The Greville Memoirs, Part 1 (of 3), Volume 2 (of 3): A Journal of the Reigns of King George IV and King William IVGreville, Charles
History
The Greville Memoirs, Part 1 (of 3), Volume 2 (of 3): A Journal of the Reigns of King George IV and King William IV
Greville, Charles
Great Britain -- History -- George IV, 1820-1830; Great Britain -- History -- William IV, 1830-1837
At one there was to be a Council, to swear in Privy Councillors
and Lords-Lieutenant, and receive Oxford and Cambridge addresses.
The review made it an hour later, and the Lieutenants, who had
been summoned at one, and who are great, selfish, pampered
aristocrats, were furious at being kept waiting, particularly
Lord Grosvenor and the Duke of Newcastle, the former very
peevish, the latter bitter-humoured. I was glad to see them put
to inconvenience. I never saw so full a Court, so much nobility
with academical tagrag and bobtail. After considerable delay the
King received the Oxford and Cambridge addresses on the throne,
which (having only one throne between them) he then abdicated for
the Queen to seat herself on and receive them too. She sat it
very well, surrounded by the Princesses and her ladies and
household. When this mob could be got rid of the table was
brought in and the Council held. The Duke was twice sworn as
Constable of the Tower and Lieutenant of Hants; then Jersey and
the new Privy Councillors; and then the host of Lieutenants six
or seven at a time, or as many as could hold a bit of the
Testament. I begged the King would, to expedite the business,
dispense with their kneeling, which he did, and so we got on
rapidly enough; and I whispered to Jersey, who stood by me behind
the King with his white wand, 'The farce is good, isn't it?' as
they each kissed his hand. I told him their name or county, or
both, and he had a civil word to say to everybody, inviting some
to dinner, promising to visit others, reminding them of former
visits, or something good-humoured; he asked Lord Egremont's
_permission_ to go and live in his county, at Brighton.
[Page Head: THE KING IN ST. JAMES'S STREET.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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