and majesty which exceedingly moved every one who beheld
her."[62]
[61] A brother of the Danish envoy at the court of St. James's.
[62] _Public Advertiser_, October 5, 1766.
The next morning Matilda set out again, and escorted by another
detachment of Light Dragoons reached Harwich soon after four o'clock in
the afternoon, but the wind being in the north-east, and the sea rough,
it was not thought advisable for her to embark. She therefore went to
the house of the collector of customs where she supped and lay the
night, and the next morning at half-past eleven went on board the royal
yacht with her retinue. Here she took leave of her brother the Duke of
Gloucester who returned to London. The wind was still rough and the
yacht lay all the morning in the Roads, but towards evening, when the
gale had abated, she set sail for the coast of Holland. Matilda came on
deck and watched the shores of her native land until the last lights
faded from her view.
The evening of her departure, it is interesting to note, the eloquent
Nonconformist minister, George Whitefield, preached a sermon at his
Tabernacle in London on the marriage of the youthful Queen, and
concluded with an impassioned prayer for her future happiness.[63]
[63] _Vide Public Advertiser_, October 8, 1766.
It was known how unwilling she had been to go, and very general pity
was felt for her. "The poor Queen of Denmark," writes Mrs. Carter to
Miss Talbot on October 4, 1766, "is gone out alone into the wide world:
not a creature she knows to attend her any further than Altona. It is
worse than dying; for die she must to all she has ever seen or known;
but then it is only dying out of one bad world into another just like
it, and where she is to have cares and fears and dangers and sorrows
that will all yet be new to her. May it please God to protect and
instruct and comfort her, poor child as she is! and make her as good,
as beloved and as happy as I believe her Aunt Louisa was! They have
just been telling me how bitterly she cried in the coach so far as
anybody saw her."[64]
[64] Mrs. Carter's _Letters_, vol. iii.
The Queen had a very rough crossing, and did not arrive at Rotterdam
until six days after she had embarked at Harwich. She landed under a
discharge of cannon, and she was received with considerable ceremony
by the Prince Stadtholder and other personages. From Rotterdam to
Copenhagen is a distance of some six hundred miles. It had been
arranged that the Queen should accomplish this by slow stages, and
every resting-place on the line of route had already been decided upon.
[Illustration: KEW PALACE, WHERE QUEEN MATILDA PASSED MUCH OF HER
GIRLHOOD.
_From an Engraving, temp. 1751._]
At Rotterdam she embarked on the Stadtholder's yacht and proceeded
by water to Utrecht, where she stayed the night at the house of a
Dutch nobleman. From Utrecht she proceeded by coach, and passed in
due course into her brother's Hanoverian dominions. Her retinue was
a large and splendid one, and everywhere on the route she attracted
great attention, the people coming out to cheer and bless her. She lay
for one night at Osnabrück, in the castle, and (tradition says) in
the same room where her great-grandfather, George I., was born and was
driven back to die. She was received there, as elsewhere, with great
marks of distinction. At Lingen in Westphalia a cavalcade of students,
arrayed in blue uniforms, came out of the town gate on horseback to
meet her. They conducted her to the house where she was to rest, they
serenaded her, and kept guard all night under her windows. The next
morning they escorted her three leagues on the road to Bremen, where
they took their leave. Her Majesty thanked them for their gallant
conduct.
At Harburg on the Elbe Matilda embarked upon a richly decorated barge,
which had been built by the city of Hamburg for her use. On this she
sailed down the Elbe to Altona. The river was covered with boats and
all kinds of craft, flying the British and Danish flags, and as the
barge came in sight of Hamburg (a city adjacent to Altona) the Queen
was saluted by a discharge of thirty guns. The quays of Hamburg were
gaily decorated, and thronged with people anxious to catch sight of the
youthful Queen.
