Queen Alexandra; a study of royalty

Introduction

BY

WALBURGA, LADY PAGET

This book is a presentment of an era of na¬ tional prosperity, comfort, and light-hearted happiness for which it is difficult to find a comparison in any other country or time.

Perfect and proud confidence was written across the bond which united the peoples of the greatest Empire the world had ever seen.

In the centre of this brilliant picture Queen Alexandra scintillates like a pure jewel — lovely to the eyes, but far dearer to the hearts, of a nation which had at once adopted her as its fairy Princess.

This charm has not waned ; it has been kept alive by the Queen’s kindness of heart, her unselfishness, simplicity, and unswerving truthfulness, which have swept away all that is mean or base from her environment.

The Queen has, in her long experience of life and events, acquired a great knowledge of the world, which, with her inborn common sense and tact, gives her judgments and acts exceptional weight. In her early days, how-

INTRODUCTION ever, her influence was felt in a different way. The first perceptible symptom was the “ cachet ” she imprinted on fashion. This became very marked after the fall of the Second French Empire, for Republics do not breed fashions, and from times immemorial the impetus and tone have always been given by Courts. The trend of these fashions emanated from the Princess’s characteristics, which were extreme neatness and great sim¬ plicity, united to grace and dignity. There never was anything extreme in design, shape, or colour. This influence lasted about twoscore years, to be submerged at last by the flood of luxury and extravagance ending in vulgar ugliness, a development which students of history know well as the symptoms of revolutionary unrest and the consequence of wars.

Through all the terrible years of the great struggle Queen Alexandra remained faith¬ fully and courageously in London, helping and consoling, and, above all, giving the tonic of her presence to the nervous or depressed crowd which daily waited at the gates of ' Marlborough House to catch a glimpse of her. Her physical courage was sustained by her steadfast soul.

Gentle and uncomplaining she went about always, in the same simple little black dress,

INTRODUCTION doing her errands of mercy whilst the London streets were blazing with jewellery and furs, and the sounds of revelry at night were mingled with the booming of the Zeppelin bombs.

Once only the Queen murmured, and that was when she was told she must give up her beloved horses and dogs. Only the very smallest minimum was left to her, as her much straitened income was not sufficient to keep so many pets. It was a bitter sacrifice, for Queens are often lonely, and dogs are their sincerest friends.

May God protect this noble lady, and spare her latter years the great shocks and sorrows which have at times clouded her life. She has set, in her unselfish self-sacrifice and re¬ straint, her compassion and her observance of the fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer, an example to all women ; and it would be an earnest for England’s happiness if a rising generation would follow these footprints left in the sands of time by one who always held, and still holds, the love and devotion of the nation.

AUTHOR’S PREFACE

This book is not a biography in the strict sense, nor does it belong to any stereotyped category. Though a Queen, august, beautiful, and good, is the central figure, the background which throws into high relief her gracious personality, as if designed for this express purpose, is scarcely less important. This background is the epoch that has passed, leaving, like a brilliantly setting sun, a long, gorgeous trail behind it.

The historian who will pronounce the final verdict on this great age in English history has yet to come, or, if already born, is still in swaddling clothes. For the Present is always quite incapable of judging the immediate Past dispassionately.

Youthful centuries are proverbially lacking in reverence. This want of respect for tradition is called the “ modern spirit,” though why it would be hard to say, seeing that the disparagement of the past is a very old habit of a young generation. The first years of the eighteenth century were spent in pulling to pieces the traditions of the seventeenth, and in similar fashion the early nineteenth flouted its parent, of which Talleyrand, though one of its principal detractors, said that only those who had lived before the French Revolution knew how beautiful and graceful life had been then.

AUTHOR’S PREFACE

The twentieth century has followed the example of its predecessors. Even before the close of the nineteenth it was the fashion to utter cheap jibes and shallow witticisms at the expense of the tottering colossus. The giants of the Victorian era were belittled ; the ideals and customs of the age were discredited ; certain decades, associated with a mode of life repugnant to others more congenial, were held up to ridicule ... it was thus that the term “ Early Victorian ” became one of reproach.

