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sundaymisogeny-blog · 6 years

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Gentlemen At Pleasure - A Club

Across a golf course, half-hidden by tall trees and flanked by neat lawns, one of those houses that an estate agent might describe as 'substantial' was hosting the seventy third meeting of the 'selection committee' of one of the most exclusive organisations in the country, Masonic Societies not excepted. The lady of the house was away visiting her sister in Bournemouth; The Committee had no need to fear interruptions - they were free to concentrate completely upon the 'Candidate' which kindly providence had provided for their delectation that afternoon. Through the terrace windows of the sitting room at the back of the house, golfers could be seen wheeling their trolleys across fairways and taking detours through small copses and around bunkers. Distant though these perambulating figures were, the young subject of the committee's appraisal felt for all the world as though she were on public exhibition, even though commonsense told her that it was unlikely that anyone on the golf course would be able to see into the house. Yet, although the outside world was actually unaware of her presence in that most private room, the inescapable fact was that the pretty, chestnut haired girl was on show and with ample reason to be feeling acutely embarrassed about it too! Four chairs, on which were seated the members of the committee, had been placed at the corners of a small rug, each chair and its occupant facing into the hollow square. In the middle of the rug, and at the focal point of everyone's attention, the girl could hardly have been dressed more provocatively, considering that each pair of eyes, as they wandered and loitered and lingered here and there about her saucily endowed young figure, were windows onto the souls of some very lasciviously-minded gentlemen indeed! None of those attentively-watching roués could have failed to guess that their visitor had at some time been a member of the Girl Guides, and it would not have taken much imagination to have worked out from the close fitting skimpiness of what was left of the Guide uniform, due allowance being made for those girl-shape enhancing alterations that had been made to it, that it's wearer must first have been fitted out in that particular outfit at least two years, and a couple of smaller sizes ago! No Girl Guide one would ordinarily see, no matter how lustily embosomed, could have countenanced appearing in public with her breasts so lewdly uplifted and blue cuddled; with her nipples made prominent even without erection, simply by the closeness of the fit of her uniform blouse; as were the deliciously handful-sized young tits which this 'Girl Guide' thrust unwillingly yet unavoidably out in front of her. Badges on the breast pockets pulled at their stitching - as did the pockets themselves - and enhanced the out thrusting burgeoning of the girl's firm and up tilted titties. Buttons tugged at buttonholes and threatened to disengage on the instant, at the onset of a passage of heavy breathing. Lanyards, tags, tapes, and name panels, all were arranged in such a way as to highlight the uniform and to catch the eye, yet all conspired to lead the onlooker's attention to those succulently out-pressing young breasts. Pulled in snugly at the waist, the blouse led the eye down to navy blue shorts with white piping at the side seams, not entirely authentic Girl Guide rig, but once seen, enough to persuade anyone with a passing interest in teenaged female anatomy that such a change in Guides uniforms could only make for greater appreciation of the movement's underlying qualities and substantially inflate 'Bob A Job Week' into 'Fiver A Peek Week' if only you could have one of the little darlings come and dig up your garden! The shorts were a delight in themselves. Tight around the out swells and incurves of the 'Guides' impudently cheeked bum, the legs were somehow still loose where their edges gave way to bare girl-flesh at hip and thigh top and under-buttock, so that in the imagination a finger slipped up between shorts and skin might traverse the high-cut hip and slide down the cross-bum cheek diagonal and still have just enough freedom to interlope between close pressed inner thighs and seek out warmth and inviting moisture in shadowed nooks. And yet again, this finger-tempting looseness of fit around much of the edges of the shorts somehow snugged up around the girl's plump pubic swell, the indiscreet centre seam being perfectly placed and sufficiently taut-stretched in a vertical direction as to coax a visible labial division precisely in the middle at the very apex of bare and soft-skinned thighs. Upon this tantalisingly displayed involution, two pairs of eyes rested in between excursions up and down, while the girl's bottom too, and the palm-tingling slap-ability of the backs of her thighs, caught the eye of those two of the committee immediately presented with the half-bared aspect of the girl's decidedly asking-for-it bum. Ankle socks, clean and crisp against lightly tanned claves, and shined-up black patent shoes with flat, school-girl heels, neatened the whole presentation; those shoes, turning slightly inward at the toes as would those of a child as her confidence slipped away from her moment by moment, were what the girl's eyes focussed upon, for want of anywhere else to look not rife with the risk of encountering an ironically smiling face, as she fought back her feeling of helplessness and framed the desperately supplicant word on her soft pink lips. "Please -" "Please, sir," prompted Alec, with a patient smile. The girl stammered a "Sorry -" then licked her lips with the tip of her tongue. She tried again. "Please sir -" The note of humiliated pleading in her soft voice did not go unappreciated; around the room tweedy twitches and worsted stirrings in seated laps recognised the promise that the girl was beginning to show. "Please, what, Charlotte?" enquired the "Chairman" of these proceedings, with a benign and sympathetic smile. "Please -" Charlotte hesitated, confused. Asked directly, "what?" she found that she couldn't exactly say what. "P-please sir - I'm - I'm," her protest stumbled and lapsed into silence. "Think she's tryin' to say she's shy, Mr Chairman?" "I think that's what it is, old boy," murmured Algernon; he raised his voice so that the girl turned nervously towards him "Don't want to show us your little titties, my dear? Eh? That what it is?" Charlotte's pink cheeks warmed instantly - she cast her eyes down to the floor again in consternation. "Not so little titties," said Max, unhelpfully. Charlotte's freshening