Great Britain -- History -- Victoria, 1837-1901 -- Fiction
"They're much alike, your Grace," replied the nurse rather grimly, as
she followed the Duke to the window with a blanket on her arm. The Duke
was accustomed to commanding thousands of men, and every one of them
trembled if his weapons and uniform were not spotless, or if he had
been guilty of the least neglect of duty. In more than one battle the
Duke had stood so firmly that he had received the thanks of Parliament
for his bravery and fearlessness. He would never have surrendered a
city to a besieging army, but now he had met his match, and he laid the
baby in the nurse's arms with the utmost meekness.
The question of a name for the child was not yet decided, for the
wishes of someone else had to be considered, and that was the Prince
Regent, the Duke's older brother, George. He thought it proper that his
niece should be named Georgiana in honor of himself.
"Georgiana let it be," said the Duke of Kent, "her first name shall be
Alexandrina."
"Then Georgiana it shall _not_ be," declared the Prince Regent. "No
niece of mine shall put my name second to any king or emperor here in
my own country. Call her Alexandrina Alexandra Alexander, if you
choose, but she'll not be called Alexandrina Georgiana."
When the time for the christening had arrived the Archbishop of
Canterbury and the Bishop of London came to Kensington in company with
the crimson velvet curtains from the chapel at St. James' and a
beautiful golden font which had been taken from the Tower for the
baptism of the royal baby. The Archbishop and the Bishop, the Prince
Regent, and another brother of the Duke of Kent, who was to represent
the Emperor of Russia as godfather, all stood around the golden font in
the magnificent cupola room, the grand saloon of Kensington Palace. The
godmothers were the child's grandmother and aunt, and they were
represented by English princesses. All the royal family were present.
After the prayers had been said and the promises of the sponsors made,
the Archbishop took the little Princess in his arms and, turning to the
godfathers and the godmothers, he said: "Name this child."
"Alexandrina," responded the Duke of York.
"Give her another name," bade the Duke of Kent in a low tone.
"Name her for her mother, then," said the Prince Regent to the
Archbishop, and the baby was christened Alexandrina Victoria.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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