The Training of a Sovereign, Extract on the Theme of, Queen Victoria

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
An extract from the Training of a Sovereign by Queen Victoria.
This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
visit LibriVox dot org. Thursday, seventeenth of March, we reached

(00:21):
Windsor Castle at six. We went to the Queen's room,
where Ferdinand and Augustus were presented to the King. We
then went to our rooms. At half past seven we
dined in Saint George's Hall with an immense number of people.
Ferdinand looked very well. He wore the free Portuguese orders
in one ribbon, which he is the right of doing

(00:43):
as husband to the Queen of Portugal. Ferdinand led to
the Queen in to dinner, and the King led Mamma
and I. I sat between the King and George Cambridge
and opposite Dear Ferdinand. After dinner we went into a
beautiful new drawing room, where we remained till the gentleman
came from dinner. We then all went into the Waterloo

(01:06):
gallery where the ball was. The King went in first,
then the Queen and Mamma, and then Dear Ferdinand, with
me at his arm. I danced three quadrilles, first with
dear Ferdinand, then with George Cambridge, and lastly with dear Augustus.
During the evening, dear Ferdinand came and sat near me

(01:28):
and talked so dearly and so sensibly. I do so
love him. Dear Augustus also sat near me and talked
with me. And he is also a dear good young man,
and is very handsome. He is extremely quiet and silent,
but there is a great deal in him. I am
so fond too of my uncle Ferdinand. I stayed up

(01:53):
till one I was much amused and pleased. Uncle Ferdinand
brought me two kind notes from Uncle Leopold and Aunt Louise.
Ferdinand is so fond of Aunt Louise, he told me,
oh geleem tante. Both he and Augustus speak French extremely well.

(02:13):
This dinner and ball went honor of dear Ferdinand. Wednesday,
eighteenth of May, at a quarter to two, we went
down into the hall to receive my uncle Ernest, Duke
of Saxe Coburg Gofer, and my cousins Ernest and Albert,
his sons. My uncle was here now five years ago

(02:36):
and is looking extremely well. Ernest is as tall as
Ferdinand and Augustus. He has dark hair and fine, dark
eyes and eyebrows, but the nose and mouth are not good.
He has a most kind, honest, and intelligent expression in
his countenance, and has a very good figure. Albert, who

(02:57):
is just as tall as Ernest, but stout, is extremely handsome.
His hair is about the same color as mine. His
eyes are large and blue, and he has a beautiful
nose and a very sweet mouth with fine teeth. But
the charm of his countenance is in his expression, which

(03:18):
is most delightful, Sei la joy, full of goodness and sweetness,
and very clever and intelligent. We went upstairs with them,
and after staying a few minutes with them, I went
up to my room, played and sang drew At a
little after four, Uncle Ernest and my cousins came up

(03:39):
to us and stayed in my room till ten minutes
past five. Both my cousins are so kind and good.
They are much more form and men of the world
than Augustus. They speak English very well, and I speak
it with them. Ernest will be eighteen years old on
the twenty first of June, and al but seventeen on

(03:59):
the twenty sixth of August, Dear Uncle Ernest, may be
the present of a most delightful lory, which is so
tame that it remains on your hand, and you may
put your finger into its beak, or do anything with it,
without its ever attempting to bite. Saturday, twenty first of May,

(04:19):
at half past seven, we dined with Uncle Ernest, Ernest, Albert, Charles,
Lady Flora, Count Colerat, Baron Alvispan and company. I sat
between my dear cousins. After dinner came Princess Sophia, Baron
de Hoggier, who had arrived from Lisbon the day before,
came after dinner and took leave on his way home.

(04:44):
I sat between my dear cousins on the sofa and
we looked at drawings. They both draw very well, particularly Albert,
and are both exceedingly fond of music, and they play
very nicely on the piano. The more I see them,
the more I am delighted with them, and the more
I love them. They are so natural, so kind, so

(05:05):
very good, and so well instructed and informed. They are
so well bred, so truly merry, and quite like children,
and yet very grown up in their manners and conversation.
It is delightful to be with them. They are so
fond of being occupied to They are quite an example
for any young person. Friday, tenth of June, at nine,

(05:29):
we all breakfasted for the last time together. It was
our last, happy, happy breakfast with this dear uncle and
those dearest beloved cousins, whom I do so love very
very dearly, much more dearly than any other cousins in
the world dearly. As I love Ferdinand and also good Augustus,

(05:55):
I love Ernest and Albert more than them, oh yes,
much more. Augustus was like a good affectionate child, quite
unacquainted with the world, phlegmatic and talking but very little.
But dearest Ernest and dearest Albert are so grown up
in their manners, so gentle, so kind, so amiable, so agreeable,

(06:17):
so very sensible and reasonable, and so really and truly
good and kind hearted. They have both learned a good
deal and are very clever, naturally clever, particularly Albert, who
is the most reflecting of the two. And they like
very much talking about the serious and instructive things. And

(06:39):
yet they are so very very merry and gay and happy,
like young people ought to be Albert always used to
have some fun and some clever witty answer at breakfast
and everywhere. He used to play and fondle dash so
funnily too. Both he and Ernest are extremely attentive to
whatever they hear and see, and take an interest in

(07:02):
everything they see. They were much interested with the sight
of Saint Paul's yesterday at eleven, dear uncle, my dearest
beloved cousins and Charles left us, accompanied by Count Colorat.
I embrace both my dearest cousins most warmly, and also
my dear uncle. I cried bitterly, very bitterly. End of

(07:27):
an extract from the Training of a Sovereign by Queen Victoria,
read for LibriVox dot Org by Melanie Tea