Question: The Christening of Victoria, The Princess Royal Painting

My grandfather has a beautiful painting of Queen' Victoria's christening (1841) and born in 1840. I am trying to find a list of people who attended the event so I can pin point who is in the painting.

The painting that your grandfather has is a reproduction of a work called The Christening of Victoria, The Princess Royal by Charles Robert Leslie. The original, an oil on canvas measuring 129.5 x 182.9 cm, is in The Royal Collection.

The Princess, who was born on November 21, 1840, was christened on her parent's first wedding anniversary, February 10, 1841. The christening robe that she wears is made from Honiton lace and white satin and was worn by all royal babies until 2008, when it was retired due to its age and fragile state. The baptismal lily font was commissioned by Queen Victoria. Made of Silver gilt, and measuring by height 43 cm; and diameter 43 cm, it is one of only two silver English fonts. The font is in the shape of a water lily, supporting a large shell. Inside the rim of the small shell were water lilies floating around the edge and water was specially brought from the River Jordan. The lilies were considered to represent purity and water lilies were associated with new life. This font has been used at all royal christenings since 1841.

Princess Victoria was christened in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace by William Howley, Archbishop of Canterbury. Her godparents were Leopold, King of the Belgians, Ernst I (her paternal grandfather), he was not present during the event and the Duke of Wellington stood proxy. The other godparents were Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex (her great-uncle), Dowager Queen Adelaide, widow of King William IV, the Duchess of Gloucester (her great-aunt), and the Duchess of Kent (her grandmother).

The painting commemorating the event depicts, The Dowager Queen Adelaide on the left of the font, who named the child Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa. Others in the painting include the Duchesses of Gloucester and Kent, King Leopold I of the Belgians, and the Duke of Sussex (all in the group on the left). Queen Victoria and Prince Albert are on the right of the font.
© Marilyn Braun 2010

Royal Focus: The Prince Albert Brooch

This large oblong sapphire is surrounded by twelve round diamonds. It was given to Queen Victoria by Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha the day before their wedding. For their wedding she wore the brooch with a diamond necklace and earrings and always referred to the jewel as 'Albert's brooch'.

While Prince Albert was alive, Queen Victoria wore it constantly and inexpensive reproductions of it were made for those subjects who wanted to purchase a version of the brooch.  After his death in 1861 she rarely wore it. In her she instructed that it be considered a Crown piece of jewellery, held in trust for all future Queen consorts. Queen Alexandra wore it pinned to her shoulder for her coronation in 1902. Queen Mary wore it often, but Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother was rarely seen wearing it. The brooch is a favorite of the present Queen. Prince Albert made copies of the brooch for his daughters and the present Queen gave one of these to her daughter, Princess Anne.

© Marilyn Braun 2010

The Royal Report for Sunday March 7, 2010 - Royal Fashions

What do King Edward VII, Queen Alexandra, King Edward VIII, Princess Margaret and Princess Diana have in common? They set fashion trends.

Find out about these leaders of royal fashion by listening to this episode

Publications mentioned

Hello! Canada Weekly No 164 8 March 2010

Majesty Magazine January 2010 Vol 31 No 1

From my royal collection

Royal Style Wars - The trend setting fashion feud between the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of York by Lesley Ebbetts

Resources used to research this episode

Diana The Fashion Princess Davina Hanmer & Tim Graham

Royalty in Vogue by Josephine Ross

The Princess of Wales Fashion Handbook by Sue James

Princess Diana's Maternity Fashion and Nursery Handbook by Sue James

A Family Album by The Duke of Windsor

Diana Style by Colin McDowell

The Windsor Style by Suzy Menkes

Tune in live to the next episode of The Royal Report on Sunday March 14, 2010 at 9:00PM EST (North America)

The topic will be: Royal Jewels

© Marilyn Braun 2010

The Royal Report for Sunday February 7, 2010 - Queen Victoria and Prince Albert - A Love Story

She gave her name to an era. When he died she mourned him for the rest of her life. This is their story.

To listen to this episode click here.

Publications mentioned

Hello! Canada Weekly No. 160. 8 February 2010

From my Royal Collection

The Princess Diana Paper Doll Book of Fashion by Clarissa Harlowe and Mary Anne Bedford. Illustrated by Dona Granata.

