The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 791: Chapter 372 In the Name of the King

London, Westminster, St. James’s Palace.

Constructed by Henry VIII in 1532, St. James’s Palace had been the principal residence of the British monarch in London since 1678. Although it could not match the grandeur of France’s Palace of Versailles, Austria’s Schönbrunn Palace, or Prussia’s Sanssouci Palace, so much so that novelist Daniel Defoe mockingly called it a short and ordinary little house.

Unfortunately, a major fire in 1809 had destroyed its already modest interior, sparing not even the King’s private apartments. However, the accumulation of history and the majesty of the royal family had still preserved a rich trace of history and exquisite artistic decorations inside St. James’s Palace.

Passing through the lush greenery in front of the palace and along its grandiose marble staircase led to a series of meticulously arranged rooms. These rooms boasted valuable furniture, porcelain, and crystal chandeliers, most of which held deep historical value, many being heirlooms passed down through generations.

Upon entering the main hall of the palace, the first thing that caught the eye was the hall dome, adorned with exquisite murals and gilded decorations.

The murals featured royal crests, mythological stories, and emblems representing national glory.

Even the walls blackened by the fire were not left idle; they were largely covered with heavy tapestries embroidered with portraits of past monarchs or important historical events.

The regal dining hall, with its gold and deep red hues, showcased the grandeur of royal banquets, with shiny candelabras and dinnerware reflecting the celebrated paintings hanging on the walls.

The study and reception rooms were filled with cultural significance, displaying an extensive collection of books and valuable art pieces like Renaissance sculptures and paintings by medieval masters.

If one visited as a tourist, the treasures inside St. James’s Palace were certainly enough to captivate for an entire day.

However, the guests who arrived there today had no intention of pausing to admire these treasures that could drive any antique collector or historian wild.

The carriage of Earl Lyndhurst approached slowly, and before it had even come to a complete stop, the two gentlemen inside could not wait to push open the door and step out.

George Elliot, a Royal Navy aide-de-camp who had been chatting in the entrance hall, saw the newcomers and hurried down the steps in two bounds, his Sword of Honor swinging at his waist with a jingle.

“Your Lordship, Mr. Crook, His Majesty the King has been waiting in the study for quite a while,”

Former Naval Minister Crook had a grim expression. Even without speaking, an observer could read from his face that the Tory Party’s attempt to form a government was not going smoothly and that the position of Prime Minister was still proving elusive.

However, Elliot, seeing but not speaking of it, knew better as a professional Royal Navy officer. Although he had tendencies towards the Whig Party, he clearly understood that it was definitely not the time to get involved in the disputes between the two parties. After all, he was not following the path of the Whig Party or the Tory Party, but that of His Majesty the King himself.

King William IV had always prided himself on his career in the Royal Navy, and he valued his own status as a Royal Navy Marshal. Therefore, after his coronation, he selected a large number of Royal Navy officers he admired to serve in the royal court.

George Elliot was one of those who benefited from this.

King William IV was very pleased with his past service during the Napoleonic Wars under renowned Royal Navy leaders such as Horatio Nelson, Charles Bull, and Thomas Bladen Capel, and admired his brave performance in well-known naval campaigns like the blockade of Cadiz, the Battle of Cape St. Vincent, the Battle of the Nile, the Copenhagen expedition, and the blockade of Toulon harbor.

Even more commendable was Elliot’s performance when commanding alone. As a colonel of the Royal Navy, while commanding the 36-gun warship Modeste, he had single-handedly repelled the French incursions in India in the Bay of Bengal, and his role in the invasion of Java and helping restore the Sultan of Java significantly contributed to maintaining Britain’s colonial interests in Southeast Asia.

Such talent naturally suited King William IV, who fancied himself as the ‘Sailor King.’ Thus, when Elliot was ordered by the Navy Department to return home, he didn’t spend much time aboard the Victory at Portsmouth Base before King William IV brought him closer to his side.

While remaining in the country didn’t allow for earning military distinctions, those familiar with the British political ladder knew that the King intended to groom Elliot for a political role.

If things went as expected, once Elliot grew accustomed to handling governmental affairs, he would soon be deployed to the Navy Department to serve in an office.

Or to put it more bluntly, as long as Sir Elliot didn’t mess up and simply performed his duties well, he stood a very good chance of obtaining one of the most powerful positions in the Royal Navy—the First Lord of the Admiralty.

Seasoned politicians like Earl Lyndhurst and Crook naturally understood that this colonel had a bright future, so despite their gloom, they managed to muster several smiles for him.

Elliot, in turn, offered a few comforting words to the two gentlemen, though he himself was inclined towards the Whig Party. Yet, at the same time, he was very aware that, at least for the moment, his interests were tied to those of these Royalists.