The Queen's Husband (18 page)

‘I know she has a loving nature.’

‘She is overflowing with affection. She is good. You have in fact a wonderful wife but she is also a queen. She has been brought up with this knowledge and she has a sacred dedication to her duty. You are the most fortunate of young men to have such a wife and to be the husband of such a queen. But there are difficulties ahead which you will overcome. Your appearance is in your favour. It enchants the Queen, who is susceptible to good-looking people. Your calm and cautious character will stand you in good stead. You are her perfect complement. Your calm will always win against her violent temper. It is her chief fault and her great disadvantage. She loses her temper; you keep yours. Calm always wins over tempest. Remember that.’

‘I am sure your advice is sound and I am greatly cheered by it.’

‘Well, now a plan of action. You are going to make yourself knowledgeable politically. Lord Melbourne is difficult to approach because he is so much the Queen’s man. But what of Sir Robert Peel?’

‘The Queen hates him.’

Stockmar laughed. ‘Peel is a brilliant statesman. He has been a little piqued by the affair of the Bedchamber a year or so ago. Who would not be? The Queen behaved in a very unconstitutional manner. You must read accounts of this. I will see that they come to your hands. But for the chivalry of Melbourne and the dignity of Peel the Queen could have been in a difficult position over that affair. And following so closely on the Flora Hastings scandal it made Her Majesty very unpopular. These are matters which you must study. The Queen, like most young monarchs, does not yet understand the importance of pleasing the people. Her very crown depends on it. That is something you will be able to teach her. In the meantime cultivate the men who, though they may not be governing the Country now, will be doing so in a very short time. Are you aware that the fall of the Melbourne Ministry is imminent? When it falls there will be a Tory Government. There must be no repetition of the Bedchamber affair. You will have to save the Queen from that folly. And when the new government comes in you may well be on friendly terms with the new Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel.’

‘Why, it sounds like treachery towards Victoria.’

‘My dear Albert, you and I have no thought in our heads but to serve the Queen. This is the very best we can do for her. She will have to accept Sir Robert in due course; and she will do so because you will have taught her her duty towards her government and her country. You will even – in due course – help her to overcome this ridiculous – and between ourselves childish – dislike of one of the greatest statesmen of all time.’

‘Baron, I begin to see that there is hope for me.’

‘No one’s future was ever more bright or hopeful,’ said the Baron.

Albert did not find it difficult to strike up a friendship with Sir Robert Peel and to his great pleasure he discovered that the Leader of the Opposition was a man whom he could understand. There was a similarity in their characters. Peel was quite unlike Lord Melbourne, the handsome social success, being scarcely handsome and without social grace. His speech was direct and to the point; he was an idealist, the last description which could be applied to Lord Melbourne.

Albert’s study of politics had taught him that Peel was a reformer. He had brought in the Bill for Catholic Emancipation and revised the Laws of Offences against Persons; also the forgery laws. He had created the Metropolitan Police Force. Clearly a man of ideas and courage, Sir Robert Peel was incorruptible; his sense of duty came before personal glory; he was a man whom Albert could not only understand but admire. Moreover, and this was a factor which had begun to have considerable weight with Albert, his private life was exemplary. Lord Melbourne’s had been far from that. Although everyone seemed to have forgotten it, Melbourne’s married life with Lady Caroline Lamb had been most unsavoury (although it was long since over, for she had died some years ago) and he had later been involved in two divorce cases. To have been concerned in one would have been quite shocking in Albert’s eyes, but two! It seemed hardly possible that Lord Melbourne could be guiltless. Albert did not believe that people became concerned in such affairs by chance. And this was the man whom Victoria trusted as she trusted no other.

Now Sir Robert Peel was devoted to his wife, who shared his secrets and ambitions as all wives and husbands should; they had five sons and two daughters – a pleasant family.

Moreover, Sir Robert was pleased to talk to the Prince. There was none of that slightly patronising manner which he fancied he had detected with Lord Melbourne. Stockmar’s advice was good. Politics were interesting; moreover they gave him something to do.

He could never mention Sir Robert to the Queen, though she was constantly talking of Lord Melbourne to him, holding him up as a sort of oracle.

Albert thought a great deal about the political situation. Peel had told him that an election would be inevitable very soon. The Whigs were holding on by the skin of their teeth and in fact it was only the Queen’s favour which kept them in. Peel was, Albert realised in the light of his newly acquired knowledge, referring to the Bedchamber Affair, but the Leader of the Opposition could not talk of this in detail to the Prince because it put the Queen in such a bad light.

An election before long and Peel the new Prime Minister seemed an excellent prospect to the Prince. It saddened him, though, to realise that what seemed so desirable to him was the last thing the Queen wanted.

He believed that he should try to influence her a little, subtly attempt to make her realise that her dislike of Peel was unworthy of her; and he decided to make the attempt as they sat at tea together. Victoria enjoyed presiding over the tea pot ‘like an ordinary housewife’, she said. She liked to pour out the tea ‘just as you like it, dearest Albert’. It was wonderful, she told him, how he had taken to the English tea-drinking custom. It was
so
civilised.

