The Life and Times of Queen Victoria; vol. 3 of 4Wilson, Robert
History
The Life and Times of Queen Victoria; vol. 3 of 4
Wilson, Robert
Great Britain -- History -- Victoria, 1837-1901; Victoria, Queen of Great Britain, 1819-1901
“Above all things the Prince seems to have had no doctor attending him
who was capable of recognising the gravity of the disease in time.
Unfortunately, his physician, Dr. Bayly, had been killed in a railway
accident the year before. Sir James Clark, fifty years before a
distinguished physician of the old school, had virtually retired from
practice, and probably had but a limited knowledge of the advance made
by modern science in the treatment of typhoid diseases. As physician to
the Queen his position had been for twenty years a sinecure. Her Majesty
enjoys such excellent health that she does not know what it is to be
ill. Hence to the last moment she clung to vain hopes in regard to the
condition of her husband, which Sir James very possibly confirmed. In
consequence of the urgent representations of Ministers,[117] Dr. Watson
and Sir Henry Holland were summoned in addition to Dr. Jenner. Sir
Henry Holland is said to have been the first to have had the courage,
when it was too late, to tell the Queen the truth.
“The news of the death of King Dom Pedro, whom the Prince had loved as a
son, had deeply affected him.... As he himself confessed, he hardly
closed his eyes from the time he received the news till the fever
actually set in. The troubles with America also embittered his last
hours. He was so tired that at times he nodded off to sleep when
standing. He felt always cold, and ate scarcely anything. Already in the
autumn at Balmoral he had a presentiment of his death. So strong was
this feeling ten days before he died that he enjoined Princess Alice,
having ascertained that the Queen was not in the room, to write and tell
her sister in Berlin that their father would not recover. The next day
he asked the Princess whether she had done so, and she replied that she
had not. On the 13th, the day before his death, he got up and transacted
some business with his private secretary, Mr. Ruland. The Queen drove
out, and during the drive appeared much easier about her husband’s
condition. On her return she found him in bed, unconscious, and with the
extremities ice-cold. Now for the first time they all realised the
danger. Princess Alice, on her own responsibility, sent for the Prince
of Wales, who was then at Cambridge. Sir Charles Phipps telegraphed
during the night for the Duke of Cambridge, who left London by the first
train on the 14th, and arrived at Windsor at 8 o’clock in the morning.
The alarming symptoms had increased, and the doctors did not conceal
that the Prince had only a few hours to live. The Queen alone still
deceived herself with hopes, and telegraphed early on the 14th to
Berlin, ‘Dear Vic., Papa has had a good night’s rest, and I hope the
danger is over.’” These details are important, because they partially
explain the secret of what has been to many inexplicable--the extreme
sorrow that has clouded the Queen’s life during her long widowhood. It
has been bitter to look back on the past and see how much might have
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account