A few minutes before Matilda's landing at Altona the Stadtholder of
Schleswig-Holstein went on board to pay his respects to the Queen
of Denmark, and to present to her Madame de Plessen, her first
lady-in-waiting, the maids of honour, and the men of her household, who
had there assembled to meet her. At Altona the Queen first set foot
in Danish dominions. She landed at six o'clock in the evening, and
passed down a bridge covered with scarlet cloth, and between two lines
of maidens dressed in white, who strewed flowers before her feet. The
streets, through which she drove, were lined with burghers under arms,
thronged with people, and decorated with flags, mottoes and triumphal
arches. The Queen passed under one of these arches, beautifully
illuminated, just in front of her house. That same evening the chief
ladies of the city were presented to her, and she supped in public. The
Queen rested at Altona over Sunday. In the morning she went to church,
and on her return held a court. She also received a deputation of the
magistrates of Altona, and one of them read the following address:--
"Your Majesty now gives us a mark of goodness, which we cannot
sufficiently acknowledge, in graciously permitting us to testify the
boundless veneration and joy which are excited in the hearts of the
burgesses and the inhabitants on your happy arrival in this city. It
is true that in every part of your journey your Majesty will receive
from your faithful subjects transports of joy and most ardent vows,
nevertheless, our fidelity is surpassed by none, and Altona at the same
time enjoys this happy privilege, that she is the first of all the
cities in the kingdom to admire in your Majesty's person a Princess the
most accomplished, and a Queen to whose protection we have the honour
to recommend ourselves with all possible submission."[65]
[65] _Public Advertiser_, letter from Hamburg, November 4, 1766.
Matilda graciously replied, and charmed every one by her youth
and affability. When the court was over, the Queen, attended by a
detachment of Hamburg troops and Danish cuirassiers, made a progress
through Altona and Hamburg, and was greeted with enthusiasm by all
classes of the people.
The next morning, Monday, the Queen took leave of her English suite,
who were now to return to England. The parting moved her to tears, and
she presented Lady Mary Boothby, who had been with her for years, with
a watch, set with diamonds, and a cheque for a thousand crowns. It
had been stipulated by the Danish court that Matilda should bring no
English person in her train to Denmark, so that she might more readily
adapt herself to the customs of her adopted country.
The Danish suite were, of course, all strangers to the Queen, and the
first aspect of her chief lady-in-waiting, Madame de Plessen, was not
reassuring. Madame de Plessen was the widow of a privy councillor, and
was a little over forty years of age. She had been lady-in-waiting to
Queen Sophia Magdalena, who held her in high esteem: it was through her
influence that she obtained this appointment. Madame de Plessen was
a virtuous and religious woman, with a strict sense of duty and high
moral principles, and could be trusted to guide the young Queen in the
way she should go. But she had been trained in the old school, and her
ideas of etiquette were rigid in the extreme. She sought to hedge round
the Queen with every possible form and ceremony, and at first her
chill formalism frightened the timid Queen, who had not yet discovered
that behind her austere demeanour Madame de Plessen concealed a kind
heart.
Madame de Plessen was a clever and ambitious woman, and like her
former mistress, Sophia Magdalena, she favoured the French party at
Copenhagen. Her appointment, as head of the Queen's household, was
therefore viewed with no little apprehension by Gunning, who, some
time before Matilda's arrival in Denmark, wrote to warn the British
Government:--
"The person at the head of the list [of the Queen's household]," he
writes, "is a lady of an excellent understanding, possessing a thorough
knowledge of the world, and a most intriguing disposition. These
talents have recommended her to the Ministers here as a proper person
to place about the future Queen, but they are not the only ones. Her
being entirely devoted to the French system and interest, pointed her
out as the fittest instrument, to either give the young Princess the
bias they wish (which they think will not be difficult at her age), or,
by circumventing her, prevent that influence they conclude she will
have on the King. Their having unhappily effected the latter in the
late reign, gives them hopes of being equally successful in this; but
if her Royal Highness be prepared against these snares, her good sense
and discernment will prevent her falling into them, or being persuaded
by all the arguments (however specious) they may use, that it is not
the interest of this country [Denmark] to engage itself too close with
England."[66]
[66] Gunning's despatch, Copenhagen, May 20, 1766. Marked "_secret_".
It soon became apparent that the English envoy's fears were not without
foundation, and before long Madame de Plessen gained a great ascendency
over her young mistress. But at first she put aside all thought of
political intrigue, and her only instinct was maternal sympathy for the
lonely little Queen. Within a few days Matilda completely won Madame de
Plessen's heart, and the duenna determined at all hazard to protect her
charge against the perils and temptations of the corrupt court whither
she was bound.
