Year: 1875

uence OF Ernest, Duke of SAKE COburR
Saalfeld, who was destined to play an
important part in the world. He was
furnished at christening with long list
of names. after the fashion of royalty


Francis Charles Augustus Albert


Emanuel-but in the household was
known simply as Albert, and in later
years as Prince Albert, the consort of
the Queen of England. The birth of a


prince or princess at one of the in
Vulnerable petty courts that once di-


vlded Germany between them, before
/ the nation had become consolidated


INTO an empire, was, as rule, matter


OF very little Importance to the great


world outside; and but for the infiu-


ences that made him the husband of
Queen Victoria, Prince Albert would in


all probability have been reckOned with
/ the vast multitude of German royal
personages who lived undistinguisbed


but blameless lives, and whose record


is found only IN the pages OF the


4imdndch de GOthd. A different and


happier fate awaited the amiable and


large-hearted boy, whose story is so


well told in Theodore Martins Life of


the Prince COnsOrt," the first volume of


which has been just published by Smith,


Elder Il Co., London. The work was


undertaken bv Mr.. Martin in compli-


ance with the express desire of the


widowed Queen, who placed very much


interesting material in his hands. His


pOrtraiture of the Prince is most attrac-


tive, and will enable the grumbling
British public to understand better the


prolonged sorrow of the Queen, which
| II has viewed almost with resentment.
/ His was a rare and excellent nature,


royal not only by the accident of birth,
/ but by every moral and intellectual
/ quality which men deem admirable.


Americans have every reason to honor
his memory. 1t was his wise counsel,


almost the closing act of his life, that
averted war between this country and


England when the Trent affair reused
national passion to fever heat, and


when the Queens ministry were not


unwilling to preclpltate hOstillties.


Albert was the second son of his
parents. His only brother, Ernest, now
/ Duke of Saxe-COburg- -Gotha. was born
a little more than year before. Both
/ the young princes were distinguished
by their precocity. The beauty, gen
| tleness and vivacity of Albert seem,
however, to have made him the favorite.
As child his beauty was remarkable.
In 1921 the DOwager Duchess of COburg
writes of him to the Duchess of Kent,
the mother of Victoria: Little AL
berinchen, with his large blue eyes and
dimpled cheeks, is bewitching, forward
and quick as weasel. He can already
say everything. Ernest is not nearly as
pretty, only his intelligent brown eyes
are very fine but he is tall. active. and
very clever for his age" And again. a
few weeks later: The little fellow is
the pendant to the pretty cousin 1.-THE
Princess Nictorial, very handsome. but
too slight for a boy !; lively, very funny.
The portrait, engraved by D9hl, is
sufficient proof that the praise of his
beauty was not the eXaggeratiOn of a
grandmOther's fondness. Like his
mother in person. and resembling her
also IN quickness, vivacity and playful
ness, Albert was her favOrite child, and
she made no secret of her preference.
But this was not to last. The Duchess
was not only beautiful, but exercised a
great charm through her intelligence
and kindness of heart. With habit
of viewing men and things in a droll
and humorous way-characteristics in
which the Prince strongly resembled
her-she was general favOrite in so
ciety. But her welded life, which
commenced under the fairest auspices,
proved unhappy. In 1924 separation,
followed by a divorce in 1896, was ar
ranged between the Duke and herself,
but not before she had established a
hold upon the affections of her children
which, although they never saw her
again, remained with them TO the last.
She died at st. Wendell, in Switzerland,
in 1881, at the age of thirty two, after a
long and painful illness. The Prince"
writes the Queen, never forgot her,
and spoke with much tenderness and
sorrow of his poor mother, and was
deeply affected In reading, after his
marriage, the accounts of her sad aud
painful illness" All that could be done
to compensate the loss of a mothers
presence and care was done by the
grandmother of the princes, who con-
tinued to watch over them with two


fold tenderness. Their education was
of the broad. general character best
suited to their position, and included
history, geography, mathematics, phil
osophy, religion, Latin, and the modern
European languages, relieved by the
study of music and drawing, for both
of which the Prince early showed
marked inclination. His father was an
ardent sportman, and the two brothers
as they grew up took an eager interest
in the sports of the field and forest,
which in Germany are the prescriptlve
pastime of their class. Albert, though
an excellent shot. enjoyed them, how
ever, chiefly for the sake of exercise
and for the pleasures of the scenery
into which they carried him.


The house OF Coburg was intimately
related by marriage with the royal
family of England. In 1915 Prince
Leopold, the youngest brother of Prince
Albert's father had married the Princess
Charlotte. then presumptive heiress to
the English throne. After her untimely
death the Duke of Kent married the
youngest sister of the Duke of COburg,
and on the 9th of May, 1919, she pre-
sented him with a daughter, who was
destined TO become Queen of England.
But long before il was known that she
would ascend the throne, the idea of
her marriage with one of her COburg
cousins had taken such root in the
family that Prince Albert's nurse was
i'm the habit of prattling to her infant
charge, when he was only three years
old, of his destined bride in England.
In 1896 there was no longer any doubt
as to the succession of the Princess
Victoria to the throne, and already
several aspirants for her hand were in
the field. King Leopold. her uncle and
loved adviser in all matters greatly de-
sired her marriage to Prince Albert;
but he also greatly desired that the
union should be one of affection, and
not merely one of political expediency.
He therefore arranged with the Duchess
of Kent that she should invite the Duke
of Coburg and his sons to visit her at
Ken nsington Palace. The object of the
visit was kept strictly secret from the
Princess and the Prince, so as to leave
them completely at their ease. The
Princes grandmother had, it is true,
often spoken to him years before of her
earnest desires on this subject; but he
had no reason to think this was more
than a family wish. and the Princess at
least was left freely TO the impulses OF
her own inclination. Her uncle, King
Leopold, saw that the impression was
favorable. and made her aware of his
wishes in the matter. Her answer made
it impossible TO doubt how entirely