GV: Part Four, Chapter Nine: Kings and Successions
King George V
Part Four, Chapter Nine: Kings and Successions
Part Four, Chapter Nine: Kings and Successions
The Charlottenlund Palace stands some six miles north of central Copenhagen, a modest mansion built in a neo-classical style with gleaming white walls and gold cornices, neatly set within thirty-five acres of parkland that turns over at the edges to a beach on the fringes of the Nivå Bugt. The Charlottenlund of today is, of course, a relatively modern creation and stands as a stark contrast to the house which occupied the site in 1845 at the time of King George V’s visit on his return journey to England from Russia. Charlottenlund began life as a deer park, ceded to a favourite courtier of King Frederick III of Denmark in the late 17th century. Later taken back by Frederick as a home for his illegitimate son, Ulrik Gyldenløve, the estate was renamed Gyldenlund until the King once again took it back for his own personal use as a summer retreat. In 1730, the future King Christian VI gave Gyldenlund to his sister Princess Charlotte Amalie. She tore down the buildings in the park and, using materials from Copenhagen Castle, which was under demolition at the time, commissioned a new Baroque palace named Charlottenlund, thus giving the residence (and the park) the name it enjoys to this day. Charlotte Amalie never married and so her much loved palace stood vacant for many years until finally, in the middle of the 19th century, it became the preferred residence of Princess Louise Charlotte of Denmark, the daughter of Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Denmark, who died in 1805. Hereditary Prince Frederick had served as Regent of Denmark for his 16-year-old half-nephew (also named Frederick) who was installed as King in a coup in 1784. With his death in 1839, Frederick VI was succeeded by his half-first cousin King Christian VIII – Princess Louise Charlotte’s brother. It was Christian VIII who installed his sister at the Charlottenlund but this was no mere fraternal gesture. It spoke directly to his hopes for the future of the Danish monarchy.
Charlottenlund today.
Christian VIII married Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1806 at Ludwigslust and the couple had two son. The eldest, Christian, tragically died at birth but the youngest, Frederick, survived and became his father’s heir when Christian VIII became King of Denmark in 1839. Christian’s marriage to Charlotte Frederica was a deeply unhappy one and lasted just four years. She was capricious and prone to bouts of temper whilst he was far more interested in academic pursuits both literary and scientific to indulge her frequent mood swings. This coldness led Charlotte Frederica to take a lover, the Swiss composer Edouard du Puy, and so finally Christian had grounds to divorce his wife on the grounds of her adultery in 1810. This was somewhat hypocritical on Christian's part as he was no stranger to infidelity himself (he died having produced ten illegitimate children), but nonetheless Charlotte Frederica was exiled to Horsens and never saw her son again. Meanwhile, Christian was sent off to Norway as Governor-general to promote loyalty to the House of Oldenburg among the populace there. So successful was he that in 1814, he was elected Regent and then King which resulted in a brief conflict with Sweden. Christian abdicated, left Norway and returned to Denmark awaiting his succession there instead. By this time, he had been introduced to Caroline Amalie of Augustenburg, fell in love with her and immediately upon his return to Copenhagen, Christian proposed marriage. They were wed in 1815 but the union produced no further heirs. This would not have been problematic were it not for the fact that as he grew older, Christian’s son Frederick (by his first marriage) seemed very unlikely to secure the Danish succession directly.
