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I.THEPREGNANCIESANDCONFINEMENTS
askedLadyPalmerstonwhethertheQueenwasusomuchinlovewithher
husbandastobealreadyjealousofhim?”21ShealsoinquireduWhatisto
becomeofPrinceAlbert;willhealwaysremainathiswife’sside?Itwill
beadrearysituation”.22However,LadyPalmerstonthoughtitwasuquite
impossibleforanytwopeopletobemorehappy”
23
andinformedherfriend,
MargaretElphinstone,thatuTheQueenandthePrinceareveryhappyin
theirmarriage,andthereisnotruthinanyofthefoolishstoriesthathave
beeninventedtothecontrary”.24PrinceAlbertwaswellknownforhis
reticence,andifatfrsthedidnotreallyknowhowtoreacttohiswife’s
somewhatviolentexpressionsoflove25hesoonwrotetoBaronChristian
Stockmar,histrustedadvisor,26thatshewasu[…]thetreasureonwhich
mywholeexistencerests.Therelationinwhichwestandtooneanother
leavesnothingtodesire.Itisaunionofheartandsoul”.27Additionally,in
1851whenhewasabsentforasinglenight,inaprivatenotetohiswife
hewroteuYouwillbefeelingsomewhatlonelyandforsaken,amongthe
twoandahalfmillionofhumanbeingsinLondon;andItoofeelthewant
ofonlyonepersontogiveaworldoflifetoeverythingaroundme.Ihope
tofallintothearmsofthisonepersonby7.30tomorrowevening,and
remaintillthen,yourfaithfulandlovingA.”28
Grevillewasnottheonlypersonwhocommentedontheroyalwedding
night.RobertMoncktonMilnessentunotelets”tohisfriends,umostly
turningupontheQueen’svirginity”.Inresponse,oneofhisfriends,Robert
Monteith,wrotefromScotlandthathehadreceived
[…]noteletsfromyoucontainingthelastindecencieson
thesubjectofRoyalvenery[i.e.thegratifcationofsexual
desire];Iburnwithchasteandloyalindignation,shoutwith
laughterandendwithshowingthedocumentsrightand
left…Howdifferentourownsimpleprovincialspirit!How
sincerewasthemightybonfreIraisedonahilltop-how
spontaneousthegushofaleandporterwhichitcost9men’s
toiltodistribute,howcordialthevibrationsofthecatgutto
which800peopledancedandreeledlikeBallworshippers
roundtheblazingsummit[…]!
YetinEngland,Monteithcontinued,
[…]yourepresentativesofanenthusiasticpeoplewithyour
heartsshrivelledwithmeannessandenvyandhateand
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