Twilight of Splendor

Greg King

Description

Power, pageantry, and pride

Queen Victoria ruled the most powerful empire the world has ever seen, covering one fourth of the earth's land surface, reigning over subjects on every continent, and exercising undisputed mastery of the oceans in between. She was the "Grandmother of Europe," with descendants occupying the thrones of half a dozen nations, and more to come. The very era in which she lived already bore her name. In June 1897, her proud and prosperous nation marked her sixtieth year on the throne of England with the most lavish display of pomp, circumstance, wealth, and affection in its history.

Twilight of Splendor presents a breathtaking portrait of a sovereign and her empire at the height of their global power. Focusing on the spectacle of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, it combines a thrilling account of that massive celebration with an intimate exploration of Victoria's world--her splendid palaces and possessions, the grand banquets and balls she hosted, her immense wealth, the politicians and courtiers who did her bidding, her confidence and assertiveness as a ruler, her surprising personal humility, and her perpetual state of mourning for her beloved husband, Prince Albert.

Based on hundreds of published and unpublished sources from the period, including Queen Victoria's private correspondence and personal journals, Twilight of Splendor is must reading for Anglophiles, Victorian-history buffs, and anyone interested in the golden age of monarchy.

* The first book to portray the queen and her court in the last years of her reign
* Contrasts the queen's private and public images in her efforts to solidify the monarchy
* Exposes the queen's difficult relations with her children
* Explores the queen's relationship with her extended European royal relatives
* Draws together for the first time hundreds of disparate sources
* Includes a number of rare photographs complementing the text

Sujets

• Lettres et linguistique
• Greg King
• Biography
• History of the British Isles
• Diamond Jubilee
• Royalty
• Monarchy of the United Kingdom
• British Royal Family
• History of Russia
• Queen Victoria
• Autobiography

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 01 juin 2007
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781620458600
• Langue: English

Extrait

TWILIGHT OF SPLENDOR
ALSO BY GREG KING
The Court of the Last Tsar: Pomp, Power, and Pageantry in the Reign of Nicholas II
The Fate of the Romanovs
The Last Empress: The Life and Times of Alexandra Feodorovna, Tsarina of Russia
The Duchess of Windsor: The Uncommon Life of Wallis Simpson
The Man Who Killed Rasputin: Prince Felix Youssoupov and the Murder That Helped Bring Down the Russian Empire
TWILIGHT OF SPLENDOR
The Court of Queen Victoria during Her Diamond jubilee Year
Greg King

John Wiley Sons, Inc.
Copyright 2007 by Greg King. All rights reserved
Published by John Wiley Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada
Wiley Bicentennial Logo: Richard J. Pacifico
Design and composition by Navta Associates, Inc.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone], or on the web at www.copyright.com . Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions .
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and the author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
For general information about our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at [phone], outside the United States at [phone] or fax [phone].
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
King, Greg, date.
Twilight of splendor : the court of Queen Victoria during her diamond jubilee year / Greg King.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-13: 978-0-470-04439-1 (cloth)
1. Victoria, Queen of Great Britain, 1819-1901. 2. Victoria, Queen of Great Britain, 1819-1901-Family. 3. Great Britain-Court and courtiers-History-19th century. 4. Queens-Great Britain-Biography. 5. Great Britain-History-Victoria, 1837-1901. I. Title.
DA554.K56 2007
941.081092-dc22
[B]
2006030757
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To Cecelia
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Prologue: London, 1897
1. The Widow of Windsor
2. A Family on the Throne
3. The Court of St. James s
4. Spring at Windsor
5. A Day in the Life
6. Life below Stairs
7. The Wayward Heir
8. Autumn at Balmoral
9. The Russian Occupation
10. Christmas at Osborne
11. Easter in France
12. Summer at Buckingham Palace
13. A Day at Buckingham Palace
14. A Night at Devonshire House
15. Triumph
Epilogue: The Twilight of Splendor