Frederick married his second cousin Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark in 1828 but by 1834, the childless union was over and they were divorced in 1837. In 1841, he married Duchess Caroline of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – the sister of King George V’s first wife, Queen Louise of the United Kingdom. Yet that marriage too ended in acrimony. By 1844, Caroline had returned home and Frederick pursued relationships with Else Maria Guldborg Pedersen, and publisher and newspaper owner Carl Berling. All this served to remind Christian VIII that his son would be unlikely to leave a legitimate male heir. All eyes therefore turned to Christian’s youngest brother, Ferdinand. Born in 1792, he married his first cousin Princess Caroline (the daughter of King Frederick VI) in 1829. Though salic law prevented Caroline from becoming Queen regnant of Denmark, she might yet become Queen consort of Denmark if Ferdinand succeeded the childless Frederick VII. Upon Christian VIII’s death therefore, Ferdinand stood to become Hereditary Prince of Denmark. Yet his marriage too remained childless. Unlike his brother and his nephew, Ferdinand had no intention of divorcing his wife and taking another, thus Christian VIII had to resign himself to the fact that one day, there may be a serious succession crisis in Denmark. In the usual way of things, this would have been an inconvenience as one dynasty handed the reigns to another. But the death of Frederick VI in 1839 brought to the fore a crucial debate that threatened to result in an all-out war – the Schleswig-Holstein Question. The Schleswig-Holstein question was a pivotal moment in 19th century Danish history, but the ramifications of the debate stretched well beyond Denmark’s borders. So complicated was the situation in the duchies that Lord Palmerston once remarked in his retirement; “There are only three people in the world who ever understood the Schleswig-Holstein question. One was a professor, and he’s gone mad. One was a Bishop, and he’s dead. The third was myself…and I’ve forgotten all about it”. [1]
Entire volumes have been devoted to the complexities of the Schleswig-Holstein question and so for our purposes, we will begin with the situation as it was in 1845. Schleswig and Holstein were ruled separately from the Danish Kingdom but the Napoleonic Wars had given rise to German nationalists in the twin duchies which saw a growing demand for incorporation into Prussia. The nationalists in Schleswig opposed further integration with Denmark, yet those loyal to the Danish Crown in Schleswig (and there were many) could not accept Prussian control over their Duchy. In Holstein, the German majority saw Schleswig as their twin which could not be separated, and which could only follow Holstein when it became a German province (as they argued it must). In the middle were the Eider-Danes who straddled both camps. They wanted Schleswig to be Danish but they insisted that the Eider River be used as a border which would see Schleswig incorporated entirely into Denmark and Holstein left to fend for itself as a new acquisition of Prussia, thereby removing German nationalism from Schleswig as those who wished to live under Prussian rule could simply relocate to the other side of the Eider. Christian VIII was reluctant to take a firm stance on the twin duchies until the mid 1840s when he finally indicated that he supported the idea of Schleswig being brought into Danish territory proper. For his son and heir however, there was no such prevarication. The more liberal Frederick fully intended to promulgate a new constitution upon his accession which would bring Schleswig into the Kingdom of Denmark proper.
The problem was that if Prince Ferdinand succeeded King Frederick VII in the fullness of time, and died childless, Denmark’s claim on Holstein would be severely weakened. Schleswig followed Danish succession laws which would allow male heirs to inherit through a female line but Holstein followed German succession laws which did not. Thus, when the childless King Ferdinand died, he would have different heirs in Denmark and in Holstein. With the male line extinct in Denmark, the Danish crown would pass to Princess Louise Charlotte as Queen regnant. But in the Duchy of Holstein, the leading contender to inherit in such a situation was Duke Christian August II of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg who took advantage of the succession issues in Denmark to promote their claim to Holstein. Both Christian August and his brother Frederick accepted that they could not succeed in Denmark and that Louise Charlotte would be Queen Regnant if she survived her brother Ferdinand. But they could not accept that Schleswig would be separated from Holstein for they wished to see the twin duchies united within the German Confederation. Louise Charlotte opposed this, taking her brother’s position on the matter. As a result, Christian VIII began to favour Louise Charlotte’s line as that which would eventually rule Denmark. Thus, although she had married Prince William of Hesse-Kassel (King George V’s maternal uncle) in 1810, Louise Charlotte’s life was not to be made in Rumpenheim but rather, in Copenhagen. [2]