No doubt this disparagement was inspired by no mere wanton spirit of iconoclasm, but by the natural indignation always felt by a young generation for the dead hand of convention which has been imposed by an older that has vanished. None who believe in the continuity of history, and that the past contains the future, will deny that the ideals of one age are not only often opposed but give the lie direct to those of another. Many vilify the past in order to make the present seem more tolerable than it is. They exaggerate past evils in the hope of finding present enjoyment in the happiness they long for. Man, as Michelet said, is his own Prometheus. But this singular mania for slandering ourselves, for parading old grievances, must sooner or later prove fatal. If we despise our achievements, others too will readily believe they are contemptible. The pres¬ tige of no people can endure such a test with impunity. The Italians of the Renaissance still possessed their freedom, but when Machiavelli exposed their weakness they lost it. History is full of such examples. The Fifth Commandment,

AUTHOR’S PREFACE 11

like all divine laws, is based on a fundamental fact of life.

The experience by which the realisation of this profound truth is acquired is the revenge of Time. Human achievements always seem greater and grander as their performance becomes more and more difficult, their incentive less and less possible. The further the past recedes the more wonderful it becomes. Succeeding ages look back upon it with envy or regret. Romance envelops and poetry ennobles it. Often a once glorious past is all that is left to a race. Sometimes, too, it has happened that the sentiment inspired by its hallowed memory contains the elixir of rejuve¬ nescence. Reverence is the fruit of the tree of experience.

For us in England, more than elsewhere, the age that has passed has a message which, if we are wise, we will take to heart. There are sermons in epochs as there are in stones. The text of the nineteenth century’s is Conciliation. It is the abracadabra of happiness. Whatever the judg¬ ment of the future may be on the past, it may, at least, be predicted with certainty that it will not be one of belittlement. As Time unfolds the romance of the age of Victoria and Edward VII the part played by royalty in the stately drama will be found to be one of the most edifying, and that of Queen Alexandra, in particular, one of the most sympathetic and lovable.

Chapter I

I. The significance of royalty — Its origin — The first kings — Belief in their divinity — Traces of the superstition in modem times — How royalty turned it to account — Royalty and Christianity — Popular conception of kingship in primitive society — The origin of democracy — Early attempts to limit royal authority — The doctrine of Divine Right — How democracy interpreted it— The deification of democracy by the French Revolution. II. European royalty before the French Revolu¬ tion — The courts of the old regime — The tyranny of etiquette — Its sinister influence on royalty—" L’itat, c'est moi ” — Callous indifference of royalty to the people — Its retribution — Was royalty altogether to blame ? — Censure confounded with judgment— The survival of the idea of royalty — Its capacity of assimilation — The royal house of Denmark . . ..... pp. 21-33

Chapter II

I. Birth of the Princess Alexandra — Her parents — A marriage for love — Straitened circumstances — Extreme simplicity and contentment of Prince and Princess Christian’s mode of life — The impression it produced. II. Political events of the Princess's early life— Their influence on her future — King Christian VIII of Denmark — His pic¬ turesque personality — His adventurous early career — The “ champion of liberty ” — Extravagant hopes based on his accession — Their dis¬ appointment — The king’s difficulties — The demands of the Danes — Of Schleswig-Holstein — Impossibility of satisfying both — The question of the succession — Its importance — How the King tried to settle it — Indifference of the Danes — Unpopularity and death of Christian VIII. III. A dying dynasty — Frederick VII, the last of his line — A royal Bo¬ hemian — His scandalous life — The Countess Danner — Popularity of Frederick VII — Its secret — Attempted separation of Schleswig- Holstein from Denmark — The first Schleswig War — The treaty of peace — The settlement of the succession by the Powers — Prince Chris-

CONTENTS tian recognised as Heir to the Throne — The corner-stone of the Princess Alexandra’s career. IV. Early life of the Princess — The castle of Bernstorff — Education of the Princess — A united family — The power of sentiment — The Princess Alexandra at sixteen — Her first meeting with the Prince of Wales . . . . . . . pp. 34-56

