CHAPTER VII

THE WEDDING OF KING EDWARD AND QUEEN ALEXANDRA

As is very generally known, the marriage of King Edward to Princess Alexandra of Denmark was brought about in quite a romantic fashion. It is said that long before His Majesty saw his future wife he was very much attracted by a glimpse of her photograph, shown him by one of his friends.

A more authoritative story of a photograph is told in the memoir of the late Duchess of Teck. The meeting at Heidelberg in September 1861, already referred to, took place when the Danish Princess and her father were on their way to join one of those famous family gatherings at Rumpenheim, and the Duchess of Teck’s biographer writes:--

“As soon as the Princess arrived at the Hessian Palace, her cousins were most anxious to hear all about the meeting, and much excitement followed when Princess Alexandra, producing a photograph from her pocket, laughingly exclaimed, ‘I have got him here!’”

It is certain that though many Princesses had been spoken of in connection with the Prince, and at one time negotiations were actually impending with a view to his engagement to the daughter of a German Royal House, all such schemes were instantly abandoned after he had seen the beautiful Danish Princess.

Another meeting is said to have taken place in the Cathedral of Worms during this eventful tour in 1861. The Prince, accompanied by his tutor and equerry, had gone to examine the frescoes, and when wandering through the beautiful old Cathedral they met Prince Christian of Denmark and his daughter intent on the same object.

Later, after the Prince Consort’s death, during a short visit which he paid to his cousin, the King of the Belgians, the Heir-Apparent again met Princess Alexandra, and it is said that King Leopold had a considerable share in arranging the preliminaries of the marriage, for it was while the Prince and Princess were both staying at Laeken that Queen Victoria’s formal consent to her son’s making a Danish alliance was granted.

The formal betrothal took place on 9th September 1862, but even then what had occurred was only known to a comparatively small circle of friends and relations, for it was not till the eve of His Royal Highness’s coming of age that his engagement was formally announced in the _London Gazette_, and so made known to the whole British Empire.

The announcement roused the greatest enthusiasm, for deep as had been the public sympathy with Her Majesty, a widowed Court could not but cast a very real gloom, not only over society, but over all those directly and indirectly interested in the sumptuary trades and the wide distribution of wealth. It was universally felt that the marriage of the Heir-Apparent would inaugurate a new era of prosperity, and scarce a dissenting voice was raised to oppose the Grant voted by the House of Commons for the Royal couple.

On the proposal of Lord Palmerston, it was decided that the Prince of Wales should receive from the country an income of £40,000 a year, with an added £10,000 a year to be specially set apart for the Princess. And so it came to pass that the Heir-Apparent and his bride began housekeeping with an income of somewhat over £100,000 a year, for, owing to the Prince Consort’s foresight and good sense, out of the savings made during his son’s long minority, Sandringham, of which the initial cost was £220,000, had been purchased.

Unlike most Royal engagements, that of the Prince and Princess of Wales lasted nearly six months, but active preparations for the wedding did not begin till the official announcement had been made.

Although Princess Alexandra had visited England as a child in order to make the acquaintance of her great-aunt, the Duchess of Cambridge, it was at Laeken that she was presented to her future mother-in-law, Queen Victoria, who was then paying a visit _incognito_ to King Leopold. Later on, the young Princess, accompanied by her father, paid Queen Victoria an informal visit at Osborne. She did not on this occasion come to London or take part in any public function, but rumours of her beauty and of her charm of manner had become rife, and as the wedding day, which had been fixed for 10th March, approached, the public interest and excitement were strung to the highest pitch. It was felt that Denmark’s loss was Britain’s gain, and Alfred Tennyson, the Poet Laureate, voiced most happily the universal feeling in his fine lines:

Clash, ye bells, in the merry March air! Flash, ye cities, in rivers of fire! And welcome her, welcome the land’s desire, Alexandra.

With what feelings the event was regarded among King Edward’s near relatives may be estimated from the following characteristically warm-hearted references in the diary of the late Duchess of Teck, whose mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, was the bride’s great-aunt:--

“_Brighton, November 9._--The Prince of Wales--God bless him!--attains his majority (21) to-day. After luncheon we watched anxiously for the expected and longed-for arrival of dear Christian, who was on his way back to Copenhagen, having established Alix at Osborne. At half-past three we had the happiness of welcoming him, and for upwards of three hours sat talking over the _Verlobung_ [betrothal] of Alix and Bertie. We had much to hear and discuss, and while fully sharing his happiness at the marriage we could enter into his feelings at leaving Alix thus for the first time. We dined at eight o’clock, a party of five, and toasted our dear Prince in champagne.

