©️ Royal Collection Trust / HM King Charles III
Queen Victorias journal:
“My poor Albert had a sad night of shivering, sleeplessness, & great distress. Sent for D’ Jenner, who found him extremely uncomfortable, sad & depressed. I was terribly nervous & distressed. D’ Jenner assured me there was no reason to be alarmed, but that it was to be feared this present condition might possibly run on into a feverish one. This naturally distress me very much. — Took a lesson with M’ Leitch, at which Alice & Marie were present. — Dear Albert got up, but did not dress & remained on his sofa. Sat with him & read to him. — Drove out with Marie.
Fine & cold. — Sir J. Clark came over again & found Albert much in the same state, — very restless & uncomfortable. — In the afternoon walked with Ernest, Marie & the girls. — Again reading to dear Albert, who seemed to me a little better. — Saw L Methuen & Col: Seymour, who have just returned from Portugal & brought us letter. They described poor Louis as most touching in his grief, & the universal feeling of sorrow indescribable. Poor little Augustus was still in a very precarious state.
Albert saw the gentlemen, & afterwards kept saying it was well that he had no fever, as he felt he should not recover from it! We all told him this was foolish & he must never speak of such a thing. — Most unfortunately we have people in the house. – L° Palmerston, the Duke of Newcastle, Sir Allan MC Nab (from Canada) & L° Bury dined. Sat between Ernest & the Duke. Our chief conversation of the Draft, the corrections to which have been adopted. -“
http://www.queenvictoriasjournals.org/
© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2012 © Bodleian Libraries © ProQuest
I think Albert’s comment on how he would not recover from a fever reinforces what you’ve told me on a previous post about the Prince knowing how ill he really was. I wonder how he felt seeing the doctors telling Victoria there was nothing to worry about.