blushes scorched her cheeks. "Rather nice titties, actually," chimed in George. "Perhaps it's because she's not wearing a bra," said Algernon. "Tut-tut," cooed Max. "Naughty little Charlotte - eh? Naughty little girl, aren't you, hmm?" Charlotte's hot cheeks positively glowed with shame! "Vote," said the Chairman, keeping order, "As to whether or not the committee wishes to have a peep at this young lady's tits, her protests notwithstanding." "Hear, hear," said George enthusiastically. "All those in favour?" "Aye." "Aye." "Most certainly!" declared Max. "Motion carried," said the Chairman unsurprisedly. "And a stroke of the strap, for being awkward," suggested someone. "Stroke of the cane, old boy," insisted Algernon. "Lovely cheeky young bottom like that? Needs the cane, that's what I say!" "Ooogh!" That's what Charlotte said, though under her breath. "Vote," said George. "I vote for the cane too!" "Haven't seen her bottom yet!" complained Max. "I say we decide once we've got her pants down, that's what I say." "Let's have 'em down, then!" said George. "Order!" said the Chairman, and everyone shut up, whilst Charlotte's chubby young bottom twitched involuntarily, not entirely unfamiliar with the sting of both those perfectly-designed castigatory instruments. It was at this emotionally charged juncture that the telephone rang in the hall outside the sitting room. "Brief adjournment," declared Alec, and went to answer the 'phone. It was Charlotte's 'sponsor' wondering "how are thing's goin', old chap?" "We're - ah - still considering the matter," said Alec guardedly. "Let you know just as soon as we've completed our - er - deliberations." The caller, anxious that nothing should go wrong, insisted on bending Alec's ear for several minutes more. Back in the sitting room, with the embarrassed girl now hiding her crimson- cheeked face in her hands, the "selection committee" congratulated themselves on having hit upon so delicious a prospect as young Charlotte seemed likely to prove. Blushes! How delightful! "How old did Alec say she was?" asked Algernon of Max in a half guarded whisper. "Sixteen and a half - I think", said Max, his eyes loitering around the invitingly out curved bit at the tops of the insides of the girl's thighs where the soft-pouting peach-cleft bridged the little opening at the very top of her legs. "And - said to be still quite intact," said George not bothering to modify his voice for the sake of the girl's blushes. "'Quite' as in 'almost', or 'quite' as in 'absolutely'?" asked Algernon, pedantic as ever. "Quite, as in 'intacta'," said George peevishly. "She'd hardly be 'intacta' if I'd meant 'almost', would she!" Algernon and the others stared wonderingly at the bewildered Charlotte, who had never realised she was in - in - whatever they had said she was. All three speculated that if it was actually true, then Charlotte was a novelty such as none of them had ever supposed they would come across in a lifetime of interviewing girls sponsored by would be members. The reasons for this shared wonderment, verging on frank disbelief, were as convincing as they are shameful to relate. The 'organisation', the 'society', the 'club' if one wished to think of it as such, had at one time been called the "Guardians' Club". To outsiders overhearing those intrinsically innocuous words in a pub, they might have meant nothing very exactly but would have given an impression of a responsible and respectable organisation engaged, in all probability, on 'good works'. To those select few made privy to the real portent of the title, an entirely different picture of the club's activities would have manifested itself! Potential 'recruits', discreetly yet eagerly sought out by established members, would all have two things in common; each would be in a position of responsibility in respect of a ward or step-daughter or at least a teenaged girl having not yet attained her majority, and all, this last to be ascertained by cunning, discreet enquiry or, if all else failed, by setting a temptation and closely watching the "bait", all would have a taste for girls of exactly the same tender and vulnerable kind that they had in their care or charge. It would be put to them that the subject of their guardianship was an invaluable asset; a chap willing to share his good fortune with others - to put "his" girl into a common "pool" in the sense that he would be prepared to let her go off to another member's home for the odd weekend and not ask awkward questions when she came home slightly cross-eyed and short of a pair of knickers or two in her suitcase - such a fellow, provided he was discreet, would be entitled to stake a claim on another chap's "contribution" and have her to his house for a day or two. Because the "vetting" team did their work carefully, refusals were unknown; girls who were packed off on trains on Friday nights with only the vaguest idea of where they were going or why, and equipped only with the instructions that they were to be "good girls" when they got there, came home on Sunday evenings somewhat more broadly educated than when they had left. With regard then to the three committee members whose eyes still wandered speculatively around the briefly covered little bits of Charlotte which most took their fancy - Charlotte who was still blushing profusely and worrying what it meant when they'd said she was in - something or other, only if she'd but known it she needn't have bothered, because whatever it was, she wasn't going to be it for very much longer - and with regard to those members doubts as to the likelihood that young Charlotte was what she was said to be, even if for not much longer - well, their caution in accepting the truth of that statement was not entirely without foundation. Because, if one worked it out, there was a glaring inconsistency in the notion that a chap who was so anxious to get inside the knickers of another chap's girl, that he would let his own girl, in the hands of a complete, indeed unknown stranger, to be used or abused in just the same way as he meant to take advantage of that other girl, that he would nevertheless have declined all the opportunities that having a girl of his own and all to himself must inevitably have presented him with all along. In short, it was asking them to believe that the delightful, nubile Charlotte had long been in the clutches of a self-confessed lecher, yet that same lecherous gentleman had apparently entirely overlooked the fact that she was unquestionably available and unarguably fanciable! Well, if it was true, then Charlotte's sponsor was a man in thousands - certainly there wasn't one of them, nor was there any other member they could think of, who hadn't failed miserably in the