“_Cambridge Cottage, November 21._--… We reached Windsor Castle about twelve, and were shown into our old Lancaster Tower rooms, where we were presently joined by darling Alix,--too overjoyed at the meeting to speak!--dear Alice and Louis; after a while Alix took me to her room.… I then returned to the others, and we went with Alice to see her rooms in the Devil’s Tower, where Louis was being _sketched_; here the poor dear Queen joined us and remained with us for some time. We lunched without Her Majesty, and Beatrice came in afterwards.… Went into Alix’s room again and played to her _en souvenir de Rumpenheim_, afterwards accompanying her into all the state-rooms, Mama, Alice, Louis, and Helena being also of the party. On our return Mama and I were summoned to the Queen’s Closet, and had a nice little talk with her, ending with tea. We were hurried off shortly before five, Alix, Alice, and the others rushing after us to bid us good-bye.”

Even the humblest of His Majesty’s subjects usually finds a good deal to do in the weeks that precede his marriage, and it will be easily understood that the high station of the future King rather augmented than diminished these engrossing occupations. He had to receive and suitably acknowledge countless addresses of congratulation from individuals, corporations, and other public bodies; he had to superintend the extensive alterations which were still being carried out at Marlborough House; he had to pass in review the innumerable details of the various elaborate functions which were to mark the occasion of his marriage; and last but not least it was considered desirable that he should now go through the somewhat trying ceremony of taking his seat in the House of Lords.

Nearly three-quarters of a century had elapsed since the Heir-Apparent to the British Crown had taken the oath and his seat as a Peer of the Realm. It was on 5th February 1863, within a few weeks of his marriage, that King Edward went through this historic ceremony, and it is a curious fact that the business before the House of Lords on that occasion was an Address from the Crown to the British Parliament announcing the Prince’s approaching marriage. It is also noteworthy that soon after the ceremony the two chief dignitaries of the English Church, the new Archbishops of Canterbury and York, also took the oaths and their seats upon the Episcopal benches of the House.

The Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Mary and a brilliant array of Peeresses and ladies from the various foreign Embassies and Legations were present at the ceremony, which was invested with a great deal of pomp and solemnity. After prayers had been read by the Bishop of Worcester, a procession emerged from the Prince’s Chamber, and advanced slowly up the floor of the House. First came the Usher of the Black Rod, followed immediately by the Garter King of Arms, attired in his robes. Then came the Prince of Wales, preceded by an equerry, bearing his coronet on an embroidered crimson cushion. His Royal Highness was also accompanied by the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of Argyll, the Hereditary Lord Great Chamberlain, and Lord Edward Howard, who represented the infant Duke of Norfolk, Hereditary Earl Marshal.

The Prince wore the scarlet and ermine robes of a Duke over the uniform of a General. He also wore the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Golden Fleece, and the Order of the Star of India. As he entered the House, the Peers rose in a body, the Lord Chancellor alone remaining seated and covered with his official hat. His Royal Highness then advanced to the Woolsack, and placed his patent of peerage and writ of summons in the hands of the Chancellor. The oaths were administered to him at the table by the Clerk of Parliament, the titles under which the Prince was sworn being those of Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Chester, Earl of Carrick, Duke of Rothesay, and Lord of the Isles.

After the roll had been signed the procession moved on, and His Royal Highness, on reaching the right-hand side of the Throne, took his seat upon the Chair of State specially appropriated on State occasions to the Prince of Wales. While thus seated he placed on his head the cocked hat worn by general officers in full dress. The Prince and the other Peers finally left the House, retiring by the entrance at the right of the Throne in the same order as they had entered.

About an hour later His Royal Highness re-entered the House dressed in ordinary afternoon costume, and took his seat on one of the cross-benches, thereby formally dissociating himself from either political party. The Prince remained almost throughout the entire debate. When leaving he shook hands with the Earl of Derby and a number of other Peers whom he recognised.

As is well known, the only votes which King Edward has ever given in the House of Lords have been in favour of the Bill for legalising marriage with a deceased wife’s sister, but he is a constant visitor at the Houses of Parliament when anything of special interest is going on, and there is no doubt that he takes the keenest interest in the political questions of the day.