Chapter III

I. Queen Victoria at eighteen — The birth of the Prince of Wales — The joy of the nation — Early speculation as to his marriage — The great importance attached to it — The lack of eligible princesses — The quest for a bride — The suggestion of a maid of honour — Queen Victoria’s approval — The progress of the negotiations — The meeting in the cathe¬ dral of Speier. II. Sudden death of the Prince Consort — Interruption of the marriage project — Difficulty of resuming the negotiations — The necessity for secrecy — Queen Victoria visits Brussels — The Princess Alexandra at Ostend — Her meeting with the Queen — To be or not to be ? — The Queen is “ quite enchanted ” — A royal proposal — Strange delay in announcing the betrothal — How the news was received in Denmark — In England. III. Denmark “ en fite ” — Departure of the Princess — Remarkable ovations she received everywhere on her journey — Political significance attached to her on the Continent — What England expected. IV. How London awaited the bride of the Prince of Wales — Her arrival at Greenwich — The royal entry into London — Delirious enthusiasm of the people — Democracy pays homage to royalty — Opinions of the press. V. The wedding in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor — Magnificence of the spectacle — The dignity of the Prince of Wales — The arrival of the bride — The admiration she aroused — Impression of Dickens ; of Thackeray — Queen Victoria’s emotion — The national rejoicings — Tennyson’s “ Welcome ” . . pp. 57-94

Chapter IV

I. Demeanour of the Princess on her entry into London _ The

general impression — Irresistible appeal of her personality — Alexandra Simpatica. II. Early photographs of the Princess — Their lack of resemblance — The elusive quality of her charm — The opinions of

celebrated painters and sculptors — Benjamin Constant’s portrait _

Peerless beauty of the Princess — A woman’s impression. III. Deeply

religious nature of the Princess — Her tolerance and cheerfulness _ Her

admiration of Gladstone — Her sympathy for Mrs. Gladstone on his death— Her impulsiveness — How it appealed to the public — Death of

Cecil Rhodes — Inflamed state of public opinion — The Queen’s tribute _

Its dignity — The Marathon Race — Interest it aroused — Its dramatic

CONTENTS finish— Popular sympathy for the loser — Impulsive conduct of the Queen — The extraordinary enthusiasm it excited — The secret of her life-long appeal to the masses ..... pp. 95-1 11

Chapter V

I. Bourgeois character of the nineteenth century — Its effect on royalty — Domesticity of royal lives — Idyllic happiness of Queen Vic¬ toria’s marriage — Its appeal to English sentiment — The secret of the popular interest in the Prince of Wales’s marriage. II. Serious illness of the Prince — Vague uneasiness of the public — Devoted conduct of the Princess — Deep impression it produced — The Prince in danger — The alarm of the nation — Extraordinary popular manifestation of loyalty to the Throne — The suspense increases — The final crisis — The Prince sleeps ! — Relief of the nation — Thank-offering of the Princess — The national thanksgiving — How the people testified their sympathy with the Princess. III. Profound impression created by this event — Press opinions in France — In England — Its true significance. IV. The “re vers de medaille ” of royal splendour — The throne-light — Its effect on royalty — Royalty’s desire for privacy — Why the sins of royalty are the sins of democracy — Public censure of the Prince of Wales — Its hypocrisy — Foreign sympathy — The elasticity of the public conscience — The dignified attitude of the Princess of Wales — The Prince’s respect and affection for his wife. V. The birth of the Duke of Clarence — Devotion of the Prince and Princess to their children — The Duke of Clarence’s love for his mother — The pathos of his illness and death — Prostration of the Princess — World-wide sym¬ pathy for the Princess ...... pp. 1x2-144

Chapter VI

I. Death of Frederick VII — Accession of Christian IX — His difficult position — A fateful hour in Danish history — Bismarck’s ultimatum — Its rejection by the Danes — British sympathy — The “ Alexandra Cent Gardes " — Intercession of the Princess of Wales — The Prince’s en¬ couragement — Queen Victoria’s opposition — Its justification — British Government’s attempt at mediation — Its failure — Humiliation of Denmark. II. Bitter disillusionment of the Princess — The Prince’s sympathy — His desire to take the Princess to Denmark — The objections of the Government — Queen Victoria gives her consent — The Princess’s joy at the warmth of her reception — Popularity of the Prince in Den¬ mark — The significance of the visit. III. Political importance of royal marriages — The use the British Government made of the Danish connection — How the brother of the Princess of Wales became King of Greece — The attitude of Russia. IV. The family affections of the

16 CONTENTS

Glucksburgs as a factor to be reckoned with in European politics The children of Christian IX and the importance of their marriages— Their annual reunions in Denmark— The strength of their family affections— The fascination of the Empress Marie— The origin of the Anglo-Russian alliance— The death of Alexander III— Despair of the Empress— The devotion of the Princess of Wales — The influence of the Empress over her son, Nicholas II— The isolation of the Czarina— The birth of the Czarevitch — The struggle for supremacy between the Empress and the Czarina — Its tragic ending — The political value of the Empress s affection for her sister — Its advantage to England . . pp. 1 45-1 7 4

Chapter VII

I. Queen Victoria’s Court before and after the death of the Prince Consort — The significance and importance of a Court to a Monarchy.