Appendix: The Royal Household
Notes
Bibliography
Index
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book owes its existence to Stephen Power, my editor at John Wiley Sons. Having completed work on my previous work The Court of the Last Tsar, Stephen envisioned something of a companion piece, to encompass the rich legacy of the most famous sovereign of the nineteenth century. This presented its own, unique problems: while The Court of the Last Tsar focused on a mere twenty years of life at the Russian court, Queen Victoria s reign lasted three times as long, the six decades bringing with them hundreds of courtiers, state occasions, numerous relations, and a multitude of minutiae not easily condensed into a practical model.
Eventually, the present formula was worked out-an examination of a single year of the queen s life that took in not only her existence and the lives of her children, but also her courtiers, servants, residences, ceremonies, and progresses. Despite the hundreds of books dedicated to Victoria and nearly every aspect of her life, such a narrow approach had not yet been attempted, and Stephen believed it offered a worthy combination of the initial idea coupled with the practical demands of a manageable publication. I thank him for his vision in proposing this work; in working out the best possible solution to deal with the extraordinary volume of available information; and for his resolute support in the face of numerous obstacles to its completion.
Equally supportive and never less than enthusiastic about the project was my agent, Dorie Simmonds, who was forced to deal with shifting parameters and a host of seemingly insurmountable roadblocks to its completion. Through her calm and reasoned advice, she helped shape and shepherd the book into its present form, always conscious of the effect of new hurdles and always offering sound solutions to make it a reality. Without her constant encouragement and helpful intervention, it simply would not exist.
Nor would the book have been completed according to schedule without the continued, unswerving support of Half Price Books, a company that has made my literary work possible through its generosity and understanding of deadlines, changing timetables, and the various, unexpected developments that regularly play havoc with my availability. I extend my sincere thanks to those who have had, in my absence, to pick up the slack at a particularly difficult time, both past and present: Jennifer Holland Absher; Tim and Nikki Brown; Dennis Demercer; Betsy Gaines; Melinda Gardner; Nicole Germain; Alyssa Gourley; Joseph Gramer; Justin Harder; Molly Harvey; Ken Hetland; Kristal Kimmich; Mathew Kirshner; Beth Kuffel; Jay Larson; Kris Layman; Cindy Masuda; Cynthia Melin; Kat Melin; Ashley Navone; Joey Owens; Crystal Perrigoue; Judy Prince; Dan Raley; Virginia Smith; Amy Squire; Guy Tennis; and Michelle and Corey Urbach. Special thanks must go to Anne Von Feldt and Trinh Kossey, whose understanding of the complexities and demands of a writers life have been nothing short of extraordinarily patient and supportive.
In researching and writing this book, I have drawn on the contributions and support of many people who over the years have provided insight, information, and advice that have gradually found their way into its pages. In the United States I would therefore like to thank David Adams; Jason Adams; Betty Aronson; Bob Atchison; Lee Atweiler; Lucia Bequaert; George Bobrick; Thomas and Mary Botford; Erna Bringe; Lorraine Butterfield; Jill Camps; Vincent Cartwright; Harry Cernan; Luke Connor; Ben Curry; Cyndi Darling; Louise David; Lisa Davidson; Mona and Gerald Dennings; Sam Dettlemore; Greg Dunmassy; Keith Eaton; Brian Ebford; Fred Ernest; Edward Fine; Beth Fry; Michelle Fumkin; Andrei Gaddis; Julia Gelardi; Kathryn George; Nick Gorman; Dan Gretsky; Roger Gringle; Larry Gross; Linda Grundvald; Mike Harris; John Harrison; Marina Hart; Candice Hearst; William Hemple; Bill Hennings; Steve Hervet; DeeAnn Hoff; Craig Hohman; Brien Horan; Elizabeth Hoss; Allison Hume; Francine Imford; Nagori Iskaguchi; Max Jacobs; Irving Jadschmidt; Hans Jergin; Terry and Michael Jorgenson; Greg Julia; the late Ingrid Kane; Kerry Karnet; Natasha Kennet; Will Kevin; Harvey Kew; Scott Laforce; Brandon Lamont; Ian Lanoge; Gabrielle Lasher; Anne Little; Julia Loman; Peter Longford; Mike Lumis; Justin Maris; Thomas Matt; Edgar McNeil; Grant Menzies; Irina Mishop; Roger Morris; Jay Moss; Christopher Mowlens; Sue Nardin; Claudia Nervin; Felix Norris; Rick Owens; Bill Partridge; Bob Perricault; Hank Pettigrew; Marsha and Ashton Porman; Ron Questen; George Ransome; Linda and Phil Rascul; Viki Sams; William Samuels; John Sandford; Rachel Sattle; Matt Seiford; Tim Simmons; John Simon; Corey Sommers; Cynthia Sulden; Ryan Tager; Josh Tanner; Eleanor Tibbie; Diana Totesmore; Michael Townsend; Fanny Ulman; Eugene Unwin; Anna Victor; Michel Vusgek; Henry Walters; Burt Washington; Curtis Welborne; Zora and Peter Welcome; Dale Wilmington; Allen Wilson; Nadine Womack; Cathy Wycliff; Shiguro Yukihama; Gleb Yuvenshky; and Mark Zendor.
In the United Kingdom I would like to thank Allen Abrams; Danielle Ascher; Frederick Bast; Mike Betford; Kate Blanchard; David Bloom; Felix Bortz; Nicholas Buggle; Seth Carson; Aline Castle; Feodor Cawielki; William Clarke; Irina and Paul Daniels; Thomas David; Nick Davidoff; Elizabeth Densmuire; Elliot Depholm; Colin Dern; Mary Derry; Gerald Detmire; Anne Dillard; Victoria Dimoire; Henry Dorrit; Catherine Duschenay; George Egmont; Diana Emmons; Cecilia Eton; Una Fadurov; Susan Famen; Jocelyn Femboch; Richard Firch; Erich Firth; Terrance Flyght; Ivor Foreman; Philip Fotlemen; Mike Grady; Arthur Grassle; Lawrence Grintock; Amanda Grisholm; Diana Guryev; Coryne Hall; Roger Hansen; Sebastian Hanson; Charles Hawson; Anna Heffler; Harry Henman; Barbara Hervey; Trina Hettle; Robert Hirsch; Ian Hogg; Michael Homes; Orlando Humewood; Peter Isles; Jean Jeffreys; Adrian Johns; Kathryn Johnston; Schlomo Kaneda; David Kennedy; George Kettle; Thomas King; John King; Christopher Koerner; John Kurtiss; William Lawrence; David Lermon; Ella Little; Prince and Princess M. Lobanov-Rostovsky; Rupert Loman; Robin Luwis; Nicholas Mason; Barbara Mersey; Anne and Roger Metz; Stephen Middlefield; Paul Mirsky; Ian Morris; Annette Nason-