From Hamburg Matilda proceeded by easy stages through her Danish
dominions. She was received at the gates of the city of Schleswig by
the chief burgesses and clergy, who complimented her on her arrival.
Her journey was a triumphal progress. Gunning writes from Copenhagen:
"We have an account of her Majesty's being arrived at Schleswig in
perfect health. The transports of the common people at the expectation
of again seeing an English princess on the throne are scarcely to be
described. Her Majesty's affability and condescension have already
gained her the hearts of all those who have had an opportunity of
approaching her."[67]
[67] Gunning's despatch, Copenhagen, October 25, 1766.
Matilda arrived at the historic town of Röskilde,[68] near Copenhagen,
on the evening of November 1, and rested there the night. Here Titley
and Gunning were waiting to have audience, and a courier was sent ahead
to inform the King, who was at the Christiansborg Palace, that his
Queen was at Röskilde. The next morning, as early as seven o'clock,
Christian VII., with his brother the Hereditary Prince Frederick, and
his cousin Prince Charles of Hesse, set out in all haste for Röskilde.
Here the King and Queen saw one another for the first time. The King
greeted his bride with great heartiness, and bade her welcome to his
kingdom. So delighted was he with her that, in defiance of etiquette,
he embraced and kissed her in the presence of all the company. The
little Queen seemed much comforted by this warm welcome, and at first
sight was favourably impressed with her husband. The young King
had charming manners, and was by no means ill to look upon. Though
considerably under middle height he was perfectly proportioned, and
possessed agility and strength. His features were regular, if not
handsome, and, like his Queen and cousin, he was very fair, with blue
eyes and yellow hair. His personal appearance was greatly enhanced by
his dress, which was magnificent and in the best of taste.
[68] Röskilde, an ancient town on the fjord of that name, once the
capital of the kingdom, and afterwards the residence of the Bishop
of Zealand. It has a magnificent cathedral, containing the tombs of
the Kings and Queens of Denmark. They are buried there to this day.
Röskilde is about twenty English miles from Copenhagen.
After the first greetings were over, a procession was formed to
escort Matilda to Frederiksberg, where she was to stay until her
marriage. Again Christian put etiquette on one side and insisted on
entering the same coach as the Queen--an ornate state coach drawn by
six white horses. The coach was preceded by an escort of guards and
followed by a train of other coaches. Frederiksberg was reached about
noon, and here the Queen-Mother, Sophia Magdalena, the Queen-Dowager,
Juliana Maria, the Princess Louise, the King's sister, and a great
number of the nobility were assembled to welcome the bride. Matilda
was received by all with the greatest marks of affection and respect.
Even Juliana Maria, who saw in her advent a blow to her hopes, forced
herself to greet the young Queen with some show of cordiality. As for
the old Queen, Sophia Magdalena, she frankly was delighted with her
granddaughter-in-law, and sent a special message to Titley, as to an
old friend, to tell him "how extremely satisfied and charmed she was
with the person and conversation of the new Queen".[69] Matilda gave
universal satisfaction, and the envoys wrote enthusiastically:--
"She has everywhere been received in these dominions with all due
honours and the greatest demonstrations of joy. She seems to gain
universal applause and affection wherever she appears, and her
particular attendants are unanimous in giving the highest praises to
her disposition and behaviour."[70]
[69] Titley's despatch, Copenhagen, November 4, 1766.
[70] _Ibid._
Immediately on her arrival at Frederiksberg Matilda held a court,
at which many personages of distinction were presented to her. The
court was followed by a banquet, when the King and his bride, the two
Dowager-Queens and the rest of the royal family dined in public. After
the banquet the King and all the other personages present took their
leave and returned to Copenhagen, leaving Matilda to well-earned rest.
Her long journey had occupied a month; she left England on October 2,
and reached Frederiksberg on November 2. All this time she had been on
the road, and perpetually receiving congratulations and deputations.
It was no small tribute to the tact and amiability of this princess of
fifteen that she everywhere won golden opinions. And it was proof of
the strength of her constitution that she bore the long and tedious
journey across northern Europe, in inclement weather, without illness
or undue fatigue.
