The Shadow of Great Britain

The Times, August 23, 1837

Yesterday, a grand inauguration ceremony was held for the newly constructed stone gate at Hyde Park. This stone gate facing Besswater Street was funded by the London City Government to commemorate the accession of our new monarch, Queen Victoria, and was officially named ”Victoria Gate” with Her Majesty’s approval.

Around ten in the morning, London citizens had already gathered in throngs around Hyde Park. Shops and residences along the streets spontaneously hung flags and ribbons, creating a festive and orderly atmosphere. At noon, Her Majesty the Queen arrived at Hyde Park from Buckingham Palace in the royal carriage, accompanied by Viscount Melbourne, Privy Council members, and royal attendants.

This marked Her Majesty’s first public appearance outdoors since her accession in June. It is reported that Her Majesty paused briefly in front of the gate, guarded by the Guard Cavalry, to accept the cheers of the crowd. Subsequently, Her Majesty personally turned the symbolic golden key, declaring the official inauguration of ”Victoria Gate.” The crowd loudly cheered, and the chorus of ”Long live the Queen” briefly drowned out the band playing ”God Save the Queen.”

The newly built ”Victoria Gate” features a three-arch design with granite as its base, and intricately crafted iron-cast door panels. The letters ”V.R.” are inscribed at the top, symbolizing the beginning of the new reign. The construction of this innovative arch not only adds a magnificent landmark to West London’s landscape but also facilitates the residents of Bayswater in accessing Hyde Park for fresh air.

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London had yet to awaken from its bustle, and Hyde Park was particularly quiet in the morning mist, with dew lingering on the grass and gentle breezes passing through the treetops, casting dappled shadows and rippling the lake.

A few gray pigeons were lazily strolling and foraging along the stone path, occasionally cooing softly.

From Besswater Street, the recently completed Victoria Gate shimmered with a pale golden hue in the morning light. At this moment, it was no longer the focus of yesterday’s attention, with its three arches standing silently, accompanied only by Sir Arthur Hastings sitting on a nearby iron bench reading a newspaper.

Although Arthur reads newspapers every day, he is a devoted reader of all newspapers published in London.

On weekdays, he almost spends the entire morning seeking out news on newspapers that could be advantageous or disadvantageous to him.

And during his days off, he would also spend half the day summarizing.

However, his workload today is evidently much larger than usual.

Due to spending most of the past month in Paris, he has accumulated too much information in London yet to be reviewed.

And the most important among them is the gossip Fleet Street captures regarding court news.

Although he has yet to figure out who leaked the information, giving Victoria the nickname ”Lady Melbourne.”

Fortunately, this small episode did not significantly impact Victoria’s positive image.

Besides ”Lady Melbourne,” British social opinion over the past month has continued to hold Victoria in very positive regard.

This positive view became even more enthusiastic after the new King Ernst I of Hanover announced the cessation of the 1833 Hanover Constitution, as the differing circumstances of the two countries intensified British public support for Victoria.

Of course, Victoria’s popularity isn’t solely due to favorable timing; a substantial part of it is because she has behaved appropriately at various events lately. Even though her actions sometimes diverge from royal protocol, her attitude makes her seem very approachable.

What surprised Arthur the most was the unanimous praise from the Royal Society’s members, despite their diverse personalities.

The story’s source dates back to late July.

The Duke of Sussex, President of the Royal Society, as per the usual custom, formally recommended the Royal Society delegation present the Codex to Queen Victoria, receiving Her Majesty’s approval. According to delegation member Mr. Adam Sedgwick’s recollections: ”When receiving the Duke of Sussex, Her Majesty completely disregarded court rules, seemingly only recalling that he was her uncle. When the Duke of Sussex bent to kiss the Queen’s hand following protocol, the Queen promptly stopped him. Subsequently, she hugged her uncle’s neck and kissed his cheek.”

Although Victoria did not adhere to royal etiquette this time, the Royal Society’s scholars felt very close to her because many of them also have nieces, and what the Queen did seemed like something their nieces would do.

In addition, foreign envoys were very grateful for the new Queen’s reception.

Whenever Buckingham Palace arranged guest seating, except for Viscount Melbourne sitting permanently on the Queen’s left, Victoria always disregarded the ranks of other domestic noble guests, providing foreign ambassadors special treatment. Even the American envoy Mr. Andrew Stevenson experienced such favor.

The Queen’s favor for the American envoy Stevenson made Mrs. Stevenson extremely grateful, frequently writing letters back to the United States, praising Queen Victoria to her family and friends about what an outstanding monarch she is.