II. The seclusion of the Queen— The public resentment— The Queen’s remarkable protest— Its vindication. III. The Prince of Wales becomes the Queen’s representative in Society — His qualification for the role The brilliant revival of the London season — The Princess of Wales’s first Drawing-room — The Guildhall ball — The pomp of democracy — Curiosity to see the Princess — Mobbed — The royal visit to Oxford — Wild enthusiasm of the students — The splendour of the Guards’ ball — The Princess at the opera — Electric effect of her entry on the audience. IV. European society — The Court of the Empress Eugenie — The secret of its prestige — Effect of the Fran co-Prussian War on English Society — The Court of the Prince of Wales — Its cosmopolitan character — Immense influence of the Prince and Princess of Wales — The London Season becomes an international institution. V . The gradual transforma¬ tion of society under democracy — The decay of Victorian morals — The good influence of the Princess of Wales — What the monarchy and the nation owe to her ....... PP- I75-205

Chapter VIII

I. The manifold duties of royalty — Their fatigue — Their compensation — Political value of royal visits — The Prince and Princess of Wales in Ireland — Extraordinary success of their Irish visits — Failure of the Government to take advantage of it. II. The visit of the Prince and Princess to Birmingham — The ultra-radical mayor — Doubts as to the wisdom of the visit — The charm of the Princess — Its effect on the populace — The warmth of the mayor’s welcome — Punch’s Cartoon — • The Princess trims the claws of the lion — Remarkable result of the visit.

III. The value of the quality of mercy — The right of personal appeal to the Sovereign— The importance attached to it in former times — Its restriction — The democratic substitute — Its callousness — What the

CONTENTS people have lost — The sympathy of royalty for the people — Immense importance of royal patronage — Queen Alexandra’s philanthropic work — What the nursing profession owes to her — Importance and apprecia¬ tion of her interest in the work of the hospitals — Her generosity and keen sense of pity. IV. The Queen’s horror of cruelty — Her love of animals— Her courage and coolness in the face of danger. V. The Queen as a musician — Her love of music and appreciation of musical genius — Her patronage of the opera — What the musical profession in England owes to her — The degree of Doctor of Music conferred on the Queen ........ pp. 206-231

Chapter IX

I. The constant movement of royal lives — The travels of kings — The romance which was attached to them in former times — The effect on literature — The importance of travel in the life of modern royalty. II. The visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales to Egypt in 1869 — Its peculiar interest — Ismail Pasha, Viceroy of Egypt — His extrava¬ gance and love of splendour — The arrival of the Prince and Princess at Cairo — The magnificence with which they were received — The wonders of the Esbekieh palace — The departure of the Holy Carpet to Mecca. III. The visit of the Princess to the harem of Ismail — A scene from The Arabian Nights — The ladies of the harem — Their wonderful jewels — The Princess’s disguise. IV. The royal dahabeah — A party of Cook’s tourists in pursuit — Glimpses of the Princess on the Nile — Strolling in the moonlight — In the dust-storm — At sunrise — The Prince and the crocodile — The Princess at Luxor — In the ruins of Karnak — ■ Her indefatigable energy — Lady Duff-Gordon’s impression of the Princess — The Prince and Princess start for the Second Cataract^— Failure of the Cook’s tourists to overtake them. V. The Prince and Princess at Constantinople — Their reception by the Sultan Abdul Aziz — The political importance of the tour . . . pp. 232-260

Chapter X

I. Death of Queen Victoria — The effect on the nation — Its signifi¬ cance — The sympathy of the world — The importance of the Queen — The Victorian Age — Its international character. II. The growth of the monarchical spirit in England — The great personal influence of the Queen — Kingship — Why it retains its importance — The Coronation of an English king — What it means — The Coronation of Edward VII — Enthusiasm of the nation — The splendour of the preparations — World-wide interest in the event — Its dramatic postponement — The nation’s dismay — God save the King ! — The impression of aFrenchman — Universal sympathy for the Queen — American tributes. III. Recovery 2