art of self-control where he alone had succeeded! When Alec returned from his evasive one-sided conversation with Charlotte's sponsor, he wasted no time in getting the meeting under way again - he had other things to attend to back at the school and time was getting on. "Right then - a vote, wasn't it?" he looked around and then treated the flush-cheeked girl to another of his sympathetic grins. "Some doubt as to whether Charlotte ought to be made to show us her titties, wasn't there?" The aforementioned tits self-evident in the most unconcealable way, Charlotte stood with close pressed thighs and childishly in-turned toes as the vote as to whether she should be made to render the committee visible evidence was taken and found to be in the affirmative, a tear or two slipping heavily down her cheek as she was made to unbutton her blouse, whilst the vote in respect of the punishment she was to receive for having dared to protest at being treated so humiliatingly was called for and passed. Six, after all - six strokes of the strap, on her bared bottom, and the few tears became a frightened outburst of sobbing as the instrument itself was produced from a hook behind a chair. Charlotte's buttons almost popped open once the first was undone, and together the girl's firm young breasts bobbed free of the over-washed and stitch-straining blue blouse, nipples unaccountably stiffening even as they made their appearance. "Shorts off!" she was told, and her blouse was taken from her, then aflame with blushes, she groped for the waistband of her skimpy little shorts and pushed and wangled and wiggled them down over her hips until her plump bottom-cheeks spilled out and thrust themselves saucily towards Alec and one of the others whilst her close little haze of blonde pubic hair attracted its own share of attention at the front. Charlotte's shorts dropped to the floor at her ankles and all at once, there were no more secrets. Just helpless, humiliating nudity and teardrops, which fell uncontrollably onto her uplifted breasts. "Turn round," said Alec, and again, "Turn round." Shuffling steps took Charlotte through three hundred and sixty degrees, with peeps through her fingers at all four faces in turn, the men's eyes wandering unashamedly up and down her naked body. She stumbled, her breasts bobbing, and she looked down to find that she had tangled her feet in her shorts. She stooped to untwist them but was told to take them right off; she wasn't going to need them! She picked the shorts up and they were taken from her, so that she had only her ankle socks and her shoes to show that she had ever been a Girl Guide. "Pretty little thing, isn't she!" said Max condescendingly. No-one dissented; Charlotte's bottom trembled as she was made to turn round yet again. "Hands on your head," said Alec coaxingly, and Charlotte had to do as she was told; red-faced she folded her hands together on her head and her tits lifted and pushed out even more. From the corner of her eye, she could see the firm erectness of her nipples and she began to wilt at the knees as she saw eyes taking in that unwitting demonstration of feminine arousal - certainly she wasn't aroused! She was panic-stricken! Several comments were made which she was too confused to catch, but the words "strap" and "bottom" permeated her bewilderment. "Over here -" said Alec. Charlotte turned to find him indicating a table standing to one side of the circle of chairs; the strap was on the table. "Please -" she pleaded, but she was nudged towards the table and in a moment she was bent across it, hands led to fingertip holds on the far edge and her bottom elevated by something cushiony placed under her hips. "Oh, n-no -!" They strapped her deliberately, no one bothering to remark that only six strokes had been decided upon, the strap visiting her jiggling, wiggling bottom perhaps two dozen times whilst she squealed and struggled but got her bum well strapped for all her frantic demonstrations. She wasn't allowed up even then; slowly her tears cleared from her eyes and she found herself looking out of the long window across the golf course while murmurings and shufflings went on behind her. Max's voice raised itself a little above the others claiming priority on the grounds of seniority, while Charlotte strained her will power and kept her legs wide apart in accordance with the last instruction she'd been given, her bottom singing still with the lingering tingle of the strap's harsh kisses. Behind her, it seemed that some measure of agreement had been reached; her hands were taken one by one and folded together in the hollow of her back, where they were held in a grip that was firm but not painful. The insides of her spread-eagled thighs flinched suddenly from a scratchy contact with rough tweed trousers. When Alec called Carlotte's guardian some thirty minutes later the phone seemed to be answered almost before it rang. "Mr Romsey? This is Alec -" A startled squeal from the back of the house prompted him to cover the instrument with his hand; "I thought you'd like to know as soon as possible - the committee has decided to accept your application for membership -" He waited for the enthusiastic gentleman on the other end to subside; "Perhaps we could have a chat about that when I bring Charlotte home later?" Another squeal, distant but quite loud enough to be heard on the telephone, rather undermined Alec's attempt to keep the conversation formal. "Er - yes, it is, actually," he had to say. He felt awkward for a moment, and then an imp of devilment nudged him into saying "I think she's complaining that someone's pinched her knickers." He remembered that she hadn't been wearing knickers. Oh well - that wasn't what she was yelling about anyway! He left it to the man on the other end of the line to make of it what he would and returned to his pretence of formality. "Ah - perhaps you'd let me reconfirm a detail or two whilst we're speaking. Guardianship - she is your legally appointed ward, I think you said?" He made a note on a pad. "Yes - yes, I see. Until she's eighteen, I presume. Yes - which will be when?" His pen hovered over the paper, then it's top fell off with a plop. Alec's eyes wandered guiltily around as he listened. At last, he made the note on the pad. "Oh, I see - I must have misunderstood -" Alec ran a finger round his collar. "So she's actually -" he wrote it very small, subconsciously. "And a half - yes, yes - oh, no - no, I don't suppose it'll make any difference." Not now, it wouldn't anyway. Alec put the phone down quietly and tucked his pen back into his pocket. Another muted cry from the committee room made him start, but he kept his pace even as he went back to the others, a man with a secret now.

