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HIS MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY KING EDWARD VII.
HIS MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY KING EDWARD VII.
The King From the Painting by Archibald Stuart Wortley, published by Henry Graves and Co. HIS MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY KING EDWARD VII. BY MRS. BELLOC-LOWNDES AUTHOR OF ‘THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE MARQUISE’ ILLUSTRATED London GRANT RICHARDS 9 HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C. 1901...
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PREFACE
PREFACE
This book, originally published as a Life of the Prince of Wales, has now been much enlarged and brought up to the latest date, including His Majesty’s Accession and the events which followed. Fresh illustrations have also been added. It is believed that no previous attempt has been made to present a connected account of the Kings life, although isolated portions of His Majesty’s manifold activities have been treated of by various writers. Thus the author of the present work acknowledges conside
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CHAPTER I AN APPRECIATION
CHAPTER I AN APPRECIATION
On the Sunday following that eventful 9th of November on which His Most Gracious Majesty King Edward VII. first saw the light, the Rev. Sydney Smith preached at St. Paul’s, and made the following interesting addition to the Bidding Prayer:— “We pray also for that infant of the Royal race whom in Thy good providence Thou hast given us for our future King. We beseech Thee so to mould his heart and fashion his spirit that he may be a blessing and not an evil to the land of his birth. May he grow in
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CHAPTER II BIRTH AND EARLY YEARS
CHAPTER II BIRTH AND EARLY YEARS
King Edward VII. was born on 9th November 1841, at Buckingham Palace. The Duke of Wellington, who was in the Palace at the time, is said to have asked the nurse, Mrs. Lily, “Is it a boy?” “It’s a Prince , your Grace,” answered the justly offended woman. The news was received with great enthusiasm throughout the country, and Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had thousands of letters and telegrams of congratulation not only through official sources at home and abroad but from many of Her Majesty’s
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CHAPTER III THE KING’S BOYHOOD
CHAPTER III THE KING’S BOYHOOD
In view of all that has been said in the last chapter to show how anxiously Queen Victoria and Prince Albert considered the education of the future King of England, it is amusing to record that the latter was quite five years old before it occurred to the public to take an interest in the question. It was then that a pamphlet was published, entitled Who should educate the Prince of Wales? This contribution to the subject was carefully read by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and Baron Stockmar
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CHAPTER IV OXFORD, CAMBRIDGE, AND THE CURRAGH
CHAPTER IV OXFORD, CAMBRIDGE, AND THE CURRAGH
King Edward had now emerged from boyhood, and his loving parents set themselves to make the arrangements suitable for his growing years. What these arrangements were will be clear from the following passages in the Prince Consort’s letter to Baron Stockmar of 2nd April 1858:— “Next week he [the Prince of Wales] is to make a run for fourteen days to the South of Ireland with Mr. Gibbs, Captain de Ros, and Dr. Minter, by way of recreation. When he returns to London he is to take up his residence a
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CHAPTER V THE KING’S VISIT TO CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
CHAPTER V THE KING’S VISIT TO CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
During the Crimean war, Canada, stirred, as were all the British colonies, by the direful stress of the mother country, levied and equipped a regiment of infantry for service in the field with the regular British troops—an interesting precedent for what was to happen in the Boer war nearly half a century later. In return for their demonstration of loyalty, the Canadians dispatched a cordial invitation to Queen Victoria to visit her American possessions; but it was considered undesirable that Her
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CHAPTER VI DEATH OF THE PRINCE CONSORT—TOUR IN THE EAST
CHAPTER VI DEATH OF THE PRINCE CONSORT—TOUR IN THE EAST