Throughout the early 1840s, William and Louise Charlotte were keenly involved with Danish affairs of state and became leading figures in Danish high society. They were well liked and popular (though William was far more conservative than most) and accepted that their focus must be on the future of the Danish monarchy rather than their castle on the Main. As a result, they transformed the Charlottenlund into a place where the Danish nobility could gather freely in a relaxed atmosphere which subtly strengthened Louise Charlotte’s claims to the Danish throne in the far-off future. This is not to say that they abandoned Rumpenheim entirely and as we have seen, gatherings of the Hesse-Kassel clan were regular features in their calendar there. But they also enjoyed hosting their extended relations in Denmark, particularly because the Charlottenlund was so much more comfortable than the cramped conditions at Schloss Rumpenheim. 1845 gave King George V the opportunity to visit Denmark for the first time as his Uncle William invited him to Charlottenlund. The Hesse-Kassels decided to make something of a family reunion of the occasion and thus the guests also included William’s daughters Louise (married to Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg) and Auguste (married to King George’s first cousin, the Earl of Armagh). Also present was Princess Marie Louise (Louise and Auguste’s elder sister) with her husband Prince Frederick of Anhalt-Dessau, he being the paternal uncle of Queen Agnes. Princess Louise Charlotte therefore invited the Duke and Duchess of Anhalt-Dessau along too, knowing that Queen Agnes had not had a chance for a reunion with her parents since her marriage, but she also extended an invitation to the Tsarevich and Tsarevna of Russia, well aware that King George V had little opportunity to spend time with his sister who was also of course, Prince William’s niece. [3]
As it turned out, the Tsarevna’s presence rescued what might have been a very tense situation. Upon leaving Russia aboard the Sovereign, George V was in high dudgeon. The entire purpose of his state visit to Russia had been to reach a new agreement with Tsar Nicholas concerning the situation in Afghanistan (and in the Dardanelles), yet the Tsar had consistently refused to meet with George V to discuss this – neither did he allow his ministers to open talks with the British delegation from the Foreign Office. Though George welcomed the chance to visit his sister, he was frustrated that his well-researched and well-planned approach to talks had been wasted and that once again his chance to play the diplomat had been denied him. The discovery that Queen Agnes was pregnant did much to lighten George’s mood but he was still somewhat irritated when their final day in St Petersburg dawned and nothing in the way of foreign policy had been achieved. Yet the Tsarevna put a positive spin on things. She reminded George that though his visit had not been the diplomatic success he wished it to be, they could now enjoy time together away from the stuffy formality of the Russian court in Denmark before another prolonged parting – and besides, his priority must be the comfort and safety of his wife and unborn child on their travels home. Whilst this reassured and cheered the King before his arrival in Denmark, it did little to raise the spirits of Lord Morpeth who faced returning home to tell the Cabinet that the Russian State Visit had been a tragic waste of time and resources.
Word had been sent ahead to Prince William from the Sovereign that the King and Queen wanted no formality when they arrived in Denmark – no doubt because they had suffered quite enough of the stifling court etiquette in St Petersburg. In the usual way of things, such a visit would have begun with a formal entrance to Copenhagen with a presentation of an honour guard and a formal audience with King Christian VIII. To avoid causing offence to King Christian, the King’s compliments were sent ahead of him and the Danish monarch sent a reply with an invitation to an “informal” luncheon on the last day of George and Agnes’ stay in Denmark which was readily accepted and served to honour the dignities of both parties without any cause for further fuss. But when it came to the Tsarevich, no such relaxation of protocol could be considered. Sasha and Lottie were to sail into Copenhagen and immediately process to Amalienborg to meet with the King where the Tsarevich was to reaffirm, on behalf of the Tsar, Russia’s position on the Schleswig-Holstein question. Namely that a German power should never have control over the harbour at Kiel or control the entrance to the Baltic. Orders were to be exchanged, credentials presented and a formal luncheon offered with all the usual laborious niceties observed. Any deviation in this might well cause offence to the Tsar who expected his son and heir to be accorded the same respect Nicholas himself might expect, Sasha being his representative in a foreign Kingdom. [4]
But though George V saw his visit to Denmark as a private, informal holiday, he could not simply ignore his royal duties and as there was some delay in disembarking the Sovereign, Lord Morpeth took the opportunity to discuss the proposal he had put forward in Russia concerning William Mansfield’s future as an emissary to Peshawar. Morpeth was aware that the King’s mood was slightly precarious, and he had to be delicate in the way he presented his idea to His Majesty. But in this, Morpeth proved his ability to handle fragile tempers well. He profusely commiserated with George V and told him that, in his view, the biggest disappointment to come from the Russian State Visit was the fact that the King had not been able to employ his diplomatic skills. This was exactly the sort of commentary George V liked, though he never sought idle flattery, and so it was the King himself who asked the most obvious question, “What next?”. Lord Morpeth jumped on this without hesitation and carefully explained his idea that the only alternative now was to secure some kind of new agreement exploiting the factions in the Afghan court which would rebalance the relationship between Britain and Russia in the Great Game. The King nodded as Morpeth explained the situation, though he was not entirely convinced.
“I dislike the notion of a son being used against his father”, he said, “And this proposal of yours sounds as if it carries with it a very high element of risk. What should happen if King Mohammed reacts violently? He should have every cause to retaliate for our interference in his domestic affairs and if he does, would the Tsar not support him in that?”