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christinaepilzauthor-blog · 7 years

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Baroness Lehzen, Victoria's Governess

by Lauren Gilbert Too often, when we consider Queen Victoria, we consider the Widow of Windsor dressed in black, or, if we're in a romantic mood, Albert's young bride. It's easy to forget that she was once a little girl, and a singularly isolated and put-upon one at that. One constant through her childhood, youth and young married life was Louise Lehzen. Lehzen was first her governess and protector, then her lady-attendant and only friend. Lehzen was one of the very few people around Victoria who was motivated solely for the love of and best interest of Victoria herself. In return, she has gone down in history as a strong influence on the queen during the first several years of her reign. Louise Lehzen was born October 3, 1784 to Joachim Friedrich Lehzen, a distinguished Lutheran pastor, and his wife Melusine Palm in Hanover. At birth, her name was recorded as Johanna Clara Louise Lehzen. She was the youngest of nine children. Available data indicates that family finances required her to go to work as early as possible. There is little information about her schooling, but she was reputed to be at least adequately educated, possibly at home by her father. Her first situation was that of governess to the daughter of Baron von Marenholtz in Brunswick. In this position, she was treated as a member of the family, and was valued for her knowledge, excellent character and behaviour. This period of employment resulted in excellent references. In 1818-1819, Lehzen entered the household of Princess Marie Luise Victoire of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, widowed Princess of Leiningen who married Edward, Duke of Kent (fourth son of George III), to serve as governess of the princess's 12-year-old daughter Princess Feodora of Leiningen. (Known as Victoire, the new duchess was the sister of Prince Leopold, the Prince Regent's son-in-law.) Victoire obligingly became pregnant, and Edward was determined that his child would be born in England. The household (including a midwife) was moved to London when Victoire was almost due to give birth. Her son Charles (Carl), now Prince of Leiningen, had to stay behind.

