Читать книгу The Times Great Events - Группа авторов - Страница 36
Оглавление4 February 1901
Nothing could surpass in splendour the pageants which had been witnessed during the progress of the dead Queen from Osborne to Windsor. But it is here, where her life was mainly passed, and where her funeral scene has been performed, that the pathos of the stately ceremonial has been most keenly realized. There is no exaggeration in saying this; nor any underrating of the deep grief which is felt by all the subjects of the venerated lady who has been taken from those who revered her as mother, wife, and Queen. But Windsor seemed in some especial way to belong to Queen Victoria and she to it. It is but a few short weeks since she left the Castle on her customary visit to Osborne. Saturday saw her home-coming not to resume her sway in the ancient home of the English Sovereigns, but wept and mourned by innumerable multitudes. To-day her lifeless body will be laid beside that of her devoted husband, and the place that knew her shall know her no more. The personal affection which the Queen’s beautiful character created in the hearts of all her people was intensified in the case of the inhabitants of the royal borough by the fact that she lived among them, was seen month after month and year after year as she took her daily drives, and was known by the countless acts of benevolence and kindness dictated by her generous and sympathetic nature.
The morning of Saturday broke chill and damp, and rain fell during the early hours, causing many an anxious moment to those who had counted on a continuance of the glorious weather which has been experienced throughout the greater part of the week. At Windsor, fortunately, the suspense was not of long duration. As the people flocked into the town the sun pierced through the clouds; and although at no time was the sky serene, the proceedings of the day passed off without excessive discomfort to the public and with complete success from the spectacular point of view. The later hours of Friday saw every hotel in the town crowded with visitors, and on Saturday morning the early trains brought thousands of people from London and all the neighbouring towns, so that by 9 o’clock the streets were congested to such an extent as to render vehicular traffic impossible. All along the line of route to be pursued by the procession the town presented an appearance which none who saw it are likely to forget. The signs of mourning were universal. The houses were shrouded in purple hangings. The people were clad in the profoundest black. The demeanour of the crowds was markedly subdued and respectful, and everything betokened the heartfelt sorrow which is felt by all classes of society.
At the age of 81, Queen Victoria died on 22 January 1901 at Osborne House, her residence on the Isle of Wight. She had been ailing for some time, but her death nevertheless shocked the nation and threw the Court into confusion.
The Queen had not only presided since 1837 over a transformation of Britain’s way of life and a vast expansion of its empire, she had also outlived everyone who could remember how to bury a sovereign. Moreover, she had decreed that she wanted no black worn at her funeral and that the ceremony be appropriate to a ‘soldier’s daughter’.
After much indecision and squabbling, her body was taken first to London and then to Windsor. The Queen was dressed in white and her staff laid keepsakes in her coffin, including those of Prince Albert and of John Brown, the ghillie who had become close to her.
The funeral, attended by the Kaiser and many other European relations, took the form of a military procession. It did not pass off without a hitch, notably when at Windsor the horses pulling the gun carriage became flustered and had to be replaced by sailors, but its solemnity and grandeur were fitting accompaniments to the end of a reign, and of an age.