18 CONTENTS

of the King — The “ second ” Coronation — Its solemnity — The Coronation of the Queen— The impression it created— Splendour of the Edwardian regime— Its effect on the people— Prestige of Queen Alexandra — Striking tribute paid her by the Boers — The Queen s fascination— The eulogy of a radical journalist— Pierre Loti’s impression of Queen Alexandra. IV. The serious side of pageantry— Edward the Peacemaker — Modem royalty’s need of peace — Bellicose democracy

_ Personality of King Edward — President Roosevelt’s appreciation

Death of the King — His lying-in-state and funeral — Sorrow of the People — Queen Alexandra’s touching message to the nation Impres¬ sion it produced. V. Sadness of the Queen — " Hvidore ” The call of the past — Queen-mother and people — The nation’s tribute of affection

_ Alexandra Day — The homage of a Socialist — Reflection on the Queen s

significance ....•••• PP- 26i_297

Genealogical Chart of the Oldenburg Dynasty . pp. 298-299

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

QUEEN ALEXANDRA, 1863 • . • Frontispiece

(After the portrait by Lauchert)

FACING PAGE

CHRISTIAN IX AND QUEEN LOUISE ... 34

CHRISTIAN VIII AND QUEEN CAROLINE AMALIE . 42

(From miniatures by Johannes Moller and M. M. F. Jaser)

FREDERICK VII . . . . . . .48

(After Gertner)

THE GULE PALAIS AND BERNSTORFF ... 54

QUEEN VICTORIA AT EIGHTEEN .... 58

(After Diez)

THE PRINCE CONSORT . . ... 58

(From a miniature by W. C. Ross. Photo, Augustin Rischgitz)

THE PRINCESS ALEXANDRA . 66

THE PRINCE OF WALES AT THE TIME OF HIS MARRIAGE 84 (After Winterhalter. Photo, Augustin Rischgitz)

QUEEN ALEXANDRA IN 1883 .... IOO

QUEEN VICTORIA AND THE PRINCE CONSORT WITH

THE PRINCESS ROYAL ..... II4

(From the painting by Sir pdwiu Landseer. Photo, Augustin Rischgitz)

QUEEN ALEXANDRA AND HER CHILDREN . . I40

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

FACING

KING GEORGE I OF GREECE AND QUEEN ALEXANDRA (Photo, W. & D. Downey)

THE DUCHESS OF CUMBERLAND ....

THE EMPRESS MARIE ......

THE FAMILY OF CHRISTIAN IX ...

(From the painting by Tuzen)

QUEEN VICTORIA ON HORSEBACK

(After Count d’Orsay. Photo, Augustin Rischgitz)

THE EMPRESS EUGENIE ..... (After Winterhalter)

" A BRUMMAGEM LION ”..... (Punch, November 14, 1874)

CZAR ALEXANDER III .

(By permission of Messrs. Grant Richards, Ltd.)

THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES RIDING IN WINDSOR PARK ......

(After Berraud. Photo, Augustin Rischgitz)

QUEEN ALEXANDRA IN 1887 ....

(Photo, The London Stereoscopic Co.)

QUEEN ALEXANDRA IN 1869 ....

QUEEN VICTORIA IN 1897 .

KING EDWARD VII AND QUEEN ALEXANDRA AT THEIR CORONATION ..... (Photo, W. & D. Downey)

QUEEN ALEXANDRA IN 1905 WITH HER GRANDSON, PRINCE GEORGE ......

PAGK

QUEEN ALEXANDRA

Chapter I Royalty

I. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ROYALTY - ITS ORIGIN - THE FIRST KINGS -

BELIEF IN THEIR DIVINITY - TRACES OF THE SUPERSTITION IN MODERN

TIMES - HOW ROYALTY TURNED IT TO ACCOUNT - ROYALTY AND

CHRISTIANITY - POPULAR CONCEPTION OF KINGSHIP IN PRIMITIVE

SOCIETY - THE ORIGIN OF DEMOCRACY - EARLY ATTEMPTS TO LIMIT

ROYAL AUTHORITY - THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE RIGHT - HOW DEMOCRACY

INTERPRETED IT - THE DEIFICATION OF DEMOCRACY BY THE FRENCH

REVOLUTION. II. EUROPEAN ROYALTY BEFORE THE FRENCH REVO¬ LUTION - THE COURTS OF THE OLD REGIME - THE TYRANNY OF ETI¬ QUETTE - ITS SINISTER INFLUENCE ON ROYALTY - " L’ETAT, c’EST MOI ”

- CALLOUS INDIFFERENCE OF ROYALTY TO THE PEOPLE - ITS RETRIBU¬ TION - WAS ROYALTY ALTOGETHER TO BLAME ? - CENSURE CONFOUNDED

WITH JUDGMENT - THE SURVIVAL OF THE IDEA OF ROYALTY - ITS

CAPACITY OF ASSIMILATION - THE ROYAL HOUSE OF DENMARK.