Princess Alexandrina Victoria was born in Kensington Palace May 24, 1819, fifth in line to the throne. She was not yet considered a real contender for the throne, as George III was still living and had three living sons ahead of her father. (Princess Charlotte, daughter of the Prince of Wales, had died at age 21 in 1817.) However, she was ahead of two uncles, younger than her father, who were eligible for the throne: Ernest, Duke of Cumberland, and Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, both of whom had sons named George close in age to Alexandrina. The birth of Alexandrina Victoria stirred up a great deal of bad feelings between the Prince Regent, her father and the other brothers, resulting in Edward and his family being somewhat isolated from the royal family. This, in turn, allowed the child's parents, and in particular her mother, to have greater opportunity to make their own decisions concerning her care.

Princess Victoria Aged 4 by Stephen Poyntz Denning, 1823

Edward died in January 23, 1820, leaving his wife as sole guardian of Alexandrina, an unusual arrangement. His friend, Captain John Conway, was one of the executors of Edward's will and became comptroller of his widow's household.

When George III died January 29, 1820, his eldest son George, Prince of Wales and Prince Regent, became king as George IV. Neither he nor his next two surviving brothers had living children, and the little girl was now fourth in the succession. George IV resented that she was potentially an heir to the throne as he intensely disliked the Duke and Duchess of Kent and Prince Leopold, and preferred that his niece Alexandrina live in seclusion. As when her first husband died, the Duchess of Kent inherited debts so she and her children were virtually destitute. The Duchess of Kent was reliant on her brother Prince Leopold, his man of business Baron Christian Stockmar, and Captain John Conroy. While Leopold, and Stockmar, assumed direction of the duchess's affairs, they were frequently absent due to political matters. As a potential heir to the throne, Alexandrina Victoria needed to stay in England. Leopold helped the duchess get permission to have Edward's rooms in Kensington Palace, gave her an income, and helped her get loans to establish her household. Conroy stayed with the household, and the duchess became very dependent on him. When Conroy became comptroller, he took control of all of the finances for Duchess of Kent and her daughters. Neither George IV nor any of the royal family provided any financial assistance. (George IV basically snubbed the child and her mother, and would have been delighted had they moved to Germany as dependents of Prince Leopold.) While in Kensington Palace, Conroy met and befriended Princess Sophia, George IV's sister. It is believed Conroy guaranteed the Duchess of Kent's debts (which were huge) with his own fortune and kept her creditors at bay in exchange for the duchess's promise of reimbursement when her daughter inherited the throne. (Obviously, they were playing a long game.) He also acted as her secretary and general factotum. The Duchess of Kent was determined to devote herself exclusively to the raising of Alexandrina. Under the "Kensington system," Alexandrina was never allowed to be alone; she slept in her mother's room, she was never allowed to talk to anyone without a third party present (usually her mother or Lehzen), and was continually monitored. She was isolated from the outside world. She had only occasional visits from children from outside of the household. Her sister Feodora was her only friend, and the sisters were very close in spite of the age difference. Household rules required that employees not maintain diaries or mention household matters in correspondence (Lehzen complied). Conroy's family was in the household, and his children, particularly his daughter Victoire who was about Alexandrina's age, were thrust on her frequently. She did not like or trust Victoire (or anyone connected to Conroy) and deeply resented having his family forced on her. When Mrs. Brock, Alexandrina Victoria's nurse, was dismissed in 1824, Lehzen became governess to Alexandrina Victoria (at age 17, apparently Princess Feodora no longer needed a governess). The Duchess of Kent and Conroy, her comptroller, appointed her to this position because they assumed, as a dependent in a foreign country, she would be submissive and obedient to their instructions. Lehzen read to Alexandrina, and worked hard to engage her attention on her studies. Available data indicates that Lehzen was considered stern in appearance (pictures show an attractive woman) and quite disciplined; young Alexandrina was in awe of her new governess. Sources indicate that Lehzen gave Alexandrina a good grounding in the basics. More to the point, Lehzen worked with the Duchess of Kent, and became extremely close to Alexandrina. Lehzen and Alexandrina spent a great deal of time alone. The education envisioned by the duchess (and Conroy) was not the education of one expected to rule a kingdom, but was similar to that of the duchess herself or any other well-born girl, emphasizing accomplishments rather than real knowledge. Lehzen avoided the infighting of the household and focused on Alexandrina. She was firm with the child, and earned her respect. She devoted herself to Alexandrina; the two spent hours together, reading, making dolls (dressing them, naming them and imagining lives for them), forging a closeness that resulted in Alexandrina considering her a second mother. It speaks volumes for Lehzen's tact and discretion that she outlasted George IV's threat to send her back to Germany, avoided arousing the jealousy of the Duchess for her closeness to the child and avoided (for the most part) hostilities with Sir John Conroy. It seems clear that Lehzen's primary functions were basic education and personal care for the child. It's to Lehzen's credit that, working within the "Kensington system", she was able to meet the Duchess's requirement that Alexandrina never be left alone without incurring Alexandrina's resentment. Her loyalty to Alexandrina, and Alexandrina's trust in her, became absolute.

