‘I wish you would not continually bring Lord Melbourne’s name into the conversation. And I advise you to be very careful because Parliament will soon be discussing the Civil List which could bring some benefit to you, Mamma.’

‘It is nothing more than I deserve,’ said the Duchess somewhat mollified as she always was at the prospect of money, and Victoria was able to bring the interview to a close on a more peaceful note.

When the Duchess left, the Baroness, who had been waiting in the next room, came out.

‘Oh dear,’ said Victoria. ‘What a scene! It reminded me of the old days at Kensington.’


* * *

Leopold had noticed nothing different in Victoria’s attitude towards him during his visit to England and her letter written after his departure confirmed her continued adoration for and devotion to him.

He was determined that England should be Belgium’s ally and at this moment Belgium needed allies. On his return he passed through France and saw the French Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary, Count Molé, and in his usual somewhat arrogant way warned him as to the action France would be wise to take towards Spain, Portugal and Greece.

He hoped, he wrote to Victoria, that the English Government would fall into line with the French and he wished her to tell her ministers so. She would understand that the Monarchy was a little uneasy in France. That it had been restored was a matter for rejoicing in all royal houses throughout Europe, and it must be the concern of all royalists to keep it steady. With regard to the Peninsula she would agree that there could be action there which England might take more easily than France and she might agree that it was wise to ask her ministers to decide that it was a necessary action.

When Victoria read this letter she was bewildered. Uncle Leopold, it seemed, was trying to lead English foreign policy. Of course he was only advising her for her own good, but Uncle Leopold did seem to forget that she was not merely a niece to be taught a lesson or two about the world; she was a Queen with her own Government.

The obvious action was to show the letter to Lord Melbourne and this she did at the earliest possible moment.

Lord Melbourne was a little grave and told her that he would discuss Leopold’s letter with Lord Palmerston.

Her Majesty will understand readily enough I know, he pointed out, that it is not policy to discuss a possible foreign policy with the head of another country however close in kinship that head might be with the Sovereign. There were close family ties between many European countries and if they discussed foreign affairs with one another they might as well be conducted in the open and there would be no such thing as diplomacy. He trusted Her Majesty understood and approved.

She did, even though this concerned her dearest Uncle.

‘Perhaps Your Majesty would care to write to the King of the Belgians and tell him that you are placing these political enquiries in the hands of your Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary?’

That is exactly the right thing to do,’ she said with relief.

And this she did, but Leopold did not mean to relinquish his influence with his niece. He continued to write to her pointing out the need for English support in Belgian projects; and at Lord Melbourne’s suggestion she wrote back and told him that it was impossible for her to give her word that England would act in such and such a way, for she could not be sure what her Government might find it necessary to do in an emergency before that emergency arose.

Leopold was uneasy. He wrote to her:‘My dearest child.You were somewhat irritable when you wrote to me …’

He was very disappointed in her, she knew, because he did not discuss political issues further. Instead he wrote about her cousin Albert. She remembered Albert, of course, the young cousin whom she had so much admired when he visited England the previous year; Uncle Leopold had made it quite clear then that he hoped one day they would marry, although if she preferred Albert’s brother there would be no objection.

Last year when life had been very dull, she had been quite happy with the idea; but it was rather different now. She had not given marriage a thought since she had mounted the throne, though now she supposed she would have to consider taking a husband for to provide an heir was a Queen’s vital duty to the State. She would love to have babies. She thought of the little Russells, who were so often at the Palace, and the little Conynghams who called her the ‘Tween’, the darlings! But a husband? No, she did not think she wanted a husband. He might interfere. She was quite happy to have Lord M to advise her.

All the same it was much better that Uncle Leopold, rather than write of politics, should tell her what Albert was doing in Bonn where he was undertaking special studies to ‘prepare himself’ as Uncle Leopold called it. To prepare him for what? Marriage? Well, if she did not want marriage she would not have it … yet.

She did hope Uncle Leopold would understand that he must not meddle too much in English affairs. That was Lord Palmerston’s province – and of course dear Lord Melbourne’s.


