The proverbial troubles that mar the course of true love were not realized in the case of the Queen and Prince Consort, at least so far as their personal relations were concerned. But there were some difficulties and annoyances in store for them from outside influences. A foolish attempt was made to circulate the report that the Prince was a Roman Catholic. When the announcement of the Queen’s intended marriage was made to Parliament, it contained no reference to the Prince’s religious faith, and the omission was severely commented on in both Houses. The Queen thought her subjects were as well informed as she was herself upon the history of the House of Coburg, and believed that the attachment of the Prince’s family to the principles of the Reformation was notorious. In the susceptible state of the public mind at that time, and in the light of current events, it was perhaps an error of judgment not to mention the Prince’s Protestantism in the announcement of the marriage. Even when it was demonstrated that the Prince was Protestant to the backbone, the Ministry were soundly accused of suppressing all mention of the fact in order to retain the support of the Irish Roman Catholic members in the House of Commons. The Whig Government was tottering to its fall, and Lady Holland’s witty description of the political situation was that in the coming appeal to the country they had “nothing to rely on but the Queen and Paddy.” Even the Duke of Wellington, who usually kept his head when other people lost theirs, moved and carried an amendment in the House of Lords to insert the word “Protestant” in the address in reply to the Queen’s speech announcing her intended marriage, “thus showing the public,” he said, “that this was still a Protestant State.” This little outbreak was only a temporary vexation; but there appeared to be serious cause for alarm in another quarter. There was, about 1839, a remarkable outbreak of real disloyalty in the Tory party; it arose partly, no doubt, from the Queen’s known sympathy with the Whigs; but one cannot help suspecting that it was augmented by the elements of social corruption which had flourished in the atmosphere of the two previous reigns. When Prince Albert’s household were being selected, the only conditions which he insisted on were that it should not be formed exclusively of one party, and that it should consist of men of rank, “well educated and of high character.” This limited the range of choice, more perhaps than the young Prince was aware of, and did not increase his popularity among those who were excluded.