As regards the Deceased Wife’s Sister Bill, it is well known that the King and the Bench of Bishops hold opposite opinions, and there is a curious allusion to this in the _Life_ of the late Archbishop Benson. The Archbishop went to a great garden party given by Queen Victoria in July 1896, and thus describes it in his diary:--

“The Queen’s Garden Party at Buckingham Palace was of 4000 persons.… The Prince, after glancing my way several times, came up, holding out his hand _as if_ diffidently, and saying, ‘Will you shake hands with me?’ I said, ‘Vicisti, sir.’ He said, ‘What?’ But on my saying again, ‘Vicisti,’ he laughed very heartily in his own way.” It should be explained that the Prince and the Duke of York had just voted in the House of Lords in favour of the Deceased Wife’s Sister Bill, the third reading of which was passed.

The Danish people were extremely pleased at the marriage their Princess was making, and so determined were they that she should not go dowerless, that 100,000 kroner, known as “the People’s Dowry,” were presented to her, and countless presents, many of them of the humblest description, poured in upon her from all over the sea-girt kingdom. By the Princess’s own wish, 3000 thalers were distributed among six Danish brides belonging to the poorer classes during the year of Her Royal Highness’s marriage. The fact became known, and naturally greatly added to Her Royal Highness’s popularity, and from the day she left Copenhagen to that on which she landed on British soil, the journey of Prince Christian and his family, for Princess Alexandra was accompanied by her father and mother, and brothers and sisters, was nothing short of a triumphal progress.

The Royal _cortège_ left Denmark on 26th February, reaching Cologne on 2nd March. There the Prince of Wales’s _fiancée_ received the first greetings of her future husband’s people, the British residents. The whole party were also royally entertained at Brussels by the Count of Flanders; and at Flushing they found a squadron of British men-of-war to escort the Royal yacht _Victoria and Albert_.

On the morning of 7th March the Danish Royal Family first saw the white cliffs of Old England, and at twenty minutes past eleven, the Royal yacht, which had steamed slowly up the river amid craft splendidly decorated with flags and flowers, anchored opposite the pier at Gravesend. A moment later the Prince of Wales, accompanied by a numerous suite, and attired in a blue frock-coat and gray trousers, stepped on board. As His Royal Highness reached the deck Princess Alexandra advanced to the door of the State cabin to meet him, and, to the great delight of the assembled crowds ashore and afloat, the Prince, walking quickly towards his bride, took her by the hand and kissed her most affectionately.

Then followed the procession through London; every street, from the humblest portions of the East End to the great West End thoroughfares, was lavishly decorated, and the Prince and Princess accepted addresses presented by the Corporation and many other London public bodies.

The Princess of Wales gave some special sittings for a medal which was struck to commemorate her public entry into the City of London, and it remains one of the finest examples of Wyon’s art. The reverse represents the Princess Alexandra, led by the Prince of Wales, and attended by Hymen, being welcomed by the City of London, who is accompanied by Peace and Plenty, the latter carrying the diamond necklace and earrings which the City offered to the Princess as a wedding present. In the background is the triumphal arch erected by the Corporation at London Bridge, where Her Royal Highness first entered the City precincts. The medals were struck only in bronze, and were presented to Queen Victoria, King Edward, and Queen Alexandra, all the members of the Royal family, the Royal and distinguished guests who were asked to the wedding, and the members of the Corporation of the City of London.

The poor young Princess must have been glad when that long day came to an end, for the Royal train from Paddington to Windsor did not start till a quarter past five, and thus from early morning till late in the afternoon the future Queen had been compelled to remain the cynosure of all eyes. It is an interesting fact that the engine which took the Princess to Windsor was driven by the Earl of Caithness, then the best known amateur locomotive engineer of the day.

As may easily be imagined, the Royal borough was determined not to be outdone by London in the matter of a bridal welcome. The Eton boys presented an address signed by the whole 800; and then came the arrival at the Castle, where Queen Victoria, surrounded by all her children and a large number of Royal visitors, received her future daughter-in-law. Then followed two days of almost complete rest for the Princess.

King Edward, in addition to the multifarious duties which beset even humble individuals when they are about to enter the holy estate, was also compelled to hold his first _levée_ within a few days of his wedding. Over a thousand gentlemen had the honour of being presented to him, the presentations, by Queen Victoria’s pleasure, being considered as equal to presentations to Her Majesty. The _levée_, which was held in St. James’s Palace, was also attended by about seventeen hundred of the nobility and gentry, all anxious to do honour to the Heir-Apparent, who was, it need hardly be added, attended by a brilliant Court.