* * *

Lord Melbourne came to tell her that the new Civil List had been passed through Parliament.

‘We have got them to agree to £375,000 a year, £60,000 of which will be for Your Majesty’s privy purse.’

‘What a lot of money!’

‘In addition to that of course you have the revenues from the Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster.’

‘So much money!’ cried the Queen, her blue eyes wide.

‘You are the first Sovereign who has thought it so much.’

‘Surely anyone would think it a great deal?’

‘Oh, you are very careful with money. You will never be in debt as your uncles continually were, and even your grandfather George III, parsimonious as he was, couldn’t make ends meet!’

‘I always budgeted,’ said the Queen. ‘That dreadful man Conroy laughed at me for it.’

‘He couldn’t understand wise spending. He has been a poor choice for Household Comptroller as your mother’s affairs have shown.’

‘He was supposed to have settled my father’s debts but he never did. Now that I have so much money that is what I shall do. All my father’s creditors shall be paid in full.’

Lord Melbourne’s eyes filled with tears.

‘A noble suggestion,’ he said, ‘and one that does not surprise me one little bit.’

‘It is very unfair to one’s creditors not to pay one’s debts. I am surprised that my father did it.’

‘It is a tradition of princes to live beyond their means.’

‘A sad tradition for the poor tradesmen.’

‘Oh, they expect it.’

‘They must also expect to be paid sometimes.’

‘But not by Royalty.’

‘Then I shall surprise them. Was my father very extravagant?’

‘No more so than his brothers. He resembled King George IV more than King William. He was charming and affable and very popular.’

‘I’m glad of that. But I’m sorry he was extravagant. I should like to think he was a good man.’

Lord Melbourne smiled benignly at her and wondered if she had heard rumours of her father’s liaison with Madame Saint Laurent. It had, it was true, been as respectable in its way as William’s with Dorothy Jordan; and like William on his State marriage he had abandoned the woman who had been as a wife to him for … was it twenty years or so? These Royal Dukes would have been faithful husbands if the State had allowed them to be. But it had all happened a long time ago and although Victoria must have asked her mother, and those who would have known him, what her father was like, it was almost certain that no one would have mentioned Madame Saint Laurent.

‘Your mother might take charge of those debts. She has been granted an extra £8,000 which means she will now have an annual income of £30,000.’

‘That should please her. But I can see I must be the one to pay my father’s debts because if I left it to her Comptroller (I can scarcely bring myself to say his name!) he would never do it. I must think of those poor creditors.’

‘I can tell you that the sole reason why she was granted this money was out of respect for you. So she has you to thank for it.’

Lord Melbourne fixed his tenderly tearful gaze upon her and she was happy.


* * *

Life could not be all happiness and Victoria was very sad because news had come to her that old Louie was very ill and not expected to live.

‘Of course she is very old,’ said Lord Melbourne.

‘But it is very sad all the same.’

‘We all have to go sometime,’ replied Lord Melbourne.

He was right, of course, but she was very unhappy. She kept thinking of those visits to Claremont when Louie had greeted her with her own special kind of curtsy and then had carried her off to her own room and had chatted about Princess Charlotte.

The Court was leaving for Windsor, but before she went she must go and see dear Louie.

What a shock to find her so changed! She was quite distressed because she could not rise from her bed and make that very special curtsy.

‘Dearest Louie,’ cried Victoria, kissing her.

‘Your Majesty!’ murmured Louie, overcome by the honour.

‘Foolish Louie! Did you expect me to love you less because I am the Queen?’

‘It’s wrong that I should be lying here and Your Majesty standing.’

‘Then I’ll sit and you lie still. That is an order. I give orders now.’

Louie laughed. ‘You always did.’

‘Oh yes. I could be very demanding, I am sure. Oh, they were happy days and how I used to look forward to them! I remember so well your having breakfast in your room in your neat morning gown and then in the evening dressed in your best. You always stood up so straight and the curtsy you gave me was so dignified … it was like no one else’s. I think you thought me a little like Charlotte.’