“The Tsar does not seek a war on this matter”, Morpeth reassured the King, “Toppling a few Sultans in the Afghan hills is one thing, but the Tsar cannot risk conflict among the Great Powers. That shall tame his response if King Mohammed were to retaliate against us. That said Your Majesty, it does mean that we require someone of integrity to handle this, someone who can undertake these talks with the Barakzais without suggesting by his presence alone that anything out of the ordinary is afoot”.
“Who do you suggest?”, the King asked, lighting a cigarette, “Shelburne, I suppose?”
“No Sir, not Shelburne”, Morpeth smiled, “I should like to ask Your Majesty to consider releasing Mansfield from your service for a time”
“Willo?!”, George laughed, “What makes you think of him?”
“He is most capable Sir”, Morpeth explained, “He proved himself of great use to our delegation in St Petersburg, he has a military background that would suggest to the outside observer that he is simply transferring to an Indian regiment at a time of heightened tension with the Sikhs rather than going to Peshawar on any kind of diplomatic business. And yet we know that he will report honestly, with sincerity, and that he has no political agenda of his own. It is an ideal fit”
“But would he do it?”, George asked curiously, “I’ve seen no indication from him that he has any interest in a foreign posting, or that he wishes to leave court”
“He is a loyal servant of the Crown, Your Majesty”, Morpeth said soberly, “I am certain he would welcome any opportunity to serve…”
George thought for a moment or two. Then he checked his pocket watch.
“Oh really, this delay is too bad, Uncle William will be waiting, I can’t abide this shilly shallying about”, he moaned, “I shall speak to Willo, I’ll try to persuade him to take the job on if you really believe he’s the right man, now for heaven’s sake Morpeth, go up and see why we haven’t disembarked yet, would you?”
Upon their arrival at the Charlottenlund, the King and Queen were welcomed by Prince William who was thrilled to see them in Denmark. They had been given a suite of rooms at the rear of the palace with views of the gardens and though the Hesse-Kassels did not live extravagantly, Danish servants were provided so that the large retinue which had followed George and Agnes to St Petersburg could be dispersed somewhat, leaving only the Duchess of Grafton and the Arbuthnots in the Queen’s service and Charlie Phipps, William Mansfield and Lord Beauclerk in the King’s. Everybody else who had accompanied the Royal party to Russia were allowed a brief period of respite in Copenhagen and were accommodated at the appropriately named Hotel d’Angleterre at George V’s expense. But though the King and Queen were attended to by servants and though dinners were formal requiring uniforms, medals, gowns and tiaras, the general atmosphere at the Charlottenlund was that of a rather raucous house party which gave rise to mischief and pranks that greatly amused the guests. On this particular occasion, George V and Prince Christian teamed together to stage a bizarre game in the palace ballroom whereby players had to tuck chicken eggs in the crook of their elbow and then run laps around the room without breaking them. The result was an extraordinary din and sleeves spattered with yolks as the guests fell about laughing. Only one participant was successful in breaking neither of his eggs – the Tsarevich. He was rewarded for his victory by Prince Christian smashing both on his head to the whoops and hollers of delight of everybody present.
For the children at Charlottenlund, there was an extra special afternoon treat that served to amuse the ladies present too. Princess Louise Charlotte staged a toys' tea party with the adults seated at round tables and the children at lower ones with a brand new doll or toy soldier placed on their little wooden seats when they arrived. Filled with cakes and barley water, the children were then led to the music room where a small stage had been constructed with red velvet curtains. These were drawn back at the appointed hour to reveal a marionette puppet show which was to be narrated by none other than Hans Christian Andersen. Andersen enjoyed royal patronage thanks to the success of his first collection of ‘Fairy Tales Told for Children’ published between 1835 and 1837 and which included his versions of popular European folktale classics such as The Princess and the Pea, Tomb Thumb and The Emperor’s New Clothes but which also introduced stories of his own creation such as Thumbelina and the hugely popular The Little Mermaid. Andersen, being something of a snob, was always pleased when he was in the presence of royalty and on this occasion he was in very high spirits as he narrated the story of the Mermaid who falls in love with a human being and takes a potion from an evil Sea Witch to provide her with legs in exchange for her voice. The royal children were totally captivated and at the end of the performance, Andersen gave inscribed copies of his three volumes of fairy tales to each of them. One of these survives in the Royal Collection, presented to the five-year-old Princess Victoria at the Charlottenlund and which is signed in Andersen’s own hand on the front page; “To Her Royal Highness the Princess Victoria of England [sic], with my sincere hope that she shall enjoy the stories contained within these pages for many years to come”. When she was asked about her memories of Andersen in later years, Victoria remarked rather ungraciously, “He was a wonderful storyteller, of course, but my dear he was such a strange looking fellow”.
