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1.1840-1844:THEFIRSTFOURCHILDREN
Queendesiredthatnonebutheshouldbeintheroom.Thismeant,con-
cludedFerguson,thatDrLocockboresoleresponsibility,althoughthey
werefromtimetotimeinformedoftheactualprogressofthelabour
untilthefnalstagewasathand.
Thus,DrLocock,thenurse-MrsLilly,198andPrinceAlbert(aswellas,
foratime,thetroublesomeLehzen)weretheonlypeoplepresentinthe
greensilklying-inchamber.199TheDuchessofKentarrivedatthePalace
beforebreakfastandbrieflysawtheQueentwicebutdidnotremainin
thelying-inchamber,waitingimpatientlyinPrinceAlbert’sroomaccom-
paniedbyBaronStockmar.200
Intheeighteenthcentury,husbandshadbeennotoriouslyuninvolved
inthebirthoftheirchildren.WhenCaroline,PrincessofWales,gavebirth
toPrincessCharlottein1796,no-onewhomsheherselfhadwishedtobe
presentwaswithher.ShewasattendedbyDrUnderwood,theaccoucheur
ofLadyMelbourne,herhusband’smistress,offcersofstateincludingthe
ArchbishopofCanterbury,andthreenoblemenwhoattendeduatthespe-
cialinvitationofthePrince[ofWales]”.WhenPrincessCharlottegavebirth
in1817shehadchosenDrRichardCrofttobeheraccoucheur(andnot
DrKnighton,whowassuggestedbyherfather).
201
HerhusbandLeopoldwas
presentthroughouttheconfnement,butherfatherandhergrandmother-
whohadmuchexperienceasamotherherself-werenotpresent,for
whichtheywerecriticised.202
PrinceAlbert’spresenceduringtheQueen’sconfnementsgaverise
toadiscussionontheappropriateconductofhusbandsinthepagesof
TheLancetin1841.Onlyonelettersuggesteditwasneitherudelicatenor
decent”forthehusbandtobethere,withtheothersixlettersencouraging
thepresenceofthespouse.uIfhusbandswerepresent”,onephysician
wrote,utheywouldbelesslikelytoquestiontheproprietyofthephysi-
cian’sconduct”.203Itwasacceptedbythatpointintimethatthepresence
offamilymemberscreatedanemotionallysympatheticatmosphere.
204
Soon,Albertwasusodear&kind…,[he]hardlyleftmeatall,&was
thegreatestsupport&comfort”.
205
ThiswasborneoutbyDrFerguson,
whonoted:
[…]nothingcouldexceedthetenderanxietyofthePrince
tohiswife.Hesatbyherbedsideduringthewholetime,
cheeredandsustainedher-andcoveredherfacewith
kissestintheacme’ofhersharpestthroes.Hewaspale
andobviouslyveryanxious,butthistho’apparentinhis
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