He smiled at her from across the table and said to her: ‘You look tired, my dearest. You must not have so many late nights.’

She was pleased by his concern but hated to hear that she looked tired, which reminded her of that other affair: ‘Was she or was she not pregnant?’ She was not entirely sure yet but she rather believed she was. But she did not wish to be reminded; moreover he was referring obliquely to her love of dancing which she insisted should take place whenever possible and she had danced until two that morning. Albert always fidgeted and looked as though he would fall asleep at any moment. She
did
wish he did not feel so sleepy in the evenings. He really danced very well but she felt he did so reluctantly, which spoilt her pleasure.

So she felt a little irritated on the whole.

She said that she thought that Lord Melbourne was a little worried. That dreadful Peel man was a great thorn in his flesh.

‘Well, my dearest, he is the Leader of the Opposition. One would expect them to have a few differences of opinion.’

‘The Leader of the Opposition indeed, and that’s where I hope he’ll remain, although he would dearly love to be Prime Minister. He almost thought he was once but I put a stop to that.
My
government resigned because Lord Melbourne said he was powerless to pass laws with such a small majority and that dreadful Peel man thought he could take over. He came to see me. He is most unattractive and he prances about when he speaks like a dancing master.’

‘He has a wonderful record.’

‘Record! What do you mean, Albert, a wonderful record!’

‘He has done so much good for the country.’

‘Who has been telling you this nonsense, Albert?’

‘Nonsense, my dear love? Can you seriously think that? What of the Police Force, which is the envy of the world. Whose idea was it? And who formed it?’

‘Oh,
that
.’

‘Come my love, be fair. Answer me.’

‘It was just a law that was brought in.’

‘And a good one, eh?’

‘The Police Force has been greatly improved since it was formed.’

‘Should you not give credit where credit is due?’

‘Of course I would always give credit when it is deserved.’

‘Well then …’

‘But nothing is going to make me like your precious dancing master.’

These were the danger signals but Albert ignored them. She was a little frightened of the future. She hated this talk of politics. She wanted to laugh and talk of light matters and love with Albert.

‘And now, dear Albert,’ she went on, ‘I am going to ask you to help me choose the material for a new gown.’

‘Which I shall do with pleasure,’ said Albert, ‘but I do want you to look clearly at what is happening.’

‘Look clearly at what is happening? What
do
you mean? ‘
I
know what’s happening in this country, Albert, far more than you do. You forget my Prime Minister visits me every day. I have conferences with him. I happen to be the Queen of this country.’

‘As a statesman Lord Melbourne does not match up to Sir Robert Peel.’

She stared at him. She could not believe she had heard correctly. He had deliberately defied her. He had talked of politics when she did not wish to; he had decried her beloved Lord Melbourne; and he had applauded the man she hated as much as she had ever hated anyone.

She was trembling with rage. Her fingers closed about the handle of the full cup of tea before her which she had been about to drink when he had begun this distressing conversation.

She picked it up and threw it into his face.

Albert’s reaction was astonishing.

He rose from the table and said to the astonished servant who had come forward, ‘What do you think of that?’ He bowed to his wife. ‘I shall now go to change my clothes.’

He left her furious but wretched at the table.

Oh, dear, what
had
she done! It was that violent temper of hers. But really Albert should not have goaded her by praising that dreadful man. How could he admire Sir Robert Peel when she disliked him so? But to throw a cup of tea into her beloved Albert’s face! The thought of him sitting there so beautiful with the tea on his face and trickling down his coat was terrible. And he had been so wonderfully calm. He had had every right to be angry; but all he had done was go to change his coat.

She could not be happy until Albert and she were friendly again.

She ran up to his room. The door was shut.

‘Albert,’ she cried, rapping on it.

‘Is that you, Victoria?’ His voice sounded just the same, so beautifully calm, just as though nothing had happened.

‘Albert, I want to talk to you. May I come in?’ Her voice was humble. She felt humble. She was so ashamed of her outburst. Even Lehzen and Lord Melbourne said she had a quick temper. Lord Melbourne called it ‘choleric’.

Albert had changed his coat; he was standing at the window looking out.

‘Albert.’ She ran to him and threw herself into his arms.

He smiled tenderly. ‘There now, it is over,’ he said calmly.

‘But it is
not
over. I did that to
you
.’

‘The tea was tepid,’ said Albert with a smile, ‘and it was a very small cup.’

‘Oh, my precious angel! How kind, how forgiving you are!’

‘Shall we forget it?’

‘Oh, yes, Albert. But I fear I never shall. It was unforgivable of me. It was so
ill-bred
.’

‘Well, my dear, you would never listen to your mother and you only had your governess to tell you how to behave and I fear she flattered you because she was so eager to keep in your good graces.’

He held his breath. How would she take direct criticism of her idol?

She hesitated, about to defend her beloved Baroness, but so overcome with remorse was she that she let it pass.

‘I should not have lost my temper, Albert.’

‘No, my love, it is always a mistake to lose one’s temper.’

‘But you were very provoking.’

‘Should one be provoked simply because an opinion adverse to one’s own is expressed? However much one disagrees one should not, for instance … throw a cup of tea.’