Hans Christian Andersen, 1860.
For the adults, there was a far more suitable foray into the arts with an evening’s gala at the Royal Danish Theatre on the Kongens Nytorv. A special performance had been staged which saw the famous Danish soprano Eleonora Zrza appear as Princess Catarina in a revival of Auber’s comic opera Les diamants de la couronne translated into Danish by T. H Reynoldson and which was a particular favourite with the court since it’s first performance in Copenhagen in 1843 [5]. This was to be Zrza’s last public performance and when asked why she had retired at the height of her success, she remarked somewhat morbidly; “When one has performed for Kings, there is nobody else to sing for but St Peter”. Also in the company that evening was Catharine Simonsen, recently awarded the prestigious title of “Royal Chamber Singer” by King Christian VIII. Married to the violinist Hans Sophus Simonsen, her frequent pregnancies interrupted her career so much that her rare appearances electrified audiences and in 1845, she particularly charmed Hereditary Prince Frederick Wilhelm of Hesse-Kassel. Tragically made a widower the previous year after a very brief marriage to the Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna (Adini), the daughter of Tsar Nicholas I, the third in line to the Danish throne had been thoroughly miserable and was considering a naval career when he was introduced to Catharine Simonsen. He spent more and more time at the Royal Danish Theatre, completely ignorant to the fact that Simonsen was devoted to her husband. All through the performance of Les Diamants, the Hereditary Prince mooned over the object of his affections much to the displeasure of the Tsarevich and Tsarevna who felt he was being thoroughly disrespectful to the memory of Sasha’s sister and Lottie’s best friend at the Russian Imperial Court. Still, this did little to interrupt the gala which was enjoyed by all.
As their visit to Denmark neared its end, King George and Queen Agnes decided that they had better take advantage of the situation and announce to their gathered families (particularly the Queen’s parents) that Agnes was expecting her first child. So as not to cause offence, the King and Queen met with the Anhalt-Dessaus privately in Prince William’s morning room shortly before dinner to share their happy news. Duke Leopold was absolutely delighted and tearfully embraced his daughter, kissing her on each cheek and shaking his son-in-law by the hand. The Duchess on the other hand was not so profuse in her joy. She rose rather stiffly to plant a single cold kiss on her daughter’s forehead and then sighed, “Of course, it shall be most inconvenient to me to come to England in February. I do so hate to travel in bad weather and the cold…nothing is worse than London in the cold”. George V shot his mother-in-law a disgusted look but Agnes simply smiled and replied practically, “Oh but Mama, you shall not have to travel in February, for you shall be with us at Christmas!”. The Duchess gave a sneering half-smile. The Duke patted his son-in-law’s arm reassuringly and whispered, “Do not worry my boy, we shall talk on these things later”. George V was little confused by this but thought little of it. However, for Duke Leopold his daughter's pregnancy was a pressing concern. Though naturally the arrival of his first grandchild was very important to Leopold personally, as Duke of Anhalt-Dessau he had something else to consider – the line of succession in his Duchy. [6]
As we have previously explored, the situation in Anhalt-Dessau in 1845 was such that if Queen Agnes’ brother failed to succeed his father as Duke, or if he failed to produce a legitimate male heir, the closest living female relative to the last male holder of the Duchy of Anhalt would succeed him – that relative being Queen Agnes. At the time of her marriage to King George V, Leopold IV had raised this question and a gentleman’s agreement was made whereby Agnes would renounce her inheritance so that her sons (if she had any) might follow their grandfather instead. At the time, Leopold had suggested that he might meet with his brothers to discuss the possibility of forming a new family pact to provide for this possibility which he was not entirely opposed to personally but which would require the support of his brothers to legitimize. But when the Duke had opened preliminary discussions with his brothers, they were not so enthusiastic. They did not see the urgency of settling the matter given that in all likelihood, the Queen's brother would marry and provide male heirs. But they did see that they stood to lose out if that chain of events was played out. Their conclusion was that if it ever appeared likely that a British prince might one day succeed his uncle in Dessau, two conditions must be agreed to by all parties; that the child (if indeed he was still a child at the time) must be brought without delay to live in Dessau and get to know his future subjects. They also insisted that the child must also renounce his own succession rights to the thrones of the United Kingdom - to avoid bringing Anhalt Dessau into a union of Crowns with Britain - and Hanover, for the same reason.
