The Shadow of Great Britain

Arthur laughed heartily and said, ”Wearing the crown is certainly exhilarating, but you should also mentally prepare for how exhausting the coronation day might be. Remember the day you ascended the throne? That day, there were over two thousand people lined up to kiss your hand.”

Victoria responded upon hearing this, ”Of course I remember, Viscount Melbourne mentioned that his diamond buttons got lost in the crowd, the floor was littered with accidentally dropped medals and ribbons, and several generals even had their epaulettes rubbed off their shoulders.”

Arthur, half reminiscing and half teasing, said, ”Despite the pouring rain at the reception the following day, the esteemed guests gathered more neatly than at a House of Lords meeting. I still remember you were dressed in all black from head to toe, with the Order of the Garter sash on your right chest, a star badge on your left chest, and a clasp on your left arm. Surely, wearing all that must have been quite heavy?”

”At the time I couldn’t feel the weight at all, my mind was entirely occupied with where to wear the Order of the Garter,” Victoria said, chuckling as if recalling something amusing. ”The Duke of Norfolk was right beside me then, so I hurriedly sought his advice: ’But, Your Grace, if I hang the star badge on my left chest, where should I wear the Order of the Garter?’ The Duke of Norfolk told me he could only recall a portrait of Queen Anne, in which the Order of the Garter was worn on the left arm, so I decided to emulate Queen Anne.”

At this point, Victoria paused abruptly, ”However, although the day progressed smoothly overall, there was...”

Arthur asked, ”Are you referring to the incident with Lord Lyndhurst?”

Victoria looked a bit uneasy, ”I truly didn’t do it intentionally; I was just seated for too long. When he approached, I happened to be adjusting my posture, and perhaps... I was indeed somewhat afraid of him. So, at that moment, I instinctively straightened my body; everyone said I acted as though I had seen a snake. As a result, Lyndhurst’s face turned beet red, his expression as dark as a demon’s...”

Arthur didn’t need to ask to know why Victoria was resistant to Lyndhurst.

Ultimately, it was mostly because of the Whig influence that surrounded her for years, coupled with Lyndhurst’s reputation as a chronic fence-sitter.

Earlier in his career, he was a Republican, a radical lawyer who stood alongside Lord Brougham. At that time, he dismissed the Whig Party members for he believed their reform ideas were too moderate. However, upon reaching middle age, Lyndhurst shocked everyone by embracing the Tory Party.

Back then, the Tory Party’s Foreign Secretary, Viscount Castlereagh, had appraised Lyndhurst, ”I catch a whiff of a fence-sitter in him. I must set a trap to lure him in, using Cheshire cheese as bait (meaning to use the position of Cheshire’s Chief Judge to win him over).”

And indeed, Castlereagh’s evaluation of Lyndhurst was quite accurate. Grateful, he walked into the ’trap’ set by Viscount Castle Ray. The disagreements he had with the Whig Party back then weren’t political; they were career-related.

From then on, the once-renowned radical lawyer alongside Lord Brougham became the most faithful Tory Party member, which made him one of Lord Brougham’s least liked individuals. Even today, whenever these two British law authorities meet in the House of Lords, they customarily spark a few verbal battles.

However, if Lyndhurst weren’t that type of person, he wouldn’t have appointed Disraeli as his private secretary back then.

Nevertheless, what mainly fueled Victoria’s dislike for Lyndhurst may have been the incident a few years ago, when the Duke of Cumberland visited Lady Lyndhurst and was verbally rude to her. When this matter was reported, the Duke of Cumberland, eager to restore his reputation, sent a copy of the publication to High Chancellor Lyndhurst, requesting Lady Lyndhurst’s permission to refute ”this crude lie.”

Lyndhurst didn’t refuse him outright but stalled and delayed, and when the Duke of Cumberland continued to press him, this High Chancellor actually went to seek advice from the Duke of Wellington on how to resolve the issue. The Duke of Wellington advised him to respond that he did not wish to cause Lady Lyndhurst distress by mentioning the matter.

When the Duke of Cumberland discovered that the statement had been suggested by the Duke of Wellington, he refrained from pursuing the matter further.

But in the eyes of both gentlemen and ladies, Lord Lyndhurst’s handling of the matter was indeed too feeble and ineffective.