King Edward’s visit to Germany in the autumn of 1861 is explained by Sir Theodore Martin, in his Life of the Prince Consort , to have been made with another object in view besides that of seeing the military manœuvres in the Rhenish Provinces. It had been arranged that he was to make the acquaintance of the Princess Alexandra of Denmark, who was then on a visit to Germany, with a view to a marriage, should the meeting result in a mutual attachment. In spite, however, of every precaution to ensur
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CHAPTER VII THE WEDDING OF KING EDWARD AND QUEEN ALEXANDRA
CHAPTER VII THE WEDDING OF KING EDWARD AND QUEEN ALEXANDRA
As is very generally known, the marriage of King Edward to Princess Alexandra of Denmark was brought about in quite a romantic fashion. It is said that long before His Majesty saw his future wife he was very much attracted by a glimpse of her photograph, shown him by one of his friends. A more authoritative story of a photograph is told in the memoir of the late Duchess of Teck. The meeting at Heidelberg in September 1861, already referred to, took place when the Danish Princess and her father w
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CHAPTER VIII EARLY MARRIED LIFE
CHAPTER VIII EARLY MARRIED LIFE
At the outset of their married life King Edward and Queen Alexandra were called upon to perform the public duties of the Sovereign, which, since the Prince Consort’s death, had in some measure necessarily developed upon the Duke of Cambridge and his family. The late Duchess of Teck’s biographer records that Society did its utmost to give the beautiful young bride a right royal welcome. A memorable event of the London season was the Guards’ ball in honour of the Prince and Princess of Wales, held
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CHAPTER IX THEIR MAJESTIES’ TOUR IN EGYPT AND THE MEDITERRANEAN
CHAPTER IX THEIR MAJESTIES’ TOUR IN EGYPT AND THE MEDITERRANEAN
Of this tour Queen Alexandra’s Bedchamber Woman, the Hon. Mrs. Grey, wrote a charming record, which her brother-in-law, General Grey, persuaded her to give to the world. It should be mentioned that Mrs. Grey was a Swedish lady, the daughter of Count Stedingk. Her first husband, the Hon. William George Grey, eighth son of the famous Earl Grey who was Prime Minister in the reign of William IV., had been dead some years before this tour began. She afterwards married en secondes noces the Duke of Ot
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CHAPTER X THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR—THE KING’S ILLNESS
CHAPTER X THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR—THE KING’S ILLNESS
The outbreak and progress of the Franco-Prussian war were naturally watched with the keenest interest at Marlborough House. Two of the King’s own brothers-in-law were serving with the German forces, while, on the other hand, he not only had many close ties with France, but from childhood had always regarded the Emperor and Empress of the French with special affection. When public subscription lists were opened in aid of the ambulances, which distributed medical aid impartially to the sick and wo
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CHAPTER XI 1873-1875
CHAPTER XI 1873-1875
The year 1873 was spent on the whole very quietly by the King and Queen. His Majesty took up once more the thread of his public life which had been interrupted for a considerable time by his illness and convalescence. A pleasant glimpse of the home life at Sandringham about this time is given in the following letters from the witty and eloquent Archbishop Magee (then Bishop of Peterborough), written to his wife:— “ Sandringham , 6th December 1873 . “… I arrived just as they were all at tea in th
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CHAPTER XII THE KING’S TOUR IN INDIA
CHAPTER XII THE KING’S TOUR IN INDIA
Lord Canning, the great Viceroy of India, once told the Prince Consort how desirable he thought it that the Prince of Wales should, when grown up, visit Queen Victoria’s Eastern Empire, and later on, those who had the privilege of the young Prince’s friendship were well aware that an Indian tour had become one of his most ardent wishes. But the project of the Heir-Apparent’s visit to India only really took shape early in 1875, and on 20th March it was publicly announced that the Prince contempla
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CHAPTER XIII QUIET YEARS OF PUBLIC WORK, 1876-1887—VISIT TO IRELAND—QUEEN VICTORIA’S GOLDEN JUBILEE
CHAPTER XIII QUIET YEARS OF PUBLIC WORK, 1876-1887—VISIT TO IRELAND—QUEEN VICTORIA’S GOLDEN JUBILEE