In this, the Duke’s brothers sought to keep Anhalt aligned to Prussia – not to Great Britain – and whilst Duke Leopold was sympathetic to their reasoning, he did not believe his son-in-law would take kindly to these conditions. Technically, George V’s wishes were immaterial. If the Anhalt Family Pact stated that a British prince could only succeed to the Duchy on certain conditions, those conditions would need to be met and not even the British King could infringe on the will of a sovereign nation which had every right to set its own inheritance laws. But the Duke saw the potential for family conflict. If Leopold promulgated what his brothers asked, and if the Hereditary Duke died suddenly, there was a very real possibility that an infant Duke of York would be wrestled from his parents and homeland to live in Dessau, only to turn 18 and see his wider inheritance taken from him in exchange for ruling a tiny German duchy of no more than 30,000 subjects. Leopold’s brothers however were unrelenting. And for good reason. Such a pact required the approval of all agnates and they had every reason to veto, for Leopold IV’s only other option would be to sanction the morganatic marriages that had taken place thus making his brothers and his nephews legitimate successors in the male line, which they knew full well Leopold IV was dead set against. Interestingly, it was never discussed as to what might happen if Agnes' child was a girl and the same issue with the Anhalt succession presented itself.
But there was no time for the audience Leopold desired to discuss these important matters. When the news of Agnes’ pregnancy was shared with the other guests at Charlottenlund, Prince William insisted that a bottle of champagne be brought from the cellars for each individual present. Indeed, so much champagne was taken that the Earl of Armagh, Prince Christian and Prince Frederick Wilhelm disappeared for half an hour and raided the dressing rooms above, wobbling down the staircase in ill-fitting gowns and furs, demanding to be announced as “the three happy ladies”, Armagh supported by his valet whom Prince Christian had insisted join in the fun. The sight of the valet with his neatly brushed black moustache and extravagant pink feathered hat caused the guests to dissolve into so much laughter that even the Duchess of Anhalt-Dessau could not hide her amusement and shocked everybody as she rocked backwards and forwards in peals of laughter. The King thought the whole thing so funny that he insisted on the band playing a waltz so he could dance with his cousin Fritz, holding him about the waist and saying loudly, “Do not let my wife see you Madam, she will surely be jealous of your beauty!”, much to the enjoyment of Queen Agnes who called back teasingly “Oh no! Who is this pretty rival for my husband’s affections?!”
The King and Queen both came to dread the end of their visit to Denmark which had been exactly the tonic George V needed after their fruitless State Visit. But it wasn’t just the fun and frolics they would miss. On the morning George and Agnes set off for Copenhagen for an audience with Christian VIII, it came time to bid farewell to the Tsarevich and the Tsarevna who were heading back to Russia aboard the Imperial Yacht. The parting was predictably tearful with Lottie insisting that she would make it to Windsor for Christmas later that year. The King wiped a tear from his eye, holding her close and saying; “Don’t make promises you might not be able to keep”. The Tsarevich kissed the Queen on both cheeks and wished her well for the voyage home and the Tsarevna hugged Agnes tightly insisting that her sister-in-law write to her every day so that she wouldn’t miss a single moment of her pregnancy. But all concerned knew the reality. Such occasions for these happy reunions were few. That was the price of their marriages and positions. George stood by the terrace at the back of the Charlottenlund and watched the carriage carrying his sister and brother-in-law clatter away, his eyes flooded with tears as he saw them grow smaller and smaller into the distance until they were gone. Then, he straightened his waistcoat, wiped his face and turned to his wife; “Come my dear…it’s time to leave”.
“It has been lovely here, hasn’t it Georgie?”, Agnes sighed, “I think we should make our own home like this one”
“I do not think Aunt Mary would approve of egg races at Buckingham Palace”, George chuckled, “Though I should pay a small fortune to see her play”
“No no”, Agnes giggled, “I meant at Lisson. It’s ready for us now and I think we should make a promise, to each other, here and now, that it shall always be a happy and relaxed place, not a stiff and formal mausoleum like Buckingham Palace”
“If that is what you wish”, the King grinned, kissing his wife gently on the forehead, “Then that is what you shall have”.
