1855. Fall of Lord Aberdeen’s Government.--Lord Palmerston Prime
Minister.--Death of the Czar.--Visits exchanged between English and
French Courts.--Fall of Sebastopol.--Betrothal of Princess Royal to
Prince Frederick William of Prussia.--Visit of Victor Emmanuel to
Windsor.
1856. Death of Queen’s half-brother.--Birth of Prince Imperial.
1857. Birth of Princess Beatrice.--Title of Prince Consort conferred
on Prince Albert.--Indian Mutiny.--General Election.--Palmerston
triumphant.
1858. Marriage of Princess Royal.--State visit of Queen to
Cherbourg.--Visit to Germany to Princess Royal.--Orsini’s attempt to
assassinate French Emperor.--Fall of Lord Palmerston’s Government
on Conspiracy Bill.--Earl of Derby’s Second Administration, lasting
sixteen months.
1859. Birth of Queen’s first grandchild, now Emperor William II. of
Germany.--Volunteer Movement.--General Election.--Lord Palmerston
again Prime Minister.--War between France and Austria on Italian
Question.
1860. Betrothal of Princess Alice to Prince Louis of Hesse.--Triumphal
Entry of Garibaldi into Naples.--Abdication of King of Naples.
1861. Death of Duchess of Kent.--Visit of the Queen to Coburg.--Third
visit of Queen to Ireland.--Victor Emmanuel proclaimed King of United
Italy.--Death of the Prince Consort.--American Civil War.--The _Trent_
Incident.
1862. Marriage of Princess Alice.--Crown of Greece offered to Prince
Alfred.
1863. Marriage of Prince of Wales to Princess Alexandra
of Denmark.--Grandchild born (Princess Alice’s child) at
Windsor.--Unveiling of Prince Consort’s statue in Aberdeen.
1864. Birth of a son to the Prince and Princess of Wales, heir to the
throne in the second generation.--Schleswig-Holstein.--War between
Denmark and Germany.
1865. Death of King Leopold of Belgium.--Death of Lord
Palmerston.--General Election.--Lord John Russell Prime Minister.
1866. Queen opens Parliament in person for first time since her
widowhood.--Marriage of Princess Helena to Prince Christian of
Schleswig-Holstein.--Fall of Lord Russell’s Government.--Earl of Derby
succeeds him.--War between North and South Germany.
1867. Publication of “Early Years of the Prince Consort.”--Opening
of Albert Hall.--The Passing of Mr. Disraeli’s Reform Bill, giving
Household Suffrage in towns.
1868. Mr. Disraeli Prime Minister.--General Election.--Liberal
Majority.--Mr. Gladstone becomes Prime Minister.--Attempted
Assassination of Duke of Edinburgh.
1869. Disestablishment of Irish Church.
1870. Franco-German War.--Fall of Louis Napoleon.--English Education
Act.
1871. German Unity accomplished.--King William of Prussia declared
German Emperor at Versailles.--Illness and recovery of the Prince of
Wales.--Marriage of Princess Louise to Marquis of Lorne.
1872. Thanksgiving Service for recovery of the Prince of Wales.--Death
of the Queen’s half-sister, Princess Feodore of Hohenlohe.
1873. Fatal accident to Princess Alice’s little boy.