Palace and Hovel; Or, Phases of London LifeKirwan, Daniel Joseph
History
Palace and Hovel; Or, Phases of London Life
Kirwan, Daniel Joseph
London (England) -- Description and travel; London (England) -- Social life and customs
This John Brown whom I saw is over six feet in height, a powerful
looking fellow; but he has a face that would find favor in the eyes of
very few women. He was formerly a body servant of Prince Albert, and
was always an attendant on him in his hunting and fishing excursions.
The Queen took notice of him at Balmoral, her summer residence in
Scotland, and here she made a great pet of him.
After the death of Prince Albert the Queen attached Brown to her
person, and ever since he has constantly attended her.
It is the custom of the Queen to have herself pushed around the grounds
of her lodge at Balmoral in a perambulator or hand carriage when she
visits that charming spot.
The person selected for this duty was the lucky John Brown. Day after
day he might be seen pushing around the spacious lawn, the Majesty of
England.
[Sidenote: LUCKY JOHN BROWN.]
During her hours of idleness Brown is always allowed to converse
with the Queen in a familiar manner, and it is said presumes on her
gracious condescension more than her noblest subject would dare to do.
[Illustration: JOHN BROWN EXERCISING THE QUEEN.]
When the Queen takes her seat in her perambulator it might often occur
that a servant would spring forward with a lowly reverence to assist
the royal lady, but in every instance the unfortunate flunkey would
receive a rebuking frown, and in a moment after might have to undergo
the mortification of a sneering laugh from Brown, who at this crisis
would make his appearance--strolling in a leisurely fashion toward the
perambulator, and stretching his long Celtic legs, his arms full of
warm wraps in which he proceeds to enfold the person of the Queen, with
as much seeming fondness as if he were the husband instead of the low
lackey of royalty, without polish and breeding; then in addition to the
silent rebuke of the Queen the offending servant would hear from Brown
some such remark as "I say my douce laddie, dinna ya offer yer sarvices
till her Majesty asks ya fur them. Dinna ye be sticking yer finger in
till anoother mun's haggis or ye moon be scalded."
"That will do Brown," the Queen would say to prevent a scene which
would be sure to take place were Brown's violent temper not curbed
in time to prevent an explosion, for the tall Highland gillie is no
respecter of persons, and cares very little for royalty except in the
person of its chief representative.
It is a current anecdote in the Pall Mall clubs, that the Queen's
cousin, the Duke of Cambridge, who is also the commander-in-chief of
the British Army, having one day desired an audience with the Queen of
a private nature, waited upon her at Buckingham Palace and presented
his card like any other private citizen. He was desired to wait, and
did so until he became tired, and finally he was admitted to the
presence, and was somewhat astonished to find the servant, John Brown,
in the room.
The Duke being a member of the royal family did not hesitate to say to
her majesty in a respectful way:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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