The Children's Book of LondonMitton, G. E. (Geraldine Edith)
History
The Children's Book of London
Mitton, G. E. (Geraldine Edith)
London (England) -- Description and travel -- Juvenile literature
Another palace in London, which is some way from the others and in
another park, is Kensington Palace, and this is not now used by the King
at all, but he allows some ladies and gentlemen to live there. This
palace will always be of very great interest to all of us, because it
was here that good Queen Victoria was born, and here she lived when she
was a little girl. Do you remember my telling you about Kensington
Gardens and the Round Pond, where Ethel and Jack went for their walk?
Well, the palace is there, and I wonder how many children who run and
play in the gardens every day ever think of the childhood of little
Princess Victoria. You know, when she was quite a little girl, it was
not known that she would be Queen of England, because there were other
persons between her and the throne; but they died one by one, so that at
last every one knew that Princess Victoria would one day be Queen of
England. But no one ever guessed what a long and glorious reign she
would have--longer than any other English Sovereign who has reigned; and
not only longer, but better. Her uncle, King William, who reigned
before her, was an old man, while she was still quite young, and he died
very suddenly in the night; so the Archbishop of Canterbury and one of
the most important Ministers of State rode off at once to Kensington
Palace to tell Victoria that she was now Queen. They arrived about five
in the morning, and, of course, everyone in the palace was asleep. So
they knocked and rang and thumped, and at last they made the porter
hear. But when they told him to tell the attendants they must see
Princess Victoria, her maid was sent for, and she told them she had not
the heart to wake the Princess, for she was in such a sweet sleep. So
then they said: 'We have come to the QUEEN on business, and even her
sleep must give way to that.' So the maid went away again and woke
Princess Victoria. Fancy being awakened out of your sleep to be told
that you were Queen of England! Victoria was told she must not keep the
lords waiting, and so she threw a shawl round her nightdress and slipped
her feet into slippers, and went through into another large room with
all her long hair hanging down; and when they saw her those two great
lords fell on their knees and kissed her hand. She was only eighteen
then, and she had before her such a wonderful life. It is said that she
had known for a little time before this that if anything happened to her
uncle she would be Queen. So she was not quite unprepared, and when she
had been warned of this, her first exclamation was; 'Oh, I will be
good!' Which showed she was good, for I think most people would have
been rather proud about it, and would not have thought just at that
moment of being good.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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