VICTORIA MARY (Duchess of Kent, 1786-1861, Queen Victoria's Mother)

Fine Pictorial Letterhead of her residence Frogmore Lodge, Windsor, by Day & Haghe, Lithographers to the Queen, after W.A. Delamotte, showing the garden front with its colonnade reflected in the lake, on the verso is a portion of an Autograph Letter by the Duchess, in German with transcription, talking of the Queen's guests at Windsor Castle, "The Archduke Friedrich of Austria and Prince Esterhazy have been here since the day before yesterday. The Archduke is very well set up, he has brought 5 gentlemen with him. Yesterday Queen Adelaide also came, she is looking unexplainably well! There likewise came today George and his cousin the Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg[-Strelitz]", she hears that "Baroness Lehzen is departing for Germany", and asks her correspondent to give "Marie a thousand affectionate [regards]", 2 sides 4¼" (max.) x 7¼" (max.), no place, no date but Frogmore Lodge, Friday 23rd September the letterhead neatly cut round in outline, with loss of several letters on verso (most of them easily supplied, the sense is always clear)

(Transcription)
1 ]...[
2 ] Der Erzherzog
3 Frie[drich v. Oesterreich und der Prinz Este]rhazy sind seit
4 V]orgestern. Der Erzherzog geställt [...]
5 r]echt gut der hat 5 Herren mit. Gester[n
6 kam auch Q. Adelheid die unbegreistlich
7 w]ohl aussiehet!- Heute kommt glei[ch-
8 ] auch George und [...] & sein Vetter der
9 Erbgroßherzog von Mecklenburg.
10 Ich höre die Baroness Lehzen
11 n]ach Deutschland abreiße [sic]
12 Sage der Marie Tausend Schönen

(Translation)
1 ]...[
2 The Archduke
3 Friedrich of Austria and Prince Esterhazy have been here since
4 the day before yesterday. The Archduke is very well set up,
5 he has brought 5 gentlemen with him. Yesterday
6 Queen Adelaide also came, she is looking unexplainably
7 well! There likewise came today
8 George and his cousin the
9 Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg[-Strelitz].
10 I hear Baroness Lehzen is departing
11 for Germany.
12 Given Marie a thousand affectionate [regards].

On Saturday 17th September 1842, the Queen and Prince Albert arrived back at Windsor from Balmoral and soon plunged into entertaining distinguished visitors.
The Archduke Friedrich of Austria (1821-1847) was the third son of the famous Duke of Teschen who led the Austrian army against Napoleon, himself the third son of Emperor Leopold II. The Archduke had already displayed his bravery when commanding a ship at the siege of Acre (1840), leading a landing force which captured the citadel. On this visit he joined Prince Albert's shooting party and was due to review two regiments (one was rained off).
Prince Esterhazy (Paul, 1786-1866), was Austrian ambassador to Great Britain, (1815-1842), appointed after the Congress of Vienna at the Prince Regent's request..
Friedrich Wilhelm (1819-1904, from 1860 Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz) had gone on the 19th to stay with the Duchess of Cambridge at Kew. On 28th July 1843 he married Princess Augusta of Cambridge (1822-1916, Queen Mary's favourite Aunt).
Prince George,(1819-1904, of Cambridge), soon to be his brother-in-law, was already a distant cousin. (His grandmother, Queen Charlotte, was sister to Friedrich Wilhelm's grandfather, Grand Duke Karl). Prince George had recently been appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the 17th Lancers, and was Commander-in-Chief, 1856-1895.
Baroness Lehzen, Queen Victoria's beloved governess, had stayed on after the Coronation as helper and adviser. However, Prince Albert found her irksome and in September 1842 she was given a pension of £8,000 p.a. The day of this letter she left Windsor Castle to stay at Buckingham Palace, and at 6 am on the 30th set out for the Continent to live with her sister.
Although a fragment, an interesting example of the Duchess's German hand, with its exaggerated curls.

Item Date:  1842

Stock No:  56681      £275

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