The Prince and the British Royal Family had not been idle during the period of the engagement. His Royal Highness himself ordered and examined the designs for all the gifts about to be presented by him to his bride, and to her family whom he specially wished to honour. His first present to her, the engagement ring, has since served as keeper for the Princess’s wedding ring. It is a very beautiful example of the jeweller’s art, being set with six precious stones--a beryl, an emerald, a ruby, a turquoise, a jacinth, and a second emerald, the initials of the six gems spelling the Prince’s family name, “Bertie.” His Royal Highness’s gifts also included a complete set of diamonds and pearls, comprising diadem, necklace, stomacher, and bracelet; also a very beautiful waist-clasp, formed of two large turquoises inlaid with Arabic characters, and mounted in gold.

Queen Victoria presented her daughter-in-law with a set of opals and diamonds exactly similar in form to that designed for Princess Alice by the Prince Consort. Her Majesty also gave the Prince a centre-piece, which was presented to him in the name of the Prince Consort and of herself. This fine piece of work had been designed by the Prince Consort as a gift to his son. It has a group at the base showing Edward I. presenting his heir to the Welsh chieftains, and round the base are portraits of six Princes of Wales. Queen Victoria, whose thoughtful care was shown in this as in many other matters, gave the Prince and his bride a great deal of valuable plate as well.

The London jewellers had certainly cause for rejoicing over the Royal marriage, for the Prince, not content with presenting his bride-elect with a number of other very costly gifts, also showered gems on all his own and her relations. Neither were his friends forgotten. He ordered twenty breast-pins, heart-shaped, encircled by brilliants, with the initials of himself and the Princess traced in rubies, diamonds, and emeralds occupying the centre of each heart. These were distributed to his brothers and to a number of his intimates. To his future mother-in-law, Princess Christian of Denmark, the Prince gave a beautiful bracelet, containing a miniature of himself; also a diamond, ruby, and emerald brooch, inscribed with the date of the marriage, and containing miniature portraits of himself and the Princess. An exactly similar jewel was presented by Princess Alexandra to the Queen.

In order efficiently to conduct the Royal wedding in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor, it became necessary to build proper apartments for the accommodation of the bride and bridegroom on their arrival, and for the Lord Chamberlain to marshal the processions without any danger of a hitch. With this object the Board of Works built an immense Gothic hall, opening out of the west door of the Chapel, and surrounded by apartments appropriated to the use of the Royal Family. Facing the Chapel, the two rooms upon the right were assigned to the bridegroom, and those on the left to the bride.

The marriage of King Edward and Queen Alexandra was the first Royal marriage which had been celebrated in St. George’s Chapel since that of Henry I. in 1122. The day was kept as a public holiday throughout the country, and the attention of the whole kingdom was concentrated on Windsor. The ceremony took place on 10th March 1863, at 12 o’clock. The total number of persons admitted to the Chapel did not exceed 900 ladies and gentlemen, exclusive of the Guards and of the attendants on duty.

The scene will never be forgotten by those who had the privilege of being present. It was an extraordinarily magnificent pageant, heralds and trumpeters in coats of cloth of gold adding greatly to the brilliancy and pomp.

Queen Victoria surveyed the scene from the Royal closet, which, placed on the north side of the Communion Table, is really a small room in the body of the Castle with a window opening into the Chapel. Her Majesty was clad in deep black, even to her gloves, and she wore a close-fitting widow’s cap, but in deference to the occasion she had consented to put on the broad blue riband of the Order of the Garter with the glittering star, and this was specially noticed by the few persons who, from the body of the Chapel, caught a glimpse of their beloved Sovereign.

The bridegroom, as in duty bound, arrived some time before the bride. He was supported by his uncle, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and his brother-in-law, the Crown Prince of Prussia, and wore the uniform of a British General, the Collar of the Garter, the Order of the Star of India, and the rich flowing purple velvet mantle of a Knight of the Garter. His supporters also wore the robes of the Garter, and the three were naturally the centre of interest till the arrival of the bride, who came in upon the stroke of half-past twelve.

Princess Alexandra, who was given away by her father, wore, according to the notions of that day, a very beautiful and splendid wedding dress. It consisted of a white satin skirt, trimmed with garlands of orange blossom and puffings of tulle and Honiton lace, the bodice being draped with the same lace, while the train of silver moire antique was covered with nosegays of orange blossom and puffings of tulle. In addition to the necklace, earrings, and brooch presented to Her Royal Highness by the bridegroom, she wore the _rivière_ of diamonds given by the Corporation of London, and three bracelets, presented to her respectively by Queen Victoria, the ladies of Leeds, and the ladies of Manchester. On her beautiful hair, which was very simply dressed, lay a wreath of orange blossoms covered by a veil of Honiton lace.

