Princess Esterházy even complained that if she had known earlier that Sir Arthur Hastings was willing to condescend to teach children, she would surely have invited him to her home to teach them first.
Compared to Arthur's image, the former Home Secretary Viscount Melbourne's image seemed quite dirty.
The Duchess of Kent still remembers how a few months ago she talked to this Whig aristocrat at a private dinner at Buckingham Palace.
At that time, he was gentle and elegant, his language well-measured, showing the dignity and cultivation expected of a middle-aged Whig gentleman.
She recalled that Viscount Melbourne specially praised Victoria for her intelligence, saying her speaking style had the eloquence of Charles Fox, which momentarily made her feel somewhat favorable towards this Home Office leader.
But now it seems all of this was nothing more than the usual empty words at a White Hall banquet.
