The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-21
ENVIRONMENT AND MARRIAGE.
Two of the Most Noteworthy Happen
ings i'm the Queens Career.


fcers of the Privy Council were promptly
summoned; the archbishop and three others
rode out to Kensington. where the Duchess
of Kent lived. They arrived there at
a. m Not one of them knew the princess
intimately She had been brought up in
such seclusion by her prudent mother that
she had never slept out of her bedroom,
had never been alone with anyone but the
duchess or the Baroness Lehzen, and had
no intimate acquaintances or friends OF
either sex The visitors knocked loudly
at the palace door, and demanded to see
the princess. They were told she was
asleep They declared that they came on
business of state TO the Queen, and that
she must be walked. and must receive them.
III few minutes young lady OF eighteen
made her appearance She was in her
Eightdress, with shawl thrown over ner
shoulders; she had thrown off her night
cap. and her hair was loose, her bare feet
had been thrust in slippers; flush on her
cheek showed that she had been sleeping
sCundly, but she was perfectly composed.
She we'll knew what they had come for.
She made the customary declaration, the
lord chancellor administered the oath, and
the young lady stood calm and quiet while
the old men filed, one by one, before her
and kissed her hand. When they retired
she went back to her girl bedroom and had
a good cry.
The Greville Memoirs place the transac-
ton in somewhat more dignified light
Greville details the circumstances as fol-
lows: ION the morning of the King 5
death the Archbishop of Canterbury and
Lord Conyngham arrived at Kensington at
5 o'clock and Immediately desired TO see
the Queen. They were ushered into an
apartment and in few minutes the door
opened, and she came In, wrapped "a d
morning gown. Conyngham in few words
told her their Grand and as soon a. he
uttered the words Your Majesty She in
stantly put out her hand TO him, intimat-
f,,er hot he n hands hQfOrQ
proceeded He dropped on one knee, Kissed
her hand, and then went on to tell her or
the Kings death. She presented her hand
to the archbishop, who likewise kissed IL,
and when he had done so addressed to her
| a sort of pastoral charge, which she re-
ceived graciously and then retired. -.
The Privy Council was called for IL
a. m There this girl, lat an age when
she could hardly be trusted to choose a
bonnet for herself, was called upon to un-
dertake responsibilities from which an
archangel might have shrunk." She was
| calm and self-possessed. She read the
speech which had been composed for her
with modesty and propriety: When the
| two old men, her uncles, knelt before her.
| vowing allegiance, she blushed, but she
| did not speak to anyone.
PROCLAIMED QUEEN.
On the following day she was proclaimed.
| and drove to the presence chamber through
! a crowd in which Daniel O'CQnnell the
/ repeater, was conspicuous. shouting that
'ff necessary, he would get $4,000 Irishmen
to defend the life. the honor and the per-
son of the beloved young lady by whom
Englands throne is now filed
At the coronation. which did not take
| place till a year later, the ceremonies were
' quaint and embarrassing. A new crown,
weighing seven pounds, was made for the
| Queens head the Archbishop of Canter-
bury proclaimed:
| "Sirs-I here present to you Queen Vic
| toria-the undoubted Queen of this realm.
| Wherefore, all you who are come this day
| to dc your homage, are you willing to do
| the same?"
| No answer being made, the ceremony
| went on, the archbishop, the dukes,
earls and other noblemen repeating be-
| fore the Queen the old feudal formula:
81 do become your liege man of life
| and limb and earthly worship and faith
| and truth 1 will bear unto you to live and
die against all manner OF folk, so help me
| God"
The Order of the Garter was bestowed
| on her Majesty. which rather embarrassed
| her ''Where, my lord duke" said she
to the Duke of Norfolk. lam I to wear
| the garter?"
When the orb was put into her hand
| she asked the Dean of Westminster,
what am to do with this thing?"
your Majesty is to carry it in your
| hand, If you please"
'It is very heavy" she replied.
| When the ceremony was all over she
| drove back to the palace, and with the
| impetuosity of a girl just let out of school
| she leaped out of the carriage in her royal
| robes cried There's Dash," and ran to
| clasp her pet dog in her arms.
Even before the ceremonies gossip was
| rife about her rumored matrimonial en-
| gagements. The newspapers found a new
| pretender for the young girl every day
| Loyal Englishmen were terrified by rtl-
| mors of engagements with foreign adven-
10 n sod Cfn IA
| CT her having fallen in love with subject
She was herself heart-whole at the time
| and during the first year of her reign her
| new duties and the annoyances caused by
the squabbles of political parties amply
| occupied her time. But there were two mer
| who gave great deal of thought to hei
marriage and who had chosen her husband
long before. These were her uncle Leo.
pold, the shrewd old King of the Belgians
| and his counselor, Baron Stockmar.
HER COURTSHIP.
The young man they had chosen was
Albert of Saxe-Coburg Gotha, hand
some spirited. sunny-tempered lad of the
| Protestant branch of the Coburg line. He
had been educated expressly to marry the
| young Queen. He had become proficient In
all the accomplishments she loved-riding
dancing music and art. He learned English
SO as to speak it like a native. He was
Victoria's cousin and three months younger
than she. They met in May, 1886. when thfy
were both seventeen years of age. During
the four weeks that Albert spent in Eng
land they saw each other constantly. in
public and in private, and the court chron
| icler gravely records that at court as
sembly Victoria once took flower from
her bouquet and handed ii to Albert, who
with his penknife, made a slit in his tight
fitting uniform over his heart and inserted
the flower.
Young Queens hand. William w had beer
strongly opposed to the Coburg marriage
and objected to the visits of Albert TO Eng
land After his death other members Of
the family embraced his views and sneereG
at the prospect of a marriage with a Ger
man pauper. The court of ST James be
came a hotbed of intrigue But at tina
game the Baron Stockmar could hold his
own with any one.
With extreme delicacy he sounded tn
| young girl and communicated the re
suit of his observations to his master, tn
King Leopold sent for Albert, felt hi
pulse and reported that the little German
prig Cooked at the question from its mos
elevated and honorable point of view.
This pauper who had to borrow a little sil
yer from his uncle for pocket money, beini
offered the hand of the sovereign of on
of the greatest kingdoms on earth and
very lovable young woman besides, ICON
sidered that troubles are inseparable from
all human positions, and that therefor
IL one must be subject to plaques and an
| noyances. Ii is better to be for som
great, or worthy object that for trihes o
! miseries" The King remarked to the self
| sacrificing swain that the marriage woul
have TO be postponed for a few years Il
consequence of his (Albert'sl youth-he wa