Read Online Childhood at Court, 1819-1914 by John Van der Kiste - Free Book Online

was ten months old – at her vaccination taken ‘from a magnificent baby. Such a duett [sic] of shrieks as the two kept up, staring and terrified at each other, and ascribing the cuts, no doubt, to each other, instead of Mr Brown [the doctor]!’ 21
    There were regular outbursts between the two elder children. Some sibling rivalry between the Princess Royal and the Prince of Wales was inevitable. Fights in their mother’s room early in the morning were nothing unusual, and sending them downstairs separately did not stop the Princess from picking quarrels with him as soon as they were together again.
    Both were jealous of the other; Pussy had screamed and refused to be pacified when taken for her first peep at the small occupant of the cradle that had formerly been hers. ‘The Boy’ was slow to cut his teeth, learn to walk and talk. His sister, so much more forward in every way, could not resist teasing him. Overshadowed by her intelligence and obvious cleverness, and not slow to notice how she was petted and admired by their parents and vistors at court, he fought back the only way he knew how, with fists and displays of temper.
    Noticing that he seemed to sense his inadequacy beside his elder sister, Lady Lyttelton was quick to spring to his defence. In February 1844 she found him
    not articulate like his sister, but rather babyish in accent . . . altogether backward in language, very intelligent, and generous and good-tempered, with a few passions and stampings occasionally; most exemplary in politeness and manner, bows and offers his hand beautifully, besides saluting à la militaire – all unbidden. He is very handsome, but still very small every way. 22
    In her sympathy, she underestimated the ‘passions’. Shortly after his second birthday, Dr Clark detected the cause of his lateness in talking with any clarity – a minor speech impediment. This, and a slight stutter (which he soon outgrew), prevented him from making himself understood properly. The impediment remained, and was the cause of his guttural accent. Contrary to popular belief, the future King Edward VII did not speak English with a pronounced German accent, although his voice had a deep guttural tone, with a German style of speech and particular stress on certain syllables. The children spoke nothing but English at home, and as they generally saw more of their nurses and governesses than their father – the only one in their childhood circle with a definite German accent – Prince Albert Edward did not acquire a German intonation. Warned of the problem, Albert treated his son’s mild handicap with patience and commonsense, and there was a rapid improvement.
    Between Bertie and Alice there was an exceptionally close bond, which remained so until death separated them. When the latter was only eighteen months old, the Queen remarked on their being ‘the greatest friends & always playing together’. 23 Alice could bring out the best in him, and on the rare occasions that she was sent to her room for being naughty, he would creep silently up the stairs and along the corridors, only to be intercepted by a watchful adult and confess guiltily that he was ‘going to give Alee a morsel of news’.
    On 6 August 1844 the Queen gave birth to a second son. Describing his wife’s confinement, Albert wrote to his brother Ernest, who had succeeded their father as Duke of Saxe-Coburg Gotha six months previously, that ‘she let us wait a long time and consequently the child is unusually large and strong’. 24
    The new Prince was christened on 6 September, and given the names Alfred Ernest Albert. To the family he was always ‘Affie’. His sponsors at the ceremony were his aunt Alexandrine, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg Gotha (represented in absentia by the Duchess of Kent), Prince George of Cambridge, and Prince William of Prussia.
    Affie inherited the full measure of Hanoverian high spirits. He appeared completely oblivious of danger; as soon as he could walk on