Chapter 4: The Queen's Decision
"I understand, Arthur. I approve of you going, but not just yet."
Queen Victoria remained silent for a long time before finally nodding with difficulty and speaking.
"Thank you, Grandmother."
Arthur finally breathed a sigh of relief at her words, looking at Queen Victoria with gratitude.
"When this matter is settled, I'll go with you to Australia for a visit," Queen Victoria suddenly said, her words unexpected and astonishing.
"You want to go to Australia?"
Arthur was stunned for a moment. Then he recalled that in late 1900, Queen Victoria had indeed gone to the small island of Whakaari (White Island) in northern New Zealand, just to reminisce about the beautiful times she had spent with Prince Albert and her children in the final days of her life.
"Yes."
Queen Victoria seemed lost in fond memories. After a long pause, she looked at Arthur and smiled.
"By then, Grandmother will be able to spend a bit more time with you. Perhaps after that, we may never see each other again."
Hearing this, Arthur's nose tingled, and tears welled up in his eyes. But he forced them back.
"No, Grandmother. You still have many years ahead of you. You must live to be a hundred, at least!" Arthur said quickly.
In fact, when Queen Victoria traveled to Whakaari Island, she already knew about her health condition, but she still chose to take the exhausting journey to remember her beloved husband and children.
Now, having suffered the pain of losing yet another child, she may have felt that her body was deteriorating and intended to bring her life to a peaceful close on that very same island.
"Haha, alright, Grandmother will live to be a hundred,"
Queen Victoria said with a smile and nodded. She didn't refute Arthur's words, but her sorrowful eyes and trembling hands betrayed her disbelief.
"Arthur, do you really want to go to Australia?"
After regaining her composure, Queen Victoria looked at Arthur seriously and asked.
"You must understand, Australia is not like Britain. It used to be a penal colony. Though that's no longer the case, there are still many Australians who resist civilization," Queen Victoria explained.
"If you're going to Australia, you must always be prepared. The people there are not all obedient. You must hold tightly to your arms and your wealth if you want to protect yourself and those you care about."
"Yes, I'm ready, Grandmother," Arthur replied solemnly with a nod.
"Very well then, Arthur."
Queen Victoria gently patted Arthur's head and said,
"I'll notify the government. All the lands you inherited will be exchanged for territories in Australia, and your title will become Duke of Australia. Of course, if you can't bear life there, Grandmother will always welcome you back."
"Thank you, Grandmother."
Arthur nodded gratefully.
In the end, Queen Victoria had always treated her family well—especially Duke Arthur and Princess Beatrice, to whom she was the most loving mother.
And now, Arthur could feel that love once again, even more strongly than before—especially since the unexpected death of Duke Arthur. Whether intentional or not, Queen Victoria was treating him with even greater care.
Queen Victoria acted quickly. By the very next day, the British government had issued a public announcement: several Australian colonies would be merged into a single territory governed by Arthur, forming the Duchy of Australia.
Meanwhile, the noble titles Arthur had inherited from his father were returned to the British Empire.
On the surface, this territorial exchange appeared to be a great loss for Arthur.
Although the two duchies he previously held were not large in area, they were located in the core regions of the British Empire.
In contrast, Australia—only decades ago a penal colony—was a vast but sparsely populated and economically backward colony.
Even after its consolidation into a unified domain, Australia lacked infrastructure and would remain behind Arthur's original duchies for decades to come.
Although both the British government and the general public were surprised by this territorial exchange, the recent assassination of Duke Arthur helped them understand.
January 31st, 1900.
Twenty days had passed since the exchange of Arthur's lands. Everyone, including Queen Victoria and Arthur himself, had come to accept it.
During this time, aside from Queen Victoria occasionally checking in on Arthur, Princess Louise, and Margaret and Patricia, both Princess Beatrice and Crown Prince Edward had come to visit as well.
Perhaps now that Arthur had traded away his lands, there was no longer any threat to Edward's succession to the throne. He was notably kind to Arthur, even promising to financially support him when he departed for his new territory.
Due to Queen Victoria's deliberate concealment, Arthur still didn't know that the man who had arranged his father's assassination was none other than his own uncle, Crown Prince Edward.
But regardless of the truth, Arthur had no reason to refuse Edward's gift.
After all, the development of Australia would take time—and a great deal of funding to support it.
Though Arthur had a method to acquire a massive fortune—enough to sustain Australia's development for years—he couldn't access it immediately.
At the very least, not until he had complete control over the land. Until then, he wouldn't risk tapping into that hidden wealth.
After twenty days of preparation, Queen Victoria made another announcement to her children and the government: she would be taking her weary body to Whakaari Island in New Zealand for rest and recuperation.
The Queen's decision caused a stir in British politics.
After all, when Prince Albert had died in 1861, Queen Victoria had gone into seclusion for over ten years.
Though she had later reemerged and was widely welcomed by the British public during the grand celebrations of her 50th and 60th jubilees, her absence had deeply impacted the political landscape.
Now, once again, her decision to withdraw was significant.
Queen Victoria had become an irreplaceable symbol of stability—not just for British politics, but for the entire British Empire.
In the hearts of the people and politicians alike, Queen Victoria remained a great and irreplaceable monarch.
This same phenomenon would be seen again in the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
Long rule had elevated the monarchy's prestige, and the glorious rise of the British Empire during the Victorian era made Queen Victoria even more important to Britain.
(End of Chapter)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Kira1997