The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1631: Chapter 35: The New Favorite of Kensington Palace

Compared to Buckingham Palace or St. James’s Palace, Kensington Palace, far from London City, appears relatively antiquated and secluded, yet it remains a graceful, tranquil royal residence.

There is no stench of a slaughter market here, no noisy vendors hawking along the streets, surrounded by exquisite gardens and serene lakes. If a laboratory could be established here for Wheatstone to use, he would surely be very delighted.

However, Wheatstone’s dream is ultimately unrealizable, as this is private royal property, and only those with the bloodline of the Hanover Dynasty or their attendants can reside here. Even as formidable as Sir Isaac Newton, he never had the honor of staying at Kensington Palace; the President of the Royal Society merely paid out of pocket in his later years to purchase a brick-built retirement home near Kensington.

The gardens outside Kensington Palace are meticulously tended, and on the long lawns you can occasionally see a few graceful swans leisurely swimming on the small lake, the water gently rippling, reflecting the gray London sky.

On the path across the lawn in the afternoon, a lady of sophistication strolls along, her sharply defined face somewhat lean, with deep-set eyes adorned by sparkling black pupils, her prominent aquiline nose imparting a layer of formidable gravity. However, fortunately, her fair skin and the classic Bourbon high bun hairstyle soften these flaws, making her appear considerably more gentle.

Following closely behind her is the ”Chief Steward” of Kensington Palace, Sir John Conroy.

Who could make this lord, second only to one at Kensington, so attentive?

The identity of this lady is not difficult to guess.

She is the Duchess of Kent and Strathearn, sister of Belgian King Leopold I, mother of Princess Victoria, and Mary Louise Victoria from Saxon-Coburg-Saalfeld.

The Duchess paused by the lake, watching the pair of swans in the lake center, a hint of fatigue revealed between her brows: ”Is the test scheduled for 4 o’clock in the afternoon?”

Conroy nodded slightly and said: ”Yes, as usual, the theology test is still at 4. Bishop Chester says Princess’s recent progress is considerable; in the test, she demonstrated her correct understanding of all the key points of the Bible and the Christian truths and precepts of the National Church. In terms of history knowledge, she is also quite familiar with timelines and many significant events in British history, which is truly commendable among the youth. Moreover, questions on geography, the use of globes, arithmetic, and Latin grammar have all been answered very satisfactorily by the Princess recently.”

The Duchess briefly showed a smile upon hearing this but then asked somewhat worriedly: ”Everything seems to be moving in a positive direction now, but... do you think there are any aspects where my education plan could still be improved? I consulted the Archbishop of Canterbury just the day before yesterday, and although His Eminence thinks the education policy is already impeccable, I always feel there might still be room for improvement.”

Conroy comforted the anxious hostess of Kensington Palace warmly: ”As far as my limited knowledge and understanding of education go, if measured by royal family member education standards, what is being done now is not just satisfactory but can be considered excellent. Among the royal family members, besides yourself, it’s unlikely to find another mother who visits every class in person to supervise, personally helps her child prepare lessons, copes with each subject’s teacher, and takes her to attend worship punctually.”

Upon reaching this point, Conroy deliberately paused: ”Nowadays, in newspapers all over Britain, whenever Princess Victoria is mentioned, it’s nothing but praise. The praise for the Princess has almost reached the level equal to the scorn for the Duke of Cumberland.”

Upon hearing this, the Duchess of Kent felt much more relieved, even her heavily furrowed brows relaxed.

From a woman’s perspective, the first half of the Duchess of Kent’s life was certainly far from smooth sailing.

At the age of 17, she married the widowed Prince Leiningen Emich Karl, but just 11 years later, this ruler of the German State passed away due to illness.

After four years of widowhood, arranged by her brother Leopold, the ambitious Duke of Kent aspiring for the British throne married this Dowager Princess of the Leiningen Duchy. Fortunately, just a year later, she gave birth to Princess Victoria at Kensington Palace.

However, the misfortune lies in the fact that in January following Victoria’s birth, the robust Duke of Kent contracted pneumonia at the coastal town of Sidmouth and unexpectedly died due to untimely medical treatment.

Although the Duke of Kent left a fortune for his wife and child, more than the fortune was ten thousand pounds of debt.

So much so that after the Duke’s unexpected death, the Duke of Kent’s family stranded in Sidmouth couldn’t even scrape together the fare to return to London.

Fortunately, at that time, the Duchess’s brother Leopold rushed from London upon hearing the news and personally escorted the sister and her family back to Kensington.

However, for the Duchess of Kent, her husband’s death was just the beginning of misfortune.

Not long after returning to London, news came from King William IV, the Crown Prince at the time, of Crown Princess Adelaide’s pregnancy.

If Adelaide successfully gave birth, then it would mean the throne saying goodbye completely to the Duke of Kent’s lineage.

Under such circumstances, saying goodbye to London’s high cost of living and numerous complications, and taking the child back to Germany to continue widowhood seemed like the best choice.