Baroness Louise Lehzen, drawn by Princess Victoria 1835

When Alexandrina Victoria became undoubted heiress to the throne, George IV grew concerned about her education. Alexandrina spoke German with her mother and Lehzen and knew English. In 1825, he requested that Parliament grant an additional 6000 pounds per year each to Alexandrina and to her cousin George Cumberland specifically for their education. In 1827, George IV appointed Rev. George Davys to be Victoria's tutor, at which point her more formal education began. His lessons included religion, ancient history and Latin. It's important to note that Alexandrina had other tutors (she was taught French and Italian, penmanship, dancing, piano and singing; she was taught to draw by Richard Westall, R.A., and enjoyed mathematics).

At the request of his sister Princess Sophia, George IV made Lehzen a baroness in the kingdom of Hanover, to reconcile Lehzen to this appointment. (Captain Conroy became Sir John Conroy, Knight Commander of the Hanoverian empire, at this time as well, also at Princess Sophia's request.) There are suggestions that Lehzen's elevation was designed to eliminate "commoners" from serving the princess, as well as to ameliorate any disappointment.

Lehzen remained with Alexandrina as lady-in attendance, and cooperated with Rev. Davys and the other tutors. Princess Sophia had previously given Conroy an estate worth 18,000 pounds in 1826. Alexandrina experienced a great loss when Feodora married Ernst, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, in 1828. (Feodora was eager to leave Kensington Palace and Conroy.) Alexandrina and her sister remained close throughout their lives. When Alexandrina Victoria reached the age of 10, she became known as Victoria. During these years, as the Duchess became more dependent upon him and he obtained more and more authority, Sir John Conroy became more overbearing and arrogant, looking for slights and determined, with the Duchess, to control Victoria. George IV died June 26, 1830 and was succeeded by his brother William, who reigned as William IV. William and his wife Adelaide had always been fond of Victoria. Unfortunately, the duchess and Conroy immediately created friction and bad feeling by demanding more money, more prestige, formal recognition of Victoria as heir apparent, and that the duchess be made her regent. These demands offended William IV, and made him suspicious not only of the duchess and Conroy, but of Victoria herself. He was not comfortable in his role as king, preferring a simple life, and found the duchess and Conroy a great and perpetual vexation. The Duchess of Kent, in her turn, prevented Victoria from participating in the coronation procession and ceremony.

At the king's behest, Charlotte Percy, Duchess of Northumberland became Victoria's official governess in 1831. Also in 1831, Prince Leopold, who had been less and less in sight, became king of Belgium, and Stockmar was needed in Coburg. Victoria was by this time aware that she was heir to the throne, and was increasingly confined. Lehzen continued to support and encourage her. Her mother and Conroy quarrelled with each other, and the pair of them continually quarrelled with the King, his ministers and the court at large. Victoria became skilled at hiding her feelings from her mother, Conroy and others in her household. The Duchess of Northumberland was dismissed in 1837 by the Duchess of Kent over her objections to the "Kensington system" and her refusal to submit to Sir John Conroy. Rev. Davys continued in his position until the death of William IV. Tensions and changes in the household strengthened the bonds between Victoria and Lehzen, and Lehzen's influence. Lehzen encouraged Victoria to be informed and strong-minded, even though the Princess disliked learning. (Lehzen envisioned Victoria ruling as a strong, independent and unmarried queen.) The duchess and Conroy continued their campaign to control Victoria. The duchess was determined to be appointed regent, in the event Victoria was under age when the king died, while Conroy had ambitions to be Victoria's personal secretary and to have control over her, her household and her money. Conroy bullied the household, acting as master. Even as they quarrelled, the duchess did not prevent his domineering over Victoria.