The year 1876 was marked, in addition to King Edward’s return from India, by a curious example of His Majesty’s tact and courage. He consented to preside at the special Jubilee Festival of the Licensed Victuallers’ Asylum, and this action aroused an extraordinary amount of feeling in temperance circles. Before the day of the festival he had received more than 200 petitions from all over the kingdom begging him to withdraw his consent. His Majesty, however, attended the festival, and in his speec
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CHAPTER XIV SILVER WEDDING OF KING EDWARD AND QUEEN ALEXANDRA—ENGAGEMENT AND MARRIAGE OF PRINCESS LOUISE
CHAPTER XIV SILVER WEDDING OF KING EDWARD AND QUEEN ALEXANDRA—ENGAGEMENT AND MARRIAGE OF PRINCESS LOUISE
Considerable preparations were made early in 1888 for the Silver Wedding of King Edward and Queen Alexandra, but it was well known that the Royal family were expecting daily to hear of the death of the old German Emperor, William I., which actually occurred just before the Silver Wedding Day, and everything in the way of public rejoicing was countermanded. Still, the 10th of March was not allowed to pass entirely unobserved. The whole of the Royal family then in England, preceded by Queen Victor
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CHAPTER XV THE BACCARAT CASE—BIRTH OF LADY ALEXANDRA DUFF—THE KING’S FIFTIETH BIRTHDAY—ILLNESS OF PRINCE GEORGE
CHAPTER XV THE BACCARAT CASE—BIRTH OF LADY ALEXANDRA DUFF—THE KING’S FIFTIETH BIRTHDAY—ILLNESS OF PRINCE GEORGE
During the winter of 1890 various rumours had been rife as to a cause célèbre in which King Edward was to be called as a witness. These reports proved to have had substantial foundation in the following spring, when Sir William Gordon-Cumming, a cavalry officer of good family, who had distinguished himself in the Egyptian campaign, and was understood to enjoy the personal friendship of the King, brought an action for slander against five defendants—Mrs. Arthur Wilson, Mrs. A. S. Wilson, Mr. and
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CHAPTER XVI THE DUKE OF CLARENCE AND AVONDALE
CHAPTER XVI THE DUKE OF CLARENCE AND AVONDALE
The year 1892 opened auspiciously both for the Royal family and the nation, inasmuch as, immediately on the convalescence of Prince George, the engagement of his elder brother, the Duke of Clarence and Avondale, to Princess Victoria Mary of Teck was announced. The projected alliance was received with every possible expression of popular approval. The public career of the Duke of Clarence, short as it had been, had already confirmed him in the public estimation as a worthy son of his father, who
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CHAPTER XVII THE HOUSING OF THE WORKING CLASSES—MARRIAGE OF PRINCE GEORGE—THE DIAMOND JUBILEE—DEATH OF THE DUCHESS OF TECK
CHAPTER XVII THE HOUSING OF THE WORKING CLASSES—MARRIAGE OF PRINCE GEORGE—THE DIAMOND JUBILEE—DEATH OF THE DUCHESS OF TECK
The year 1893 brought to the King a very fortunate distraction, which prevented his mind from dwelling too much on his still recent bereavement in a way that could not have been accomplished by the customary round of ceremonial visits and functions. This distraction was his appointment as a member of the Royal Commission on the Housing of the Poor. The King was genuinely delighted with this opportunity. He threw himself with the greatest zeal into the work, and not only attended all the sittings
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CHAPTER XVIII LATER YEARS—A SERIOUS ACCIDENT TO THE KING—GRADUAL RECOVERY—THE ATTEMPT ON THE KING’S LIFE
CHAPTER XVIII LATER YEARS—A SERIOUS ACCIDENT TO THE KING—GRADUAL RECOVERY—THE ATTEMPT ON THE KING’S LIFE
The year 1898, destined to bring His Majesty a serious accident and a tedious convalescence, opened uneventfully. On New Year’s Day the King accepted the post of Patron of the Fourth International Congress of Zoology, which had arranged to meet at Cambridge in August. In January, too, the Brixton branch of the Social Democratic Federation sent to the King a proposal that the Government should organise a system of State maintenance of the underfed London school children. In reply, Sir F. Knollys
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CHAPTER XIX THE KING AS A COUNTRY SQUIRE
CHAPTER XIX THE KING AS A COUNTRY SQUIRE
Sandringham is so closely associated in the public mind with King Edward and Queen Alexandra, whose country home it was for so many years, and is still to be from time to time, that no apology is needed for devoting to it a special chapter. When King Edward was about to set up a separate establishment, Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort instructed some of their most trusted friends to look out for a suitable country estate for the Heir-Apparent. At one moment it was proposed to buy Newstead A
