Kate Hubbard

Being in service to Queen Victoria was an exacting undertaking; she was a selfish, demanding and contradictory mistress. It was also incredibly dull. Kate Hubbard tells the development of the Queen’s life and court expertly and entertainingly through the women and men who served for the sixty-plus years of her reign.

At Victoria’s accession the grossness of the previous reigns was expelled and in came rectitude. This change was strengthened with she married the prudish Prince Albert. show more Although it was seen as an honour to serve suitable candidates recognised the disadvantages. Sarah, Lady Lyttleton accepted the post of superintendent of the royal nursery because of ‘the strange necessity’ of needing the money. However, she was leaving ‘the last years of my life, so domestic and peaceful ... [for life] in a court ... a life too of a good deal of laborious exertion’. Marianne Skerrett (who took over many of Baroness Lehzen’s duties once Prince Albert retired her) found approbation, position and frustration at court. The Queen found her ‘quite a superior person ... of immense literary knowledge and sound understanding, of the greatest discretion and straightforwardness’. Skerrett observed ‘I am not at all mistress of my time and go out little and never see any one here but my sister.’

Other lives include the long-suffering Charlotte, Countess Canning complaining ‘One could never hear anything as those who could tell one were all on their good behaviour and nobody liked to talk politics.’ Then there’s Lady Canning’s friend Mary Bulteel (who married Henry Ponsonby who was the Queen’s discrete private secretary). Mary saw the change of the court brought on with the death of Prince Albert and had interesting relationships with other maids-of-honour.

Dr James Reid was the Queen’s medical attendant who had to cope with the Queen’s illnesses, many of which were the result of the emotions swirling within the royal family and the Queen’s overeating. ‘I am afraid I must not have any more,’ she confessed to Lady Lytton in 1895 but relished afternoon tea with boxes of biscuits, boxes of pralines, chocolate sponges, plain sponges, flat fingers, princess and rice cakes. As she grew wider, she grew blinder too and ever more reliant on her household. Whether they revered her, were exasperated or amused by their mistress the royal household missed her dreadfully when she had gone. Dr Reid confessed after accompanying the Queen’s coffin, ‘My last journey ... is over and I feel rather sad.’ show less

While much has been written about the life of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their royal children, not much has been put out there about the other people around them. Kate Hubbard has gone to original sources- letters and diaries- of the people who worked for her: the people who were neither royalty nor laborers, but those who occupied a stratum in the middle. Her doctors, the children’s governess, her maids of honor and women of the bedchamber, her private secretary all held titles show more that were considered honors but were in reality onuses. It was nearly impossible to refuse an invitation to serve at court- and serving did, in fact, have some advantages if one were just starting out and in need of some steady cash and introductions to the right people. And once Victoria liked a person, she was loathe to allow them to leave.

Victoria’s quirks made court a strange place. Hers was not a court of brilliant wit and scandals, nor was it one of jewels and balls. Victoria and Albert led a life of royal privilege combined with middle class sensibilities. Victoria dressed in what many considered a dowdy style (even before Albert’s death), she wouldn’t have any conversation around her that could possibly create offense or argument, she considered nursery games to be perfect after dinner activities, liked to have the windows open and no fires burning even in the dead of winter (not just in her quarters, but throughout whatever dwelling she was in), and saw no problem with not allowing her attendants to sit down at the theater rather than standing the whole time behind her seat, holding her things for her. In other words, court life was uncomfortable and boring. Lady in waiting was a very apt term; these women spent the vast majority of their time just waiting to see what they would be doing: walking outside with the Queen, riding with her in the carriage, playing cards. Even if she had no current task for them, they had to …. Wait, making no use of their time. Their time belonged to the Queen. It had to be the most boring job in the world; one woman bemoaned the lack of books. The men, on the other hand, sometimes got overworked. Her doctor, for instance, had to see her at least four times a day, sometimes eight. Her personal secretary had his hands full at all times, with both business dealings and the behind the scenes feather soothings that went along with living in a court where some people were the Queen’s pets and could do no wrong, while taking advantage of her.

The Victorian Era is one I’m very interested in, and Hubbard’s book has added a new dimension to what I know of it. While I knew any court would be a place of constant maneuvering for favor, it never occurred to me that it would be a boring place to be avoided at all costs! show less

I tried. I really did. I made it to page 150 before I started to skim and to page 244 (out of 364) before I decided that this was not for me. Ms. Hubbard was too sympathetic towards Albert and had a decidedly anti-Victoria stance that I found rather disturbing. Her phrasing choices were odd, too enthusiastic in all the wrong ways. Also, she ended up inserting her own opinions, pretending to know exactly what Victoria was thinking or feeling at any given point in time. Between the weird show more descriptive phrases, her almost misogynistic approach towards Victoria, and her omniscient knowledge of Queen Victoria's mindset, it was just too much for me. Oh, and the book spent a LOT of time talk about how boring life as a lady in waiting or maid of honor was. In all, the subject matter was interesting, but there were too many idiosyncrasies that irritated me and put me to sleep. show less

This is collection of letters and diaries pieced together from various members of Victoria's household - the middle and upper class people who filled administrative and personal aide type positions. It's strongest point is that it provides a great look into daily life, both at court and generally of the era.

The picture it gives of Victoria herself is as a generally endearing, but sometimes annoying, great big whiner. The view, at least from these folks, who did know her quite intimately and show more in many cases, spent decades at court, gives the impression that she isn't at all shrewd or thoughtful beyond the petty details of her household (in contrast to some theories I have seen that her naivete was a tool she used to rule effectively).

My biggest complaint is that it assumes the reader has mastered a great deal of detail about Victoria's reign, which maybe was intentional because I can see how this would appeal to people who already have a lot of information. And I would even say I have a fair bit of Victoriana under my belt. It was still challenging, for example, when the book would refer to the youngest child, but it wasn't clear what year it was or who would have been the youngest at that time. Or the Prime Ministers -- I know the main platforms of the famous ones, like Disraeli and Gladstone, but come on, throw me a bone on Palmerston at least.

Overall, I would recommend to people who are, in fact, THAT interested in Victoria, but it would be extremely tedious as an introduction. show less