Victoria grew to hate Conroy and to deeply resent her mother for allowing him to abuse her. This resentment caused Victoria to withdraw into herself and created an estrangement between Victoria and her mother, long before the duchess was aware of it. Victoria was isolated except for Lehzen. In 1835, when Victoria was 16, she became ill typhoid and almost died. William IV was frail, and there were fears of his sanity. In an effort to establish his position firmly, Conroy went to Victoria as she lay extremely ill and tried to browbeat her into appointing him her personal secretary. When she refused, he brought her mother in to support his demands which Victoria continued to withstand. Angry and frustrated, Conroy apparently raged at both Victoria and Lehzen, for not giving in to his demands. This episode seems to have hardened her determination to stand her ground. She also began to read and study more on her own, preparing for her future. Even though her mother and Conroy continued their efforts, they were unable to shake her.

Now in her teens, Victoria knew her marriage was an issue of concern and speculation. At one point, she had said she would not marry, but it was considered essential that she marry a suitable consort. William IV favoured a match with her cousin George Cambridge and, in 1833, brought George and other potential acceptable suitors together at a ball for her birthday (she was 14 years old). German cousins also began appearing for consideration. Her mother and her Uncle Leopold were in favour of her marrying her cousin Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. She was in no hurry to decide. William IV was determined that he would choose a husband for Victoria and settled on Alexander of Orange, younger son of the Prince of Orange, and arranged for Alexander and his brother to come to England to meet Victoria in 1836. Unfortunately for the king's plan, Victoria did not take to Alexander, especially in comparison to Albert and his brother Ernest, who met Victoria a short time later. Their visit lasted 3 weeks, at the end of which Victoria wanted Albert to be her husband, even though nothing was discussed or settled at the time. Lehzen and her Uncle Leopold were her only allies through this year, as her mother and Conroy continued their program of bullying and keeping Victoria under their control and badgering the king and court to acknowledge Victoria's status.

Victoria, Duchess of Kent (1786-1861), mother of Queen Victoria, by Sir George Hayter, 1835

William IV was bitterly aware of the Duchess of Kent's ambitions to be regent and was determined to live until Victoria was 18 years old, and could inherit the throne without a regent. Victoria turned 18 on May 24, 1837. Despite being watched, she managed to meet with Lord Liverpool to discuss her situation. She also had the benefit of counsel from Baron Stockmar, sent by her Uncle Leopold to advise her. As always, Lehzen was present to support and encourage her in her stand against Conroy's and her mother's machinations. William IV died June 20, 1837, succeeding in thwarting the duchess's (and Conroy's) ambitions. When the princess took the throne as queen, she took the name Victoria. Her first act, even before being crowned, was to have her bed removed from her mother's room to her own room. Victoria relied on Lord Melbourne and on Lehzen for support. When Victoria moved to Buckingham Palace, Louise Lehzen accompanied her, acting as an unofficial personal secretary and unofficial head of Victoria's household, with rooms adjoining the queen's apartments. (Lehzen refused an official status.) Her mother had a suite of rooms much further away. Conroy was dismissed from Victoria's household, but continued to handle the duchess's affairs. He was around on the duchess's business but had no standing or influence at court, as Victoria banned him from approaching her. The duchess was present for the coronation but Conroy was not allowed to attend. Victoria acknowledged Lehzen during her coronation, and kissed Queen Adelaide and shook hands with her mother after the ceremony. Conroy was made a baronet in 1837, but the government (under Prime Minister Robert Peel) refused to create him an Irish peer. Conroy resigned his position with her mother in 1842 and left court. Victoria's relationship with her mother improved slightly but remained distant due in part to the duchess's continuing demands and complaints.