Matilda rested at Frederiksberg for five days. On Saturday, November
8, she made her public entry into Copenhagen--on the occasion of
the marriage the same evening. Her entry was attended with every
circumstance of pomp and enthusiasm. About noon Princess Louise drove
to Frederiksberg, where her young sister-in-law was ready to receive
her. Accompanied by the Princess, Queen Matilda drove to a common
outside Copenhagen behind the "Blaagaard" [Blue Farm], where she found
a long procession awaiting her. The Queen here descended from her coach
and entered another, beautifully decorated and gilt. The procession
then set out for Copenhagen in the following order:[71] A squadron of
Horse Guards; a band of mounted drummers and trumpeters, twelve royal
pages in gold and crimson liveries on horseback, and a cavalcade, under
the command of the Master of the Horse, consisting of many officers of
the court. Then followed the ministers of state and the ambassadors
in their coaches; each coach vied with the other in magnificence, and
each was drawn by six horses and escorted by six running footmen. Then
came the Knights of the Order of the Elephant, wearing their robes and
insignia; the Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog, also in their
robes; the Royal Head Riding-Master, mounted on the "Dancing Horse"
(whatever that may mean), and a bevy of beautifully dressed ladies
in coaches. The climax of all this magnificence was the lovely young
Queen in robes of silver tissue and ermine, with a circlet of diamonds
on her fair hair, seated in her coach drawn by eight white horses,
and surrounded by royal lackeys in gorgeous liveries. Immediately
behind the Queen's coach came the members of her household; and twelve
halberdiers, arrayed in scarlet cloaks and equipped with pikes, closed
the procession.
[71] The following description of the Queen's entry into Copenhagen and
her marriage is based upon official documents in the archives of the
Court Marshal at Copenhagen, and from Danish papers of the time.
The procession entered Copenhagen through the Nörreport [North Gate]
and passed along the Nörregade [North Street] to the Gammeltorv
[Market Place]. Cannon thundered as the Queen passed under the gate,
and all the bells of the churches clashed forth joyous chimes. The
route was gaily decorated with flags and draperies; companies of
burghers lined the streets, and the balconies, windows, and even the
housetops were crowded with people, who cheered with wild enthusiasm.
The little Queen, looking like a fairy in her robes of silver tissue,
was seen, bowing and smiling, through the windows of her great gorgeous
coach, and she captured all hearts at once. "The English rose," the
Danes called her, and they hailed her as another Queen Louise, who
would act as a guide and helpmate to her husband, a purifier of his
court, and a true friend of the people.
In the Market Place the procession came to a halt for a few minutes
before the Town Hall, and the Queen was met by a bevy of eighteen
young girls, dressed in white, and who carried wreaths and baskets of
flowers. Here was a magnificent arch, seventy feet high, representing
a Corinthian portcullis, and through the archway was revealed a
background in perspective of the Temple of Hymen. A statue of Hymen
looked down upon an altar, and above this altar allegorical figures of
Denmark and England clasped hands. A pretty ceremony took place; the
maidens passed up the steps and laid their wreaths upon the altar of
Hymen singing:
God bless King Christian the Mild
And his Caroline Mathilde.
Then they cast flowers before the Queen's coach, and at "the same
moment was heard the most delightful music, which broke forth
simultaneously from all sides". Thus amid music, song, flowers and
shouts of joy and welcome, Matilda proceeded on her way through the
city, and at last reached the Christiansborg Palace.
As her coach drew up at the main entrance, the guard presented arms,
and the heralds blared on their silver trumpets. The heir presumptive,
Prince Frederick, was waiting to receive the Queen; he assisted her
to alight, and conducted her up the grand staircase into the King's
presence. The King received his bride with every mark of affection and
honour, and then led her to the knights' hall, where a state banquet
was served. The King pledged his Queen in a superb wedding goblet of
crystal and gold, manufactured for the occasion.[72]
[72] This goblet is still preserved in the Rosenborg. It is a
magnificent specimen of Danish art. The Danish and English arms are
ground into the crystal, the crowned initials of the bridal pair are
also inscribed, and underneath appears the legend "_Felici sidere
juncti_, 1766". The elaborately chased lid is surmounted by a crown.
The height of the goblet is eighteen inches.
After the banquet the Queen retired to her apartments to rest awhile,
and then robed for her wedding. At seven o'clock in the evening all
the ladies belonging to the two first ranks of the Danish nobility
(namely, the countesses and baronesses), and the ladies who had
taken part in the royal procession into Copenhagen, assembled in the
ante-chamber of the Queen's apartments. At half-past seven the Queen
appeared, a beautiful vision wearing a robe of white silk brocaded with
silver, a veil of priceless lace and a crown of pearls and diamonds.
