[Footnote 16: Public executions were abolished in 1868.] [Pageheading: A BIRTHDAY LETTER] [Pageheading: THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE] _The King of the Belgians to Queen Victoria._ LAEKEN, _21st May 1845._ MY DEAREST AND MOST BELOVED VICTORIA,--Receive my sincerest and most heartfelt good wishes on the happy reappearance of your birthday. I need not dwell on my sentiments of devotion to you; they began with _your life, and will only end with mine_. The only claim I make is to be remembered with some little affection. Thank heaven, I have little to wish you, than that your present happiness may not be disturbed, and that those who are dear to you may be preserved for your happiness. My gift is Charlotte's portrait. The face is extremely like, and the likest that exists; the hair is a little too fair, it had become also darker. I take this opportunity to repeat that Charlotte was a noble-minded and highly gifted creature. She was nervous, as all the family have been; she could be violent, but then she was full of repentance for it, and her disposition _highly generous_ and _susceptible_ of _great devotion_. I am the more bound to say this, as I understood that you had some notion that she had been _very imperious_, and not mistress of her temper. Before her marriage some people by dint of flattery had tried to give her masculine tastes; and in short had pushed her to become one day a sort of Queen Elizabeth. These sentiments were already a little modified before her marriage. But she was particularly determined to be a _good_ and _obedient_ wife; some of her friends were anxious she should _not_; amongst these Madame de Flahaut must be mentioned _en premiere ligne_. This became even a subject which severed the intimacy between them. Madame de Flahaut, much older than Charlotte, and of a sour and determined character, had gained an influence which partook on Charlotte's part a little of fear. She was afraid of her, but when once supported took courage. People were much struck on the 2nd of May 1816 at Carlton House with the clearness and firmness with which she pronounced "_and obey_," etc., as there had been a _general belief_ that it would be _for the husband_ to give _these promises_. The Regent put me particularly on my guard, and said, "If you don't resist she will govern you with a high hand." Your own experience has convinced you that real affection changes many sentiments that may have been implanted into the mind of a young girl. With Charlotte it was the more meritorious, as from a very early period of her life she was considered as the heiress of the Crown; the Whigs flattered her extremely, and later, when she got by my intervention reconciled to the Tories, they also made great efforts to please her.