Glimpses of King William IV. and Queen Adelaide: In Letters of the Late Miss Clitherow, of Boston House, Middlesex. With a Brief Account of Boston House and the Clitherow FamilyClitherow, Mary
History
Glimpses of King William IV. and Queen Adelaide: In Letters of the Late Miss Clitherow, of Boston House, Middlesex. With a Brief Account of Boston House and the Clitherow Family
Clitherow, Mary
Adelaide, Queen, consort of William IV, King of Great Britain, 1792-1849; William IV, King of Great Britain, 1765-1837
'A page soon came to conduct my brother to the King, another to desire
we would take luncheon in the Queen's room. On entering the King called
Jane by him, the Queen me; she rose up and shook hands with both. My
brother went down to the general luncheon. Nothing could be more
good-humoured and pleasant than they were. The King was cheerful but
silent; 'twas the day after Lord Grey's resignation. The Queen
certainly in particular good spirits; the King's firmness respecting
the making no peers had delighted her. They went to his apartments, and
we to Lady Falkland's, and were preparing to depart, when a message
came. The Queen had not taken leave of us, and hoped we were in no
hurry, but would stay and Walk with her. Of course we did. The party
consisted of the Queen, Miss Eden (Maid of Honour), Miss Wilson, Lord
Howe, Mr. Ashley, Mr. Hudson, Sir Andrew Barnard, and our three selves.
She took us through the slopes to her Adelaide Cottage and her
flower-garden to see Prince George of Cambridge at gymnastics, with
half a dozen young nobility from Eton, who came once a week to play
with him. We were walking nearly two hours. The Queen is very animated,
and Mr. Ashley and Mr. Hudson full of fun and tricks, and amused us all
much. In short, I have but one fear when with her--forgetting in Whose
presence I am; her manner is so very kind, but there is dignity with it
that keeps us in order.'
Before Miss Clitherow wrote again to her old friend, the Queen's little
niece, Whose illness has been already alluded to, had passed away. Her
Majesty was tenderly attached to the young Princess, and had shown her
every possible attention during her illness. She was greatly grieved at
her death, and the sorrow and anxiety seem to have affected her health
for some little time.
'WINDSOR CASTLE, 'September 3, 1832.
'Here I am writing with Royal pens, ink, and paper, which last I
dislike of all things, it being glazed.
'We have not seen our dear, amiable Queen since the Ascot week, and,
poor thing! she has gone through a great deal, but her conduct through
the whole was beautiful. Princess Augusta gave us the account of the
closing scene, and with tears in her eyes described the feeling and
resignation of the Queen, and the extreme kindness and attention of the
King to all her little wishes at the time of the funeral, which, by all
accounts, was the best managed and most affecting thing possible. She
has very much recovered her spirits, which are naturally very cheerful,
but she is still most miserably thin.
'The King is particularly well.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account