His position at the time when the young
Queen came to the throne was a unique one. Victoria was just eighteen
years of age--that is to say, if she had been a little younger it
would have been necessary to appoint a Regent until such time as she
came of age. For many years it had not been a matter of certainty
that she would succeed to the throne, and the late King's unreliable
temper had been the means of preventing the matter from being
properly arranged as regards certain advantages which might have
been given to the Princess during his life-time. In many ways,
however, it was fortunate that the Queen came to the throne at such
an early age: if her knowledge of State politics was small, she
possessed, at any rate, a well-trained mind, a sense of duty, and
a clear idea as to the responsibilities of her position as ruler of
a great nation.
There had been four reigning queens in this country before Victoria,
but all of them had had some previous training for their duties. The
two Tudor queens came of a ruling stock, and were older in years and
experience. The times, too, were very different. Queen Elizabeth,
for example, before coming to the throne possessed an intimate
knowledge of political affairs, and experience--she had been
confined in the Tower of London and narrowly escaped losing her
head--had endowed her with the wisdom of the serpent. The two Stuart
queens were no longer young, and both were married.
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