And hand in hand, George and Agnes made their way to their own carriage which was to take them off to Amalienborg. Perhaps this served to remind them what stiff formality really looked like. A conservative man, Christian VIII was not exactly the life and soul of the party. His interests lay in culture and science, and he had asked his curators at the National Museum to bring out his treasures from his frequent journeys abroad – specifically his collection of ancient Greek antiquities. This wasn’t exactly thrilling but the King and Queen did their best to appear intrigued. Then there was a rather drawn out ceremony in which King Christian awarded George V with the insignias of a Knight of the Order of the Elephant and of a Grand Commander of the Order of the Dannebrog. George V responded by awarding Christian VIII the insignia of a Knight of the Garter. Then, the King ordered that the double doors to his dining room be opened. The other guests at the luncheon were exclusively male and so it came as a great relief to Agnes when Queen Caroline Amalie appeared and took her place opposite.
King Christian VIII and Queen Caroline Amalie.
The two ladies quickly developed a rapport and after luncheon when coffee was served informally in an adjoining salon, they discussed Caroline Amalie's philanthropic work which had greatly endeared her to the Danish people. In 1829, she founded the poor house ‘Dronning Caroline Amalies Asyl’ in the capital and in 1836, established a similar venture in Odense. Much was made of her commitment to the poor, especially to orphaned children which earned her the nickname “The Royal Foster Mother of the Little Ones”. Her charitable work had increased year upon year until other ladies in Danish society saw philanthropy as a duty, a mandatory responsibility of the haves to care for the have nots – though of course, there were some who contributed simply because they wished to improve their standing at court by earning the Queen’s approval. Agnes told Caroline of her proposed nursing project in England and shared her difficulties in knowing how and where to begin - particularly where cost was concerned. Caroline nodded and beckoned a footman, whispered in his ear and then smiled warmly toward Agnes. A few moments later, the footman returned with a ledger. Caroline eagerly showed Agnes the vast sums which her patronage of her poor houses had secured from wealthy Danes and explained that this had made it possible to do all the things she wanted without attracting negative attention from those who may oppose her involvement in what could be seen as something quite political. Agnes took in every word. When she returned to England, there could be no further dithering or delay. She had set her course.
“But my dear”, Queen Caroline Amalie whispered, “You are enceinte! You shall have to wait until the child is born, for these things require one’s absolute commitment. And you have your household to run and your other public duties too”.
“Oh, I shan’t enter my confinement for months yet!”, Agnes laughed, “And I shall welcome the challenge!”
Little did the Queen know quite how challenging life would be when she returned to England.
Notes
[1] This is a very famous quote of Palmerston’s but I’ve had to amend it as we have no Prince Consort in TTL. I’ll also say here that I fully expect corrections on my summary of the S-H Question here and welcome them if I’ve misunderstood/misrepresented anything! It’s also worth adding that this brief foray into the Danish Royal Family’s history and situation in 1845 is well known but I’ve added it in because later on it will be an important issue in TTL.
[2] I’ve already confirmed here that Christian IX will become King of Denmark as in the OTL but obviously I can’t just omit Ferdinand (Frederick VIII in another timeline) from our story at this point.
[3] This is an early redrawing of the alliances that came to define the Royal Houses of Europe. Whilst Edward VII married Alexandra of Denmark in the OTL, Queen Victoria wanted to keep the German influence in her family strong and prioritised her relations there over her daughter-in-law’s family. Here, I’ve deliberately pulled the threads and arranged the marriages so that the ties are much closer to Denmark than to Prussia at this time.
[4] Such requests between monarchs for a relaxation of the established etiquette was not unusual – though it wasn’t always agreed to. In the OTL, Kaiser Wilhelm II sent word to King George I that he was to visit Greece privately and so he didn’t require a formal welcome. George I ignored this and travelled to meet the Kaiser’s yacht personally. When the Crown Prince asked why, George said “Because I want to remind him that I am King in this Kingdom, not him”.
[5] Inspired by OTL events. I couldn’t find any records of the performances staged at the Royal Danish Theatre bar this one in 1843. But it’s plausible so I think it fits quite well.
[6] We’ve gone into some WIs on this score before now, here we get some more detail laying out what the future situation in Anhalt might be.
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