The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1549: Chapter 3: Mr. Disraeli Doesn’t Want to Strive Anymore

Although Arthur spoke some good words about King William IV, it didn’t prevent Dickens from disliking this Sailor King.

Having worked early on as a parliamentary reporter for the British News Agency, Dickens vividly remembers when William IV, still the Duke of Clarence, sharply refuted the views of the leader of the abolition movement, William Wilberforce, during a speech in the House of Lords.

As Arthur noted, in his youth, William IV served for a long time at the Caribbean naval station in North America, yet his prolonged experiences led him to a rather politically incorrect view on slavery: ”Freedom offers no benefit to slaves, because from what I have seen, the living standards of free people in the Scottish Highlands and Islands are even worse than those of slaves in the West Indies.”

What Dickens found even more intolerable was that the young William IV claimed in his speech: ”Fanatics or hypocrites, Mr. Wilberforce and his supporters are categorized into one of these.”

Naturally, the reason Dickens found it hard to accept is because he himself was categorized by William IV as a ”fanatic or hypocrite.”

Of course, Dickens did not completely deny this King, because aside from slavery, William IV maintained quite enlightened views on many social issues, such as supporting the abolition of penalties against dissenting Christians and opposing the law ”prohibiting adulterers from remarrying.”

Moreover, this Sailor King held quite a high reputation within the Royal Navy. This was due to when William IV assumed the position of First Sea Lord in 1828, he spearheaded the abolition of most punishments involving the use of the ”Nine-tailed Whip,” and the Royal Navy’s first steamship was also promoted and built under his initiative.

In summary, no matter what is said, compared to his gloomy brother George IV who died at Windsor Castle, William IV was still a great improvement.

When William IV first ascended the throne, the Duke of Wellington lamented privately at a ball at Almack’s Club: ”In ten minutes with King William, I have accomplished more than George IV did in ten days.”

Even Arthur’s mentor, Lord Brougham, rarely curbed his eccentric temper, sincerely praised the new King: ”He is an outstanding King, he asks enough questions to ensure he understands matters. Whereas George IV feared asking questions lest he exposes his ignorance. Their father George III was the opposite, he asked too many but wouldn’t patiently await answers.”

However, what surprised Arthur the most was when he resigned from Scotland Yard and went to the Brighton seaside resort for recuperation; he was summoned by William IV who was vacationing at the local Royal Palace.

When Arthur arrived at the Royal Palace, under the impression that his whereabouts were likely monitored by the government, an attendant leading him to dine at the palace dispelled his confusion with a rather nonsensical truth: ”His Majesty the King often sends people to collect the names of travelers from local hotels when on holiday in Brighton, and will invite familiar names for dinner.”

After dining, a flushed William IV would even ask everyone not to be too formal, inviting everyone to have fun: ”Forget about those formal dresses, the Queen will just embroider after dinner. So let’s play games now.”

This conduct can hardly be described as merely casual; it’s approaching the realm of complete informality.

If you blindfolded yourself and didn’t see the splendid attire of William IV and the portraits wearing crowns on the palace walls, Arthur would most likely think he was dealing with an affable and familiar old man commonly seen in a countryside pub.

However, upon recalling this Sailor King’s demeanor during the heated arguments over parliamentary reform in the House of Lords, it seemed not so difficult to comprehend.

Due to emergency situations and the absence of a prepared royal carriage, William IV once urgently declared: ”Then I’ll take a taxi!”

Luckily, before His Majesty personally hailed a carriage, the Lord Chamberlain and Royal Attendant Officers quickly coordinated the royal carriage, otherwise seeing this scene might have caused chaos amidst the Lords ready to stage a physical confrontation.

Arthur still remembers The Times’ report that day: the chaos in the House of Lords was indescribable, nobles furiously waving their fists, startling many ladies observing parliamentary debates. Marquis of London Derry even swung a whip, threatening to lash reform-supporting MPs but was fortunately stopped by four sturdy colleagues.

In Britain, whenever the topic of the Royal Family comes up, everyone can bring out several boxes of personal rumors and gossip.

Sharing royal secrets paired with a few glasses of good wine quickly livens up the atmosphere at the dining table.

As the most striking figure of the scene, also characterized by Blackwood’s as the most flamboyant character in all of London, Mr. Disraeli quickly attracted the attention of everyone.

Arthur swirled his wine glass, savoring the flavor of the 1826 Bordeaux Valley: ”Benjamin, I heard you’ve sold your house in Hyde Park and moved to Mayfair?”

Disraeli puffed smoke and said: ”Yes, I rented an apartment on Duke Street, you know Mayfair is the political center of London, living there helps my dual development in politics and society. I must say, these days there are too many bastard scoundrels. Back when I was unknown in literature and not elected a MP, no one invited me to salon dinners. I thick-skinned applied to join the Travelers Club and Athena Club, but they rejected me three times. But now? My schedule is packed full, if you want me to attend, sorry, your invitation must wait a month.”