Lord Melbourne thought it best to cancel the review; the news leaked out; the papers took up the story and there were rhymes about the stubborn little Queen’s disagreement with her Prime Minister; but they liked her for it. She might be tiny but she had a high spirit.
‘As for Lord Melbourne,’ Victoria commented to Lehzen, ‘he was concerned for my safety which proves once more what a good, kind, feeling man he is.’
Now that she had been proclaimed Queen and had seen her Ministers there was no reason why she should stay in London. Lord Melbourne suggested that the Court should move to Windsor, which would give Her Majesty an opportunity of enjoying the country and taking rides in the forest. A sly allusion to the review contretemps which had amused them both.
How she loved Windsor! What a fine old place and here again she must thank Uncle George IV.
‘In the days of your grandfather, the third George,’ Lord Melbourne told her, ‘it was the most uncomfortable place on earth. They used to say there was enough draught in the corridors to sail a battleship; and in the winter only your grandfather was hardy enough to go to the Chapel. It was like being in the Arctic circle.’
She so much enjoyed hearing stories of the family and what a wonderful raconteur Lord Melbourne was.
Every day he was closeted with her while they discussed State business, which was enlivened by these pleasant little anecdotes.
‘You should know these details about your family,’ said Lord Melbourne. ‘It’s history.’
She enjoyed the mornings because then she had him all to herself; it was so cosy, so friendly, so stimulating and interesting; and what more proper than that the Queen should discuss business with her Prime Minister? Nobody could explain the tiresome details of politics as lucidly as Lord M. It seemed so much more friendly to think of him by this abbreviated form of his name. He made everything so easy to understand and would never let her worry about anything.
‘It’s a mistake to worry,’ he said. ‘Worry never cured anything. Let events take their course.’
That was his motto; he was lazy, easy-going and nothing seemed so vital that one must have the smallest anxiety about it, and so many things were amusing that one could laugh at them. So much of the morning was spent in laughing. But of course she was learning all the time. She learned to love the Whigs and hate the Tories; but alas, said Lord Melbourne, the Whigs were not as strong in the House of Commons as they would like to be, but now that people were beginning to realise how friendly the Queen felt towards the Whigs, the next election would doubtless change that.
His sayings were so original. He never carried a watch, she discovered. ‘But, dear Lord M, how do you know the time?’ she asked.
‘I always ask a servant and he tells me what he likes.’
She roared with laughter. Perhaps it was the droll way Lord Melbourne made these observations which seemed so funny or perhaps she laughed so much because she was happy. She was constantly telling herself how fortunate she was to have come to the throne when Lord Melbourne was Prime Minister, for it might so easily have been grim old Lord Grey (how dreary!) or the old Duke of Wellington (how terrifying!). But it was neither of these. It was the kindest, best, most wonderful feeling man in the world.
Every afternoon they went riding in the forest, she and Lord M leading the cavalcade. The Prime Minister looked magnificent, in Victoria’s opinion, on a very fine black mare which he had had sent down from London. Behind came other members of her Government who happened to be staying at Windsor, with some of her household and guests. She herself usually rode the spirited Barbara who was a little frisky, and she was glad of this because she was eager to show Lord Melbourne that he need have no qualms about her riding. The Baroness Lehzen was sometimes of the party, following the riders in a little pony cart.
Those afternoon rides were the best part of the day … No, that was the morning, or perhaps in the evening when she would sit with Lord Melbourne beside her and they would chat and laugh in the happiest manner.
After the ride they would return to the Castle and there was a little time to be filled in before dinner. Sometimes she played games – not with Lord Melbourne this time, but with some of the younger members of the Court. One could hardly expect the Prime Minister to indulge in a game of battledore or shuttlecock. If the John Russells were there she would play with their children for a while – or any other young people who were in the Palace; and after that dinner.
Sometimes important guests would be at the Castle and she must devote a certain amount of time to them; but if a distinguished visitor must sit on her right hand it was always Lord Melbourne who sat on her left. That had come to be regarded as his special place.
The Duchess was at Windsor, of course, and while Victoria always showed affection towards her in public, there it stopped. They rarely saw each other in private.
The disappointed Duchess would sit nodding drowsily until the whist started. It was said that only the game kept her awake.
They were wonderful days; Victoria had never been so happy in the whole of her life.
What a triumphant day it was when she reviewed the troops at Windsor on horseback! There was a little tussle with Lord Melbourne about this. He said that her favourite Barbara was too frisky; she declared that she loved to ride Barbara best of all.
‘Leopold would be much safer,’ commented Lord Melbourne.
‘Then I shall ride Barbara to show you that I am not such a poor horsewoman as you appear to imagine.’
Lord Melbourne replied that he knew she was a superb horsewoman; their riding together had convinced him of that; but he was a fussy old man and he simply would not have a moment’s peace until the review was over if the Queen rode Barbara.
Since he put it in such a way what could she do but ride Leopold? Secretly she had to admit that once again Lord Melbourne was right for the review had lasted over two hours and she knew that frisky Barbara would have objected most strongly to that while Leopold had come through, his docility unimpaired.
Afterwards, taking a ride on Barbara with Lord Melbourne beside her, she had demanded: ‘And now, Lord M, have you such a poor opinion of my performance on horseback?’
‘My opinion is, as it always was, that Your Majesty performs all her duties to perfection. And when she listens to an old man who in his devotion cannot suppress his fears, unfounded as they are I am sure, then she adds understanding to her other talents and that is a rare quality.’
Trust Lord M to say exactly what one most liked to hear.
As though to make everything perfect in this very happy time, Uncle Leopold decided it was time he paid a visit, so he and Aunt Louise arrived in England.
Victoria was excited; she told Lord Melbourne of another occasion when she and Mamma had gone to Ramsgate to meet her uncle and aunt and how the people had cheered.
‘Uncle Leopold is so popular in England. I think everyone was very attached to him because of the terrible tragedy of my cousin Charlotte’s death.’
‘That was a long time ago,’ said Lord Melbourne, and she was not sure whether he was referring to Princess Charlotte’s death or Uncle Leopold’s popularity, and before she could ask he went on: ‘You cannot expect the people to go on mourning for an event which gave them their present most beloved Queen.’
‘Charlotte would have been a good Queen I am sure with Uncle Leopold to help her.’
‘I believe he is very eager to help Your Majesty … as others are.’