The bridal bouquet was composed of orange blossoms, white rosebuds, orchids, and sprigs of myrtle, the latter being taken from the same bush as that from which the myrtle used in the Princess Royal’s bridal bouquet was cut.

As the Princess moved slowly up the Chapel her train was carried by eight bridesmaids, Lady Victoria Scott, Lady Victoria Howard, Lady Agneta Yorke, Lady Feodora Wellesley, Lady Diana Beauclerk, Lady Georgina Hamilton, Lady Alma Bruce, and Lady Helena Hare. They each wore dresses of white tulle over white glacé silk, trimmed with blush roses, shamrocks, and white heather, with wreaths to correspond, and each also wore a locket presented to her by the Prince of Wales, composed of coral and diamonds, signifying the red and white which are the colours of Denmark, while in the centre of each was a crystal cipher forming the letters “A. E. A.” twined together in a monogram designed by Princess Alice.

It is an interesting fact that all these ladies are still living, or were until quite lately, and many of them became Queen Alexandra’s personal friends. Even now Her Majesty occasionally wears the splendid diamond and enamelled bracelet, made in eight compartments, each containing a miniature of one of the Royal bridesmaids, which was their gift to her on the occasion of the marriage.

The ceremony itself did not last very long. The Prince is recorded to have answered his “I will” right manfully, but the Princess’s answers were almost inaudible. As soon as the Prince of Wales and the Princess Alexandra were man and wife, they turned to the congregation hand in hand, bowing low to the Queen, who, in returning the salutation, made a gesture of blessing rather than of ceremonious acknowledgment.

The late Bishop Wilberforce thus describes the scene in the Chapel:--

“The wedding was certainly the most moving sight I ever saw. The Queen, above all, looking down, added such a wonderful chord of feeling to all the lighter notes of joyfulness and show. Every one behaved quite at their best. The Princess of Wales, calm, feeling, self-possessed; the Prince with more depth of manner than ever before.”

Dr. Norman Macleod wrote:--

“I returned home and went back to the marriage on the 10th of March.… I got behind Kingsley, Stanley, Birch, and in a famous place, being in front of the Royal pair. We saw better than any except the clergy. It was a gorgeous sight, yet somehow did not excite me. I suppose I am past this.

“Two things struck me much. One was the whole of the Royal Princesses weeping, though concealing their tears with their bouquets, as they saw their brother, who was to them but their ‘Bertie,’ and their dead father’s son, standing alone waiting for his bride. The other was the Queen’s expression as she raised her eyes to Heaven, while her husband’s Chorale was sung. She seemed to be with him alone before the throne of God.”

Mr. W. P. Frith, who had been commissioned to execute a painting of the Royal marriage for Queen Victoria, was accommodated with a special corner for himself and his sketch-book, and later, all those who had taken part in the historic pageant sat to him for portraits with the most excellent result.

On their return to the Castle a few moments later the bride and bridegroom were met by Queen Victoria and conducted to the Green Drawing-Room, where the formal attestation of the marriage took place.

It may be added that among those present at the marriage and afterwards at the wedding breakfast were the Rev. H. M. Birch and the Rev. C. F. Tarver, the Prince’s tutors, and when lunch was over these gentlemen were informed that their old pupil sent them a souvenir of himself, of which he desired their acceptance. This souvenir proved to be in each case a copy of the Holy Scriptures, handsomely bound, and containing an inscription in His Royal Highness’s own handwriting.

The wedding breakfast, which was served in St. George’s Hall, was very sumptuous, but out of respect to the Queen’s recent bereavement there were not many speeches--a circumstance which probably did not greatly disappoint either the bride or the bridegroom. While the marriage was actually in progress the King of Denmark was entertaining both the rich and poor in his kingdom right royally, and it must have been a pleasant thought for the Princess to know that her marriage was filling with gladness innumerable multitudes both of her own people and of her husband’s future subjects.

At four o’clock the Prince and Princess took their departure for Osborne, where a very short honeymoon was spent. On their return home, which in this case meant Windsor, it was noticed that the lovely bride looked the very picture of happiness. The streets of Windsor were decorated with flags, and the Royal borough looked as gay as it did on the wedding day.

After the marriage the Liturgy of the Church of England was officially altered by the introduction of the name of the Princess of Wales into the Prayer for the Royal Family. The Scottish Church was also officially instructed to pray for “Her Most Sacred Majesty Queen Victoria, Albert Edward Prince of Wales, the Princess of Wales, and all the Royal Family.”