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27 July 1901 — 3 Savile Row | |
Saturday. 27th [July 1901]. Packed & arranged my things for my departure. Received a note from Elaine saying she & her husband were coming to lunch with me today so I ordered the carriage at 11.30 & went off to Cav. Sqr to tell Blanche not to expect me to lunch with her. I went with Irène to shop. Called on the Poynters & saw them for a few moments– Then went home. I found a note had arrived in my absence from Miss Knollys saying that the Queen wished to see me at 3.30 this afternoon—so I sent off a note to say I wd wait on H.M. at that hour. The Villiers and Irène Ponsonby lunched with me. I cannot pretend to like Ernest Villiers. He was in the Church when he married Elaine & now that he has left it & is apparently living idle on her money. One cannot feel any respect for him. They left at 3 & I then dressed & drove off to Marlborough House. Miss Knollys received me—& I had a few moments only to wait before I was called to see H.M. I was taken up the principal staircase to the Queen’s sitting room where I had seen her last time two years ago when she was Pss of Wales. She received me very cordially made me sit almost opposite to her and at once said she was so pleased to have caught me as she was very much afraid I might already have left London as it was so late in the season. I told H.M. that I was very glad to think I was still here but that in a couple of hours more I should have been gone. She then enquired after my sister Constance speaking very kindly of her & her recent loss and said kind things of Charlie & what a fine strong man he had looked. From that I went on to enquire about the Empress Frederick. She said the accounts they had received of her were daily worse. In fact “the Prince” as she still calls the King had that day received a little pencil note from her saying she was very ill & suffering– H.M. said she hears that the Empress is now never moved from her bed & no longer able to be taken out in the carriage—that the paralysis which had attacked her whole right side when she last saw her was spreading—that one eyelid droops—& her head drops forward on her chest & she cannot lift it. She said that when she last saw the Empress she had made her look at the cancer in her chest—that it was a large hard swelling & as red as that (pointing to a red enamel box on the table near her). She showed me the last photography sent her by the Empress done when she could then only just stand—which must have been when I was there. I told H.M. how I had known of the desease of the Empress for the last two years but of course had never mentioned it. She said she had known of it for 4 years & could not think how it had come—altho’ people now say that it is in the Royal Family & that the Duchess of Kent had died of cancer but that one always hears of those things later & no one had ever said it before now. H.M. said she herself wondered if the Empress had not caught it from her husband. She went on to say how like the Empress was to our late Queen that they both had such a dignified manner that had one not known who they were—by their way of holding themselves & of walking one would have known they were somebody. I at once said how much every one had felt the death of the Queen– H.M. went on to tell me all about her illness & death—& said emphatically “It was going to Ireland that killed her. I am glad in some ways she went but it is no doubt that it killed her it was too much for her & she had no quiet or rest there—at her age it was too much for her.” When afterward she went to Scotland she was very failing. Fond as she once was of Scotland she had been impatient to get away & said that for the first time the stay there was not doing her any good. After her return to England she was very restless but the Dr did not seem alarmed & H.M. went abroad. When quite by chance she heard the Queen was not well she set off home at an hour’s notice. She found things were serious but that the Drs kept the family out of the room under the plea of keeping the patient quite quiet. After the first day of H.M. return she spoke to Sir Wm Read & said he must let the Prince of Wales go into the Queen’s room & he did so. The Queen was more blind than usual but was delighted to have him & said “You might kiss me” & he did so– H.M. added you know her children never kissed her—only her hand & she kissed their forehead—therefore it was all the more touching. Besides her usual blindness from cataract the Drs thought a blood vessel behind the eyes had given which entirely took away her sight. H.M. then went on to tell me of the last moment of the loved Queen. She said her children were all round her bed & knew the hour was come—the Queen suddenly turned her head round to try & look at a print which hung by the bed side of the “Descent from the Cross”—a beautiful radiancy came over her countenance & she fell back death. The beauty of her expression was such that the Princess exclaimed involuntarily to the others who were weeping “Oh look, you must look! she is too beautiful!” The beautiful expression remained there—& she looked young & lovely as she lay there merely covered with a great veil of I. of Wight lace—in which she was buried it was the same veil she had sent to be put over Lady Churchill who was found dead in her bed a short time before. H.M. went on to say that already she was receiving innumerable applications from all parts of the Kingdom to supply her with British manufactured stuffs to be worn by her at the Coronation & of course it wd be impossible to comply with a 10th part of the requests. She said she disliked the thought of the whole thing. She would like to see the ceremony but with some one else to play her part. A short time ago the Royal Crown she was to wear was brought from the Tower for her to see. There was no way of fastening it on to her head—the old Archbishop was very blind & she was sure he would put it crooked on her head– As both her own hands would be full she would not be able to put it straight or hold it on & she knew she shd go in the procession “like a drunken woman with her hat on one side.”! I said I was sure she would look lovely. I had been told by every one how beautiful she had looked at the opening of Parliament. Ah, she said, that was dreadful. No no, I could not bear to wear the dear Queen’s crown which had been so long on her coffin & I had to wear her robes & her mantle I was too dreadful” & the tears were in her eyes as she spoke. “But as to the Coronation don’t let us even think of it yet.” She spoke of Buckingham Palace & how sorry she would be to leave Marlborough House “this dear house where I have lived for 39 years– She said the private apartments at B. Palace were much smaller than Marlboro’ House & she did not know how she should get in all her nice things. There would be one large room which would take in her large tapestries which people declare are very valuable but she knew nothing about it. She then dismissed me having kept me ¾ hour. As I came down the stairs I met Miss Knollys who was hastening up to H.M. on some errand & she said goodbye to me & called back “You are very good. You never bother—you dont send for answers to yr notes when you are kept waiting–” I answered that I knew how busy she must be & understood it was useless. Evidently I am in favor with Miss K. & to her I owe the pleasure of seeing the Queen for the lady in waiting generally suggests who shall be sent for in these cases. On getting home I found all the actors of the Pastoral Play just returned from Inwood & refreshing themselves with tea—all very happy & having thoroughly enjoyed themselves & saying that visit had been a splendid wind up to their acting season. Mary, Mr R. Wallace & I left that evening for Peterboro where I was engaged to pay the Aldersons a visit. We walked up from the station & were soon in the lovely Precincts. Only Cecil, Kate & Mary at home. I had the nice spare bedroom with the lovely bits of arches in the walls—the arches of the top of the old monk’s infirmary. | |
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