The ladies made a lane for her to pass, and curtsied their obeisance.
The Queen, who, despite her tender years, bore herself with great
dignity, proceeded to the knights' hall, where the wedding procession
was marshalled. All the members of the royal family joined in this
procession with the exception of the Queen-Dowager, Juliana Maria, who
pleaded illness as an excuse for not appearing. The King and Queen
came last of all, and walked under a canopy to the royal chapel of the
Christiansborg, where the marriage ceremony was performed by Bishop
Harboe of Zealand. The chapel was brilliantly illuminated, and thronged
with the chief personages in Denmark, clad in rich attire, and covered
with orders and jewels. During the ceremony the King and Queen stood,
or knelt, on a _haut pas_ before the altar, which was covered with
cloth of gold and decked with silver candlesticks bearing large wax
tapers. At the conclusion of the marriage service the procession was
re-formed, and the King and Queen were conducted from the chapel to the
ante-room of their apartments, where the company dispersed.
In honour of the marriage day a silver medal was struck, and numerous
orders and titles were distributed. At night the city of Copenhagen was
illuminated, and people paraded the streets all night shouting and
singing for joy. The young Queen had won all hearts, and the popular
enthusiasm evoked by the marriage augured well for the future of the
monarchy.
Copenhagen held high festival for a week after the royal wedding, and
the populace as well as the court joined in the festivities. There was
a gala performance at the theatre including a "Felicitation Ballet,"
in which there were many pretty allusions to the young Queen, who
was styled Venus or "_la plus belle_". Two days after the marriage
the knights' hall of the Christiansborg Palace was the scene of a
wedding ball. Queen Matilda opened the ball by dancing a minuet with
the King with much grace and spirit. She then honoured the English
envoy, Gunning, by commanding him to dance with her--a very natural
proceeding, for she wished to pay honour to her native country.
But it gave offence to some of the other foreign envoys present,
especially to the Spanish minister, who was the _doyen_ of the _corps
diplomatique_ at Copenhagen, and he reported the circumstance to the
Spanish court, who later demanded an explanation.[73] Nor was this the
only unpleasantness at the ball. After supper the _kehraus_, a Danish
country dance, was danced, and one figure was danced in procession. The
_kehraus_ was led by Prince Charles of Hesse and his wife, the Princess
Louise--probably because they knew all the figures. The King came next
with the Queen, and all the rest of the company followed, two and two.
The King, who had supped freely, was in boisterous spirits, and called
out to Prince Charles: "Lead the _kehraus_ through all the apartments".
The Prince therefore led the procession through the rooms on the first
floor of the palace, the band, presumably, going before. The procession
of laughing and dancing men and women followed, until they came to the
ante-chamber of the Queen's apartments. At the door of the Queen's
bedchamber Prince Charles found Madame de Plessen standing like a
dragon in his path. Imperiously she waved him back, and declared that
his entrance would be an outrage, alike on etiquette and decency. But
the King, whom any opposition goaded to anger, shouted: "Do not heed an
old woman's nonsense! Go on! Go on!" Therefore Madame de Plessen, still
expostulating, was thrust aside, and the procession danced through the
Queen's bedchamber, and so back to the ballroom.
[73] Gunning's despatch, Copenhagen, November 18, 1766.
[Illustration: THE MARRIAGE BALL OF CHRISTIAN VII. AND QUEEN MATILDA IN
THE CHRISTIANSBORG PALACE.
_From a Contemporary Print._]
These incidents, trivial though they were, revealed the rocks ahead in
the way of the young Queen, and showed that no common care would be
necessary to avoid them. As the English Secretary of State, Conway,
wrote to Gunning not long after Matilda's arrival at Copenhagen:--
"Her Majesty is entering upon the most important era of her life, and
at a tender age is launched, as it were alone, into a strange and wide
ocean, where it might require the utmost care and prudence to steer
with that nice conduct which may at once conciliate the affections
of her court and people, and support the dignity of that high station
to which Providence has called her".[74]
[74] Conway's despatch to Gunning, St. James's, November 18, 1766.