Queen Victoria by G.A. Henty

Author:G.A. Henty
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: eBook ISBN: 9781510724143
Publisher: Racehorse Publishing
Published: 2017-04-08T04:00:00+00:00

3. A WIDOWED QUEEN.

During the Prince’s illness he spoke openly of his condition, and expressed many wishes as to arrangements to be made after his death. These were always spoken to the Princess Alice, for the Queen could not bear to listen to him, but the princess always retained her calmness when with her father or mother, breaking down only when alone. Other physicians were now called in, and although they regarded the case as very serious, they did not consider it hopeless. On the 12th of December the illness increased, and the Princess Alice summoned the Prince of Wales from Cambridge. There was a slight improvement on the following day, but on the 14th the change was again for the worse, and when the Queen asked the doctors if she could go out for a breath of fresh air, they told her not to go for more than a quarter of an hour.

Some hours passed without any further change, but even the Queen saw that death was near at hand. His last articulate words were “Good little wife,” spoken in German. The children came one after another into the room, but the Prince gave no signs of recognizing them; and at a quarter to eleven, with his wife and children kneeling round him, he passed quietly away. Just at midnight the great bell of St. Paul’s began to toll and spread the sad news of the Prince Consort’s death over London. The telegraph sent the news all over the country. The following day was Sunday, and many learnt for the first time, by the omission of the Prince Consort’s name from the litany, of the loss which the Queen and the nation had suffered.

For twenty-one years the Prince had been the wise adviser and support of the Queen, besides being a loving husband and an affectionate father to her children, and the Queen suffered terribly under the unexpected blow that had befallen her. For three days her state occasioned great anxiety to her medical attendants, and she was so weak that her pulse could scarcely be felt. For some time she absolutely refused to leave Windsor before the funeral. It was only upon its being represented to her that the fever which had proved fatal to the Prince might attack the children, that she gave way and started with the Prince of Wales and the Princesses Alice and Helena for Osborne.

The Prince of Wales returned for the funeral, which took place at Windsor on the 23d of December. The ministers, foreign ambassadors, the knights of the Garter, and many princes of foreign countries were present, among them Prince Albert’s brother, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg. The only children of the prince present were the Prince of Wales and Prince Arthur. The Prince Consort was greatly mourned throughout the kingdom for his own sake and for that of the Queen. Mourning was generally worn for some weeks, and the grief was as deep and general as it had been at the death of the Princess Charlotte.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.