Books used for researching this episode:

Britain's Royal Bridges by Josie Argy and Wendy Riches

Five Gold Rings A royal wedding souvenir album

Two Centuries of Royal Weddings by Christofer Warwick

The Life and Times of Victoria by Dorothy Marshall

Royal Weddings by Friederike Haedecke and Julia Melchior

Victoria - A celebration by Deborah Jaffe

The Young Victoria by Alison Plowden

Queen Victoria an eminent Illustrated Biography by Lytton Strachey

Tune in to the next episode of The Royal Report on Sunday February 14, 2010 at 9:00PM EST (North America).

The topic will be: King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother - A Love Story

© Marilyn Braun 2010

Royal Profile: Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck

The final arrival in the royal marriage race that began with the death of Princess Charlotte in 1817, she was a first cousin of Queen Victoria and the mother of Queen Mary.

Princess Mary Adelaide Wilhelmina Elizabeth, the second daughter of Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, was born in Hanover on November 27th, 1833. Her father was the youngest and favorite son of King George III and her mother was Princess Augusta, youngest daughter of the Landgrave Frederick of Hesse. Princess Mary was christened on January 9, 1834 and named after her godparents: Mary, Duchess of Gloucester (her father's favorite sister), Queen Adelaide, King William IV, and Princess Elizabeth, the Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg. She had one sister, Princess Augusta and a brother, Prince George, born three days after Queen Victoria.

Her early years were spent at the Viceregal Palace and Villa Montbrilliant. At the age of three she was taken to England with her mother and they stayed at Windsor Castle. William IV was fond of his god-child and gave her a gold chain and locket containing his hair. In 1837 the family moved to England first living in Cambridge House Piccadilly, and then Cambridge Cottage in Kew. Princess Mary Adelaide, her sister Princess Augusta and their parents attended the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1838 and later her wedding in 1840.

At the age of seven she began her education, being taught by a governess at home. She took lessons in Latin, Scripture history, and Italian, along with lessons in dancing, and music. She had a particular interest in history and geography. When she was fourteen, her mother later took over her education. Mary was an excellent mimic, had a beautiful mezzo-soprano voice and enjoyed the opera and theatre. She was tall, with ash-blonde, wavy hair, dark blue eyes and a good complexion. But Mary Adelaide had problems with her size. While she had been a striking child with pretty blonde curls, later on she was known rather unflatteringly as 'Fat Mary' or 'Mary the mountain' yet despite her size she moved with a natural grace. She was confirmed on December 19, 1850.

She spent her childhood days at Kew. Her father died in 1850 when she was seventeen-years-old. She and her mother moved from Cambridge Cottage to St. James Palace. At the time it was thought that she should find a husband of wealth and standing. Queen Victoria, intrigued by match-making, joined in the hunt. Her suitors were restricted to the royal blood, and members of the British aristocracy were not considered.

In 1866, through Bertie and Alexandra (the future King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra) she met Prince Francis of Teck - as a serene highness he was of lower rank, four years younger and had no money. But he was of royal rank and on April 6th they became engaged during a stroll in the Rhododendron Walk in Kew Gardens. The couple were married on June 12, 1866 in the little church on Kew Green and the newlyweds were given the apartments at Kensington Palace that Queen Victoria had lived in as a child. Their first child, the future Queen Mary was born on May 26th, 1867, in the same room that Queen Victoria herself had been born. They had three more children - Adolphus (Dolly) on August 13, 1868, Francis (Frank) on January 9, 1870 and Alexander (Alge) on April 14th, 1874.

Mary Adelaide inherited the trait of her 'wicked uncles' the sons of George III. Money had no meaning to her and she believed the the British public should support its royals. She was generous beyond her means in the field of charity, her main extravagance was entertaining. To avoid her creditors, in 1883 she and her family fled to Florence Italy. They returned in 1885 and she managed to get permission to have White Lodge, a grace and favor residence in Richmond Park, as a rural retreat.

In 1891 her daughter Princess Mary became engaged to Prince Albert Victor . Shortly before their wedding he died and a year later she became engaged to his brother, Prince George, the future King George V.

Princess Mary Adelaide died 27 October 1897 at White Lodge, Richmond Park, Surrey, and was buried in the royal vault at St. George's Chapel, Windsor.

© Marilyn Braun 2009

Royal Review: The Young Victoria

I'll admit. Were it not for Sarah Ferguson's, (Duchess of York) involvement in this film I would have more than likely dismissed it as just another straight to DVD royal movie. Nice to eventually loan from the library but not something I would rush out to see otherwise.

