Queen Victoria - Part 8 - A Romantic Soul

It was because she had never known her father, that throughout her adult life, Queen Victoria always seemed to need a strong man to support her. And just as her early attachment to Melbourne had caused a good deal of annoyance and consternation, so too would the attachment of her later life. In the midst of her excessive mourning, the Queen sought out any reminders of beloved Albert, and all that he had loved became of vital importance to her. It was for this reason that she first became attached to her late husband's former guinea, John Brown. In time, Brown would become her confidante, guardian, and closest friend. His outspokenness and lack of superficiality appealed to Victoria. And where others tiptoed around her, Brown had no qualms about addressing her directly, not as a queen, but simply as a woman, in need of care and protection. He alone appeared to understand her, and she felt safe with him. If she wished to be alone, Brown would quite happily refuse entry to her own children. And he frequently irked the rest of the household by his lack of respect or even good manners. To the Queen, though, he was indispensable, and the more her family complained, the greater became her devotion to him. When her daughter Alice dared to suggest that Brown was upsetting other members of the family, the Queen responded by writing to all and sundry that Alice was becoming too grand and too efficient. Brown's death in March 1883 came as a terrible blow to Victoria. The shock, the blow, the blank, the constant missing at every turn of the one strong powerful arm, she wrote. And as she had done after Albert's death, she ordered numerous statues of Brown to be erected. She would never forget him, even into eternity. For she requested that she be buried with his photograph, a lock of his hair, and a ring which had once belonged to his mother, and he had given to her. Although he was the very antithesis of Brown, the Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, also gained a definite place in Victoria's heart. Daffer and charming, he knew exactly how to address her, not only as a Queen, but also as a woman. Following Prince Albert's death, Queen Victoria had published a book, Leaves from a Highland Journal, which contained extracts from her diaries, recounting the royal family's life in the countryside around Balmoral. Disraeli himself, an established novelist, flattered her enormously by speaking to her as, And to her utmost delight, it was he who presented her with one of her greatest treasures, the title, Empress of India. In return, the Queen bestowed on him the title of Lord Beaconsfield. As with all those on whom she became dependent, the Queen constantly sought his advice, and relied on him to carry out her wishes. So much so that when he was dying, and he was asked if he would like the Queen to visit him, he refused the offer saying, She would only ask me to take a message to Albert. On hearing of his death in April 1881, the Queen wrote to her eldest daughter, Dear Lord Beaconsfield, was the truest, kindest friend and wisest counsellor, and now he too is gone. I feel much crushed by it. Disraeli was gone, but he had, however, left her as an Empress. And though she never visited India, Queen Victoria developed a great love for the subcontinent and all its traditions. Determined to learn Hindi, she surrounded herself with Indian servants, one of whom, Abdul Kareem. She promoted to the position of Munshi, her teacher and Indian secretary. An arrogant and self-seeking man, the Munshi quickly alienated other members of the household by his sense of superiority. But as she had done with Brown, the Queen sided with the Munshi in every dispute, dismissing all criticism as narrow-minded bigotry and racism, something she despised. She took him on all her travels, and wept tears of anger and sorrow when her son Alfred refused to allow him to sit with the family at his daughter's wedding. The Munshi had claimed that his father was a high-ranking surgeon in India, but when an equerry Frederick Ponsonby reported the truth that he was in fact an orderly in a prison hospital, the Queen refused to believe it, and temporarily banished Ponsonby from her court. Her attachment was so great that certain members of the government even suspected she was insane. But, as with all her attachments, once Victoria gave her heart, no amount of pressure or persuasion would cause her to turn her back on someone she loved. .