John Conroy, British Army Officer and royal official by Alfred Tidey, 1836

Victoria considered Lehzen her only friend and intimate. Lehzen had unparalleled access and a definite influence over Victoria, that was maintained until Victoria's marriage to Albert in 1840. Lehzen had envisioned Victoria ruling unmarried, as another Virgin Queen, and did not approve of her marriage. Lehzen did not think Albert was a good choice for Victoria's consort. She particularly disapproved of Albert's lack of position, money and influence; he gave nothing and received everything in her view. She was also jealous of Victoria's love for Albert. Albert, in turn, disliked Lehzen and her continued influence over Victoria, considering her a servant who did not know her place and who was interfering in his marriage. Lehzen blocked various changes in the household that Albert wanted to make, and was not above going to the queen over his head. He in turn was jealous and resented Lehzen's influence and Victoria's reliance on her. (He wanted to be the head of his household, and had ambitions of his own, which required that he have Victoria's full trust and dependence. Lehzen encouraged Victoria's independence as queen.) Albert got along with the Duchess of Kent, and supported a rapprochement between her and her daughter; he did not approve of Victoria's intimacy with a servant and encouraged her to improve her relationship with her mother. He particularly resented Lehzen's control spreading into various areas of the household over the heads of those appointed, especially the nursery. He had definite ideas of how he wanted his children raised, and they did not include Lehzen. A power struggle ensued between Albert and Lehzen, which was only resolved when Victoria's and Albert's first child became ill and almost died in the care of Dr. John Clark (court physician and part of the Flora Hastings case) who was summoned by Lehzen. Torn between Albert and Lehzen, Victoria finally conceded to Albert and Lehzen was let go as a result of this situation.

Marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Engraving from the book "True Stories of the Reign of Queen Victoria" by Cornelius Brown, 1886

Lehzen left court in September 1842, ostensibly for her health, and returned to Germany with a generous pension. She lived with her sister, until her sister's death, after which she continued to support her sister's children. In 1858, Victoria was in Hanover and Lehzen was on the train platform, waving as Queen Victoria's train passed, which the queen acknowledged. Much has been made of her estrangement from Queen Victoria but, in fact, she remained in regular correspondence with the Queen, and was visited by the Queen on a couple of occasions. Louise Lehzen died September 9, 1870 in Buckeburg, Schaumberger Landkreis, Lower Saxony and was buried in the Jetenberger Cemetery. On her monument (raised by Queen Victoria), her name was shown as "Louise Clara Johanna von Lehzen." Victoria did not significantly repair her relationship with her mother until after the death of Sir John Conroy March 2 1854, long after Louise Lehzen had left court. It is worthy of note that, after the death of her mother, Victoria did not seem to have another intimate nurturing female relationship (other than with her daughters, which is different-she was queen and mother in those relationships). She relied on Albert for support and security, then John Brown, and then Abdul Karim (her Indian servant known as the Munshi). After all is said and done, Lehzen was her safest and most trusted female friend and mentor.

Baroness Louise Lehzen, Governess and Companion to Queen Victoria, by Koepke, 1842

Sources include: Erickson, Carolly. HER LITTLE MAJESTY The Life of Queen Victoria. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997. Gill, Gillian. WE TWO: Victoria and Albert: Rulers, Partners, Rivals. (Kindle edition.) New York: Ballantine Books, an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group, 2009. Images are all in the public domain, found in Wikimedia Commons. Express.co.uk. "The Women Who Really Raised The Royals" by David Cohen. November 16, 2012. Here. FamPeople.com. "Louise Lehzen, biography." Here. FindAGrave.com. "Louise Von Lehzen." Posted by Dieter Bierkenmaier, April 27, 2013. Here. Google Books. Lee, Sidney, Ed. DICTIONARY OF NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY. Supplement Vol. 3. "Victoria," Pp. 389-500. New York: Macmillan Co. 1901. Here. Google Books. ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature and General Information, 11th Edition, Vol. 28. "Victoria, Queen" by H. CH. (Hugh Chisholm). Pp. 28-37. New York: Encyclopaedia Britannica Company, 1911. Here. The Esoteric Curiosa. Raising A Queen; An 1840's Thumbnail Of The Initial Lady Behind The Throne Of One Of Histories Greatest Monarchs; Johanna Clara Louise Lehzen, Better Known As Baroness Lehzen, Governess, Adviser & Companion To Her Imperial Majesty The Queen Empress, Victoria! November 12, 2013. Here. Queen Victoria's Scrapbook. A Letter to Queen Victoria from Baroness Lehzen from 1867. Here. Victorian Gothic. "Louise Lehzen, Governess to Princess Victoria" April 9, 2011. Here. Victoriana Magazine on-line. "Queen Victoria-A Very Naughty Princess." July 13, 2014. Here. Web of English History. "Louise Lehzen (c1784-1870)" by H. G. Pitt, 1993. Here. Web of English History. "Sir John Ponsonby Conroy, first baronet (1786-1854)" by Elizabeth Longford, 1993. Here. Wikiwand. "Louise Lehzen." Here. ~~~~~~~~~~ Lauren Gilbert has a bachelor's degree in English, and a life-long love of reading. Her first published book, HEYERWOOD: A Novel, was released in 2011. Her second, A RATIONAL ATTACHMENT, is due out soon. She lives in Florida with her husband Ed. Visit her website here for more information!

Hat Tip To: English Historical Fiction Authors

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