However, with Sarah Ferguson's involvement I was somewhat intrigued by the idea. When I think of Queen Victoria I think of her later in life: the mournful, unsmiling, imposing, matriarch of a large extended inter-married royal family. I don't think of her as young, passionate and inexperienced. I also don't think of her as beautiful when portraits of her were said to be far more flattering than what she actually looked like in person.

Covering the period of her early teens and touching on the death of Prince Albert (sorry if I've given away the ending) The Young Victoria shows a princess under the thumb of her mother and advisor Sir John Conroy who want Victoria to sign a regency on her sickbed to put her mother in charge and Conroy the power behind the throne. However, Victoria is no docile princess. She is spirited and defiant and once she becomes Queen, Conroy and her mother are immediately jettisoned from her court.

But they're not the only ones with an agenda as politicians dismiss Victoria as too young and inexperienced, and Lord Melborne portraying himself as her protector and confidant. Then there's the King of the Belgians desire to infiltrate the court via his nephew, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Yet while Prince Albert initially does what's required of him, no one predicted that the new Queen and Prince Albert would actually develop feelings for each other. This makes those with agendas jealous, especially when the couple's loyalty to one another excludes them.

Although they are passionate, they are not without their disagreements. As Prince Albert struggles to find a meaningful role, Victoria becomes threatened by any interference to her power. After this fight, the couple go for a carriage ride and an assassination attempt is made on Victoria. Albert shields her with his body and is shot, suffering grievous injuries. He survives and Victoria realizes how important Albert is to her and gives him a more important role, illustrated by moving his desk next to hers and jettisoning her longtime servant and confidant, Baroness Lehzen.

Emily Blunt, (The Devil Wears Prada) portrays Queen Victoria in the bloom of her youth, as human and passionate - two qualities you wouldn't normally associate with her. Prince Albert is portrayed by the handsome Rupert Friend. Like Victoria, his looks may not be historically accurate, but using such photogenic actors makes their passion much more convincing. Mark Strong plays the glowering Sir John Conroy, Jim Broadbent is wonderful, hamming it up as Victoria's uncle, King William IV, Paul Bettany plays the charming, paternal and influential Lord Melborne and Victoria's great-great-great-great granddaughter Princess Beatrice has a minor cameo during the coronation scene.

Ultimately this film offers no great revelations but it's enjoyable and a good movie to watch if you'd like to see a side of Queen Victoria that most of us may be unfamiliar with.

© Marilyn Braun 2009

Royal Review - Royal Weddings by Friederike Haedecke and Julia Melchior

While there are many books on royal weddings, Royal Weddings by Friederike Haedecke and Julia Melchior is different. Looking at the cover with the famous photo of Diana on her wedding day, you could be forgiven for thinking of this as just another book focusing on British royal weddings. But such a nod and cover photo is necessary, if only because Diana is the most globally recognizable. Aside from Princess Grace of Monaco, the other brides may be completely foreign to those outside of their respective countries. But the cover is also somewhat misleading. Those expecting a book about Diana or other British royal brides are in for a surprise. This is no ordinary book on the subject.

Of the fourteen weddings, this book starts off with the most controversial one: Prince Haakon of Norway to Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby. For those who are not familiar with this story, prior to her wedding Mette-Marit was a single mother with an illegitimate child. Not your typical Cinderella. Despite the schmaltzy chapter title: Victory of Love, their relationship and wedding is covered in a way it would be for any other royal wedding. The couples are presented as real people in remarkable settings, sharing their special day with the rest of the world.

This book is beautiful, with full page color photos. The couples and their weddings are presented as real people, in remarkable settings, sharing their special day. There are some interesting bits of trivia: Princess Mary of Denmark's bridal bouquet was placed on her mother's grave in Scotland. Queen Silvia of Sweden's handkerchief was attached to her wrist with a rubber band. Not to mention the 44 pound wedding dress of Soraya Esfandiary, second wife of the Shah of Iran.

The weddings are grouped together, Scandinavian (Norway, Sweden and Denmark), Greek, Spanish, Monaco, British and Dutch. Those of Japan, Iran and Brunei stand out and make interesting inclusions if only to see how royal weddings are celebrated outside of European traditions. While the focus is very much on the current royal couples, there are some weddings from previous generations such as Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus, Princess Sophia of Greece and Don Juan Carlos of Spain, Queen Elizabeth II & Prince Philip. The oldest wedding is that of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert but the inclusion of Charles and Diana is somewhat predictable. However it's the weddings we only get a glimpse of that could have been very interesting additions, such the current King and Queen of Norway or even Queen Margarethe and Prince Henrik of Denmark.