I

It is related of the charming young Princesse de Monaco, who went to the guillotine rouged lest her pallor should be attributed to fear, that she was so volatile and irresponsible that she thought diamonds were found in rings and fruit in baskets. As an example of the thoughtless, take-it-forgranted manner in which ideas or subjects too common to be surprising are usually regarded, the anecdote might apply with equal force to most of us.

How many, I wonder, in the crowds whose presence helps to deck the route along which a

king will pass in state, ever give a thought to what royalty really signifies to the nation of which he is the recognised head, if only a figure¬ head ? How many, be they loyal or hostile, ever question the reason of the emotions they feel ? Yet there is a reason, and a profound one too, so deeply embedded in human nature that it is, perhaps, only in times of revolution, when personal interests are at stake, and cherished ideals become persistent, that the average man and woman are more or less dimly conscious of its significance.

For the idea of royalty, like that of religion and democracy with which it forms a sort of trinity, as it were, has its origin in the mists that envelop the commencement of human society. It sprang out of the reverence that primitive man paid to the one who, by his superior knowledge, was able to control the invisible and mysterious forces of nature of which he was ignorant and afraid.

The first kings were, perhaps without exception, wonder-workers or magicians. In those remote times the affinity of magic to religion was very close, as it still is among savage tribes ; the one co-operated and was confused with the other. Their subsequent hostility was caused by the gradual discovery, as human society advanced, of the inefficiency of magic. Hence it followed that kings at first were revered not only as priests, who by virtue of their magical arts were the natural intercessors between man and the gods, but as gods themselves. Krishna, Osiris, Odin— to instance but a few of the great deities of remote antiquity — were deified men. So universal was the belief in the divine origin of kings in early

AN OLD SUPERSTITION times that many see in it a proof of the muchdisputed theory of the homogeneity of prehis¬ toric civilisation.

The possession of magical powers, though the chief, was not, however, the only road to a throne. The sword played no small part in the making of a king. Among the barbaric tribes of Europe, who were constantly at war with one another, the only possible king was often, as the name itself suggests, the Can-ing Man, the Man who Could and Would. Such men, also, were believed to possess magical powers and were reverenced accordingly.

Traces of this superstition lingered long in Europe. The origin of the belief that the French kings possessed the gift of healing by touch is lost in the night of time. In England Edward the Confessor was popularly believed to have derived the same gift from God, and to have bequeathed it to his successors. Queen Elizabeth frequently displayed this magical attribute of royalty, while the Stuarts, with their notorious claim to “ divine right,” practised it commonly with effect. It is stated that Charles I cured a hundred persons of both sexes in the Chapel Royal at Holyrood at one sitting. Within a month of his restoration to the throne Charles II proceeded to emulate him, and touched over one hundred thousand people for scrofula during his reign. The crowd on these occasions was sometimes unmanageable. Once, six persons who came to be healed by the royal hand were trampled to death. The case of Dr. Johnson, who was touched as a child by Queen Anne for king’s evil, is celebrated.

Royalty, as may be supposed, was quick to turn to account the properties with which it was popularly believed to be endowed. Insistence on a divine right, or at least on a divine protection, was too sure a means of establishing and increasing royal power to be neglected. All the dynasties of antiquity boasted a divine descent. So great was the advantage derived from the claim that the aristocracies which always spring up around a throne, and without whose support, according to Madame de Stael, monarchy cannot exist, were encouraged to follow the kingly example. In Greece and Rome, even after royalty had fallen into discredit, the noblest families continued to boast of their descent from demi-gods or heroes. Pride in an ancient pedigree whose origin is lost in the mists of history is still common throughout the world.

In Rome the Caesars, on assuming the imperial purple, caused themselves to be deified to justify their claim to supreme power. Later, Christianity, as Constantine the Great clearly perceived, was an additional source of strength to the idea of royalty, and the Church has ever since supported his view. Throughout the Middle Ages obedience to kings, as the vicars of God, was taught as a Christian duty. The sanctity of the majesty of kings is still recognised. Every coronation is a conse¬ cration.