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CHAPTER XX THE KING IN LONDON
CHAPTER XX THE KING IN LONDON
Not long after the King’s accession, extensive alterations were ordered to fit Buckingham Palace, which had been for a long time only occupied occasionally, to be the town house of His Majesty and Queen Alexandra. It is probable that their Majesties would have preferred to remain at Marlborough House, which is endeared to them by the most intimate associations, both of joy and of sorrow; but in this, as in so many other instances, the King divined by quick intuition that his loyal subjects would
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CHAPTER XXI THE KING AND STATE POLICY
CHAPTER XXI THE KING AND STATE POLICY
The King has on several occasions, notably in his Message to his People, published on his accession, expressed his resolve to follow in the footsteps of his late deeply-lamented mother in fulfilling the great and sacred responsibilities which at her death he was summoned to undertake. The chief of these responsibilities is that which relates to high State policy, and especially to the intricate and delicate problems arising out of our relations with foreign Powers. Now, not the least service whi
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CHAPTER XXII THE KING AND THE SERVICES
CHAPTER XXII THE KING AND THE SERVICES
Only three days after the irreparable loss of his much-loved mother, King Edward wrote Messages to the Navy and the Army, which demonstrated how great is his pride in both the services, and how deeply he has their interests at heart. The Message to the Navy, which was ordered by the Lords of the Admiralty to be read on the quarter-deck of every ship in commission, in the presence of the ship’s company, was as follows:— “ Osborne , 25th January 1901 . “I am desirous of expressing to the Navy my h
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CHAPTER XXIII THE KING AND FREEMASONRY
CHAPTER XXIII THE KING AND FREEMASONRY
For the information contained in this chapter the author is indebted to an authority on the subject. After the King’s accession His Majesty reluctantly decided that he could not hope to find time to fulfil the duties of the high offices in Masonry to which he had been called as Prince of Wales, namely Grand Master of English Freemasons and Grand Master of the Mark Degree. At the same time King Edward was unwilling to cut short his long official connection with Masonry. Accordingly, His Majesty g
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CHAPTER XXIV THE KING AS A PHILANTHROPIST
CHAPTER XXIV THE KING AS A PHILANTHROPIST
One of the first occasions on which King Edward and Queen Alexandra appeared in support of a charitable institution was on 24th June 1863, when their Majesties opened the new buildings of the British Orphan Asylum at Slough. From that day forward both the King and Queen have unceasingly demonstrated their keen personal interest in every genuine form of charitable endeavour. It would be impossible to estimate the total sum of human misery and suffering which has been relieved as the direct result
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CHAPTER XXV THE KING AS A SPORTSMAN
CHAPTER XXV THE KING AS A SPORTSMAN
The author is indebted to an authority on sport for kindly revising this chapter. An account of the King as a sportsman begins, appropriately enough, with the sport of kings, though this is by no means the only pastime with which His Majesty has identified himself. Still, at any rate during his later years as Prince of Wales, he was chiefly associated in the public mind with racing, and his colours—purple, gold band, scarlet sleeves, and black velvet cap with gold fringe—were familiar at all the
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CHAPTER XXVI DEATH OF QUEEN VICTORIA—THE KING’S ACCESSION
CHAPTER XXVI DEATH OF QUEEN VICTORIA—THE KING’S ACCESSION
On 19th January 1901 it was officially announced that Queen Victoria had not been lately in her usual health, and on the same day King Edward and Queen Alexandra arrived at Osborne. His Majesty returned to London with his son to meet the German Emperor, whose instant departure in the midst of the bi-centenary celebrations of the Prussian monarchy to the sick-bed of his venerated grandmother deeply touched the feelings of the British people. The mournful story of the days which followed is well k
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