royal wedding celebration

The turrets of Windsor rising through the clouds, beckoned like a fairy-tale castle to the German cousins for whom few childhood pleasures were more thrilling than their regular visits to in England. The sight of the ‘pretty little English houses,’ and their gardens, and above all, the pleasure of meeting ‘dearest grandmama’ again made the long journey and Irène’s sea-sickness suddenly seem worthwhile. Whatever her disputes with their parents, Queen Victoria was kindly and tolerant grandmother who went out of her way to make their holidays a pleasure and as Alice told her mother: ‘there are none of us who would not gladly have our children live under the same roof where we passed such a happy childhood, with such a loving grandmama to take care of them.’
Their boisterousness might irritate her nerves, and she could sigh that it was no wonder Alice appeared constantly exhausted with so many ‘big children’ to care for, but the Queen was far more lenient with her grandchildren than she had ever been with their parents. To four-year-old Sophie of Prussia, her tiny grandmother appeared like a ‘very very pretty little girl,’ while to the young Alix of Hesse she was ‘…a combination of a very august person and of a Santa Claus.’ Even when far away in Germany, their grandmother was seldom far from their thoughts. They celebrated her birthday with parties and the singing of the national anthem, and they received constant assurances of her affection, short letters and gifts for their birthdays and Christmas which never failed to delight them:
“They showed [the presents that the Queen had sent] to everyone,” Alice gratefully wrote to the Queen one Christmas, “shouting, ‘This is from my dear English Grandmama;’ and Ella, who is always sentimental added: ‘She is so very good my Grandmama.’ Irene could not be parted from the doll you gave her, nor Victoria from hers.”
To be with her in England brought even greater excitement. As she worked on her papers, the children played around her feet and on one occasion little Waldemar of Prussia released a live crocodile under her desk. Other times they charged along the corridors of Windsor Castle, darting through rooms filled with priceless treasures, in noisy games of hide and seek. Outside in the acres of woods and parklands, they rode on ponies or visited the farm and collection of exotic animals including an ostrich and kangaroo. Circus troupes and theatre companies were invited for the children’s entertainment and the Queen took particular pleasure in watching amateur theatricals performed by members of her family and household:
“So unspoilt was dear grandmamma in all things concerning amusements,” wrote her granddaughter, Missy of Edinburgh, “that her joy and interest in these performances was almost childlike.”
Sometimes the visits coincided with the Queen’s annual migration between her homes. At Balmoral, the Scottish castle, despised by courtiers for its remoteness and by the household for its gloom, provided the children with pony rides amid spectacular scenery. At the beautiful Italianate Osborne on the Isle of Wight, the children played on the private beach, cooked and picnicked in the quaint Swiss Cottage, imported by Prince Albert for the practical education of his own children, or charged around the miniature Victoria Fort and Albert barracks, raising the standards of Prussia, Hesse and England.
Although inevitably, grandmama plied them with questions and grilled them about their behaviour, education and development, she was equally quick to offer praise: Willy’s manners had improved; Charlotte’s German was faultless; Moretta’s handwriting was neat; Victoria was clever; Ella, a ‘wonderfully pretty’ child; and Irène ‘so unselfish & good tempered…and so affectionate.’
In stark contrast to the formal atmosphere of Potsdam or the homely New Palace in Darmstadt, there was something strangely exotic about the English Court. Though Queen Victoria clung to her seclusion from society, she surrounded herself with fascinating personalities, from the turbaned Indian secretaries and tartan-clad ghillies to a whole host of relatives of various ages and characters. Aunts and uncles from all over Europe wandered in and out of the palaces: Aunt Beatrice, only two years older than her eldest niece, Charlotte, was always a willing playmate, as was young Uncle Leopold, who refused to allow his haemophilia to prevent him from living life to the full. Beautiful, artistic, though occasionally acerbic, Aunt Louise often came through her private entrance to Buckingham Palace, sometimes accompanied her handsome Scottish husband the Marquis of Lorne. There was intriguing Aunt Marie, a Russian Grand Duchess, and the German Uncle Christian who entertained visitors by displaying his collection of false eyes.
For the sake of her nerves Queen Victoria might insist that her grandchildren be brought to her room in twos, but young cousins of all ages abounded in her palaces. Gentle and unassuming, the ‘Christians’ lived on the Windsor estate; the histrionic Edinburghs arrived from time to time; and there was always the possibility of a visit to the timid ‘Waleses’ at Marlborough House or Sandringham in Norfolk.
Uncle Bertie, the Prince of Wales, was a congenial host, with, according to one of his nieces, a ‘charm that… endeared him to all who had the privilege of knowing him.’ His Danish wife, Alexandra, radiated beauty and charisma and, as the laughter of partygoers echoed through their London mansion from evening until the early hours, the German children realised, even from the remote nurseries, that this was a world far removed from the cloistered Court of their grandmother. They may well have noticed, too, the frown of disapproval on their grandmother’s face whenever Uncle Bertie was mentioned. “Dear Uncle cannot keep anything to himself - but lets everything out,” she warned Victoria of Hesse.