Were it not for this book the details of these weddings, such as the wedding dress designer, locations of ceremony, guests, royal traditions, would otherwise be lost to the sands of time. Now the information is compiled in one place. The book is well researched but mentioning that Queen Victoria was 5'8" is questionable when most sources list her at 5 feet. Otherwise the book is a treat for the eyes and for those who love the ultimate in royal pageantry.

© Marilyn Braun 2009

The Royal Report for Sunday January 18th, 2009 - Royal Scandals

On this episode I revisited several royal scandals - the juicy, the salacious, and the anti-climatic ones that didn't bring down the monarchy.

You can listen to the episode here.

Publications mentioned:

Vanity Fair - February 2009. Article: The Princess and the Photographer

Snowdon: The Biography by Anne De Courcy

Tune in to the next episode of The Royal Report. The topic will be: The Trouble with Prince Harry

© Marilyn Braun 2009

Question: Queen Victoria's Wedding Dress and Bouquet

Could you tell me more about Queen Victoria's wedding dress and bouquet?

Thank you very much for your question.

On her wedding day Queen Victoria wore a shoulder-free white satin court dress. The bodice had a low, round neck and edging the neckline were narrow rows of piping and the short, full sleeves gathered into double puffs. The fullness of the skirt was taken in at the waist in a series of deep forward-facing pleats. The skirt had a deep panel of Honiton lace at the front, chosen by Victoria to support the declining lace trade. A court train, made of the same silk satin, measured 6 years in length and had a border of orange blossom sprays matching the coronet of orange blossoms from which her veil was suspended. The choice of orange blossom is significant and somewhat prophetic. In the Mediterranean, it was a symbol of fertility; Queen Victoria would later have nine children. In China it was an emblem of purity, innocence, and chastity; bywords for the Victorian era.

Queen Victoria wanted her entire ensemble to be made of materials of British manufacture. Probably the most well known aspect of her dress is the honiton lace used for her veil and for the flounce. The design of the lace is attributed to Wiliam Dyce and a colleague at the Government School of Design in London. It took more than one hundred lace makers six months to make the exquisite lace and the pattern was destroyed so that it could never be copied. Of her five daughters only her youngest, Princess Beatrice, would get to wear it on her wedding day in 1885. The veil was amongst Queen Victoria's most prized possessions and she would eventually be buried with it.

Because her gown and veil were all in white, she is credited with helping to establish a custom of wearing white, which continues to this day. Previously royal brides had worn gold and silver colors in order to express their wealth. Commoners often wore dark colors in order to use their gowns for other special days. It is said that the simplicity of her dress would set a pattern for other royal wedding dresses - although looking at some of the wedding dresses that followed, I would disagree with that. Many royal wedding dresses have been quite elaborate with beautiful embroidery - hardly simple at all. If anything it would be 120 years later that simplicity would return with Princess Margaret's dress in 1960.

As for her bouquet, Queen Victoria carried a small posy made up solely of snowdrops (Prince Albert's favorite flower). It's somewhat unfortunate but I can only find one source for this information. In reference to bridal bouquets, there is a royal wedding tradition of brides including a sprig of myrtle in their bouquets. This bush was grown from a cutting brought from Coburg by Prince Albert. Sprigs have been included in the bouquets of all royal brides since the 1850s.

© Marilyn Braun 2008

Thank you for enjoying this article. If you use the information for research purposes, a link to credit the work I've put into writing it would be appreciated.

Sources:

Royal Wedding Dresses by Nigel Arch and Joanna Marschner. A Historic Royal Palaces publication.

Royal Weddings by Friederike Haedecke and Julia Melchior

Legendary Brides by Letita Baldrige

I Do: 100 Years of Wedding Fashion by Caroline Cox
Britain's Royal Brides by Josy Argy and Wendy Riches

Five Gold Rings - A Royal Wedding Souvenir Album - by Jane Roberts for Royal Collection Publications

Two Centuries of Royal Weddings by Christopher Warwick

Related Articles

Royal Weddings
Royal Wedding Dresses
Question: Princess Diana's Wedding Bouquet

© Marilyn Braun 2008