Published in Windlesora 35
© WLHG 2019
Princess Charlotte, the only child of the Prince Regent, later George IV, and Caroline of Brunswick, died in childbirth with her infant son. This sad event is memorialised by the Wyatt monument in St George’s Chapel. There were no immediate heirs in the next generation, so the Prince Regent’s elderly brothers rushed to get married to solve the problem. The eldest brother, the Duke of York had been married for some years but there were no children. William, Duke of Clarence had lived for many years with Mrs Jordan, the actress, but left her and their numerous Fitz-Clarence children to marry Adelaide of Saxe Meiningen. This marriage did produce two daughters both of whom died in infancy.
The next brother, the Duke of Kent had been living with his French-Canadian mistress, Madame St Laurent, for some time. He left her and proposed to Victoria, a widow with two children; she was the sister of Prince Leopold of Saxe Coburg Gotha, Princess Charlotte’s widower. The proposal was accepted, the marriage took place, and in due course the Duchess of Kent became pregnant. To ensure that the child was born in the United Kingdom, Victoria had to endure a long carriage journey from Germany to Kensington Palace, along largely un-metalled roads. She survived the ordeal and gave birth to a daughter on 24th May.
At that time, and until the birth of Prince Charles in 1948, the Home Secretary had to be present at the birth to ensure that the baby had not been smuggled into the royal bed in a warming pan as had been alleged at the birth of James II’s son (The Old Pretender) in 1688. The Home Secretary, Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth (and Sir William Joynson-Hicks in 1926 when the future Queen Elizabeth II was born), resented this demand upon their time as neither considered that the child just born to be of particular importance, as they were likely to be displaced in the line of succession. The christening of the baby was not without incident as the Prince Regent objected to the names initially chosen by the parents. In the end, she was baptised Alexandrina after Tsar Alexander I, and as almost an afterthought. Victoria after her mother.
On 26th August of the same year, Albert, a second son, was born to Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (later Saxe-Coburg-Gotha) and Duchess Louise, at Schloss Rosenau in Coburg. Theirs was not a happy marriage, and although her husband was a serial philanderer, Louise had to leave the Duchy and both her young sons after an affair with a Chamberlain. Albert did not see his mother again, although he treasured her memory and named one of his daughters after her.
Albert was intended as a prospective husband for Victoria and was educated accordingly at the University of Bonn. He also undertook tours of Europe. Initially, Victoria resisted marriage, enjoying her new role as Queen, but having seen Albert on his arrival at Windsor Castle, she declared him ‘beautiful’. The difference in their respective ranks, she as Queen and Albert as Serene Highness, meant that it was Victoria who had to propose. They married in February 1840, and over the next 17 years, they had nine children.
Both Albert and Victoria had a significant influence on the town of Windsor. Windsor Castle was one of their principal residences. Albert, as Ranger of the Great Park, took a keen interest in the estate and built the dairy, which is still a showcase today. In addition, he fostered the artistic, musical, and cultural life of the town. After his death, Victoria remained living at the Castle and many of their children were married in St George’s Chapel, including the future King Edward VII and his bride, Alexandra of Denmark.
Coburg remembers Albert. Although the Nazi sympathies of the Duke of Coburg during the Second World War created difficulties for the relationship, more recently the town has contributed a tree and baubles to Windsor’s Christmas celebrations.
Both Victoria and Albert had a profound effect upon British history as well as upon Windsor. The Royal Albert Institute was founded in the Prince Consort’s memory. It is fitting therefore that in 2019, the 200th anniversary of their births, they should be remembered and celebrated.