Prison or Protection: What was Queen Victoria’s childhood under the Kensington System really like?

On Wednesday I shared a post with questions about Queen Victoria that have always played on my mind and one of my lovely followers challenged me to do some research and see what answers I could come up with. So, today I begin by looking at one of the biggest questions: What was Queen Victoria’s childhood under the Kensington System really like?

This question is one that has baffled historians for over a century. When looking at the direct facts about the Queen’s upbringing, one cannot help but see the infamous Kensington System as a subtle form of house arrest. However, if we dig a bit deeper we cannot help wonder if it was ever truly about control and ideology, and instead being a form of protection for the future monarch.

Born on 24^th May 1819, Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent – as she was known then – was the answer to the biggest royal crisis in recent years. The succession crisis. Just two years earlier, Victoria’s cousin (and technically aunt), Princess Charlotte of Wales, passed away as a result of childbirth. At that time, Charlotte was the only legitimate grandchild of the frail King George III. As a result, panic spread amongst the palaces and each of the King’s unmarried sons was pressured into marriage in order to produce an heir and secure the British throne. Whilst Victoria’s aunt, Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meining – wife of Prince William, Duke of Clarence (later King William IV), – was able to fall pregnant with a total of five children, none of them survived to their second birthday and by the mid-1820s the couple appeared to have stopped trying. Fortunately, George III’s other son, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, had managed to succeed in getting his wife pregnant and produced a bonnie princess, who would go on to give her name to one of history’s most important eras.

 

The first year of Victoria’s life perfectly foreshadowed the rest of her life. She was born to two parents who doted on her every move, with a father who proudly paraded her around, telling onlookers to take a good look for she would one day be queen. However, just eight months later, the Duke unexpectedly passed away, leaving Victoria and her mother, Victorie, Duchess of Kent, to fend for themselves with whatever money was left after the Duke had over spent and gambled away much of their small fortune. The mother and daughter duo, accompanied by the Duchess’s other daughter from her first marriage, Princess Feodora, took up residence at Kensington Palace. In comparison to the lavish palace that Kensington is today, in the 1820s it was in poor condition and the Kent’s were only given apartments out of pity from King George IV.

Despite having no money and hardly knowing a word of English, the Duchess of Kent did what she could to create a homely environment for the young Victoria. However, without a husband, the Duchess soon turned to Sir John Conroy, former Equerry to the Duke of Kent, for guidance. This is where the story of Victoria’s childhood becomes confusing because in 1825 a set of strict rules, known as the Kensington System, were put in place by the Duchess and her controversial advisor, with the purpose of protecting the growing princess. The rules of the system were:

1. Victoria must share a bedroom with her mother, the Duchess of Kent
2. No footmen were allowed in the Princess’s bedroom and the room would only be attended by a Groom of the Chamber
3. All drinks for breakfast must come from a specified tea / coffee room
4. Victoria’s education must be overlooked by the Duchess directly
5. Victoria was not allowed to walk downstairs alone
6. The lamps on the main staircase would only be lit for the Duchess of Kent and Princess Sophia (daughter of King George III, who also lived at the palace)
7. Victoria must eat a simple diet of plain roast mutton
8. Victoria couldn’t be around other children or adults unless either the Duchess of her governess, Baroness Lehzen were present
9. Victoria would become the nation’s hope and become popular amongst the public.
10. Should Victoria ascend the throne before she came of age (turned 18), the Duchess would rule as Regent

 

Queen Victoria herself described her childhood as ‘rather melancholy’ and who could blame her after reading the rules and restrictions put in place by the dreaded system. Throughout her childhood and even into adulthood, Victoria felt negatively about her upbringing, blaming her mother’s insensitivity towards her daughter on the spellbinding control of John Conroy, the man that Victoria referred to as being the ‘devil incarnate.’

Of course, we cannot blame Victoria for disliking Conroy. She could see that he was manipulating the Duchess for his own gain in power; after all, if the Duchess became Regent then he could easily steer the royal ship with her at the wheel. A perfect example of this was in 1835 when Victoria fell ill and Conroy, accompanied by the Duchess, tried forcing Victoria to sign all power over to her mother. Victoria stubbornly resisted and never forgave him, or the Duchess, for the way they had treated her. There is also speculation that Conroy may have been physically abusive to the young princess, but this has never been confirmed.

When we look at Queen Victoria as a person, we are instantly struck by a woman who knew her own mind and stood strong in her beliefs (unless there was an attractive man involved, but that’s a whole other story). This characteristic had first began in childhood, along with her strong temper and mischievous nature. Described by politician William Wilberforce as a ‘fine, animated child,’ Victoria had a bubbly personality. She loved visiting the theatre to see the opera and ballet and she was also a talented pianist when she wasn’t refusing to rehearse. Like those around her, Victoria was well aware of the trouble she could cause. As part of her strict education the Duchess made Victoria keep a book, in which she would write down how she had behaved. The purpose had been to teach Victoria the importance of good manners, however, Victoria simply saw it as an opportunity to boast about how she had been ‘very naughty.’

 

As part of the Kensington System, Victoria was prevented from mixing with anyone that Conroy and the Duchess deemed to be undesirable companions. Unfortunately for the princess this meant she had limited friends of her own age, with her main company being her sister, Feodora, and the daughter of her nemesis, Victoire Conroy. As a result, Victoria spent much of her time around adults, especially her German Governess, Baroness Louise Lehzen. With her relationship to her mother being somewhat distant, Victoria often thought of Lehzen as an adoptive maternal figure. On one occasion she even described her as ‘my angelic dearest mother, Lehzen, who I do so love.’ As for other company, Victoria formed a close bond with her beloved spaniel, Dash, and relied heavily on her collection of dolls for social entertainment.

For someone with so few friends, it’s interesting to think that for eighteen years Victoria was never alone, with either her mother or Lehzen in her company at all times, often making decisions on her behalf and aiding her with tasks, such as sleeping and accompanying her as she walked downstairs, which she should have been allowed to do independently. Taking all of this into consideration it is easy to see why Victoria looked back at her youth with such resentment. It also makes sense of why she struggled with such strong attachment issues and co-dependency in later life.

However, our opinion of Victoria’s isolated childhood changes almost instantly when we add some ‘what ifs’ to the story. What if the Kensington System had been designed to protect the rather than to control? And what if the true villain of the story wasn’t Conroy and was in fact the Queen’s paternal uncle, the Duke of Cumberland? In the 1820s rumours had spread that the Duke, who was second in line to the throne after Victoria, was plotting to remove his niece from the line of succession. There were also reports that he was warning people of her poor health, even though she was often spotted playing in Kensington Gardens, looking the picture of health. Was the Duke truly plotting something sinister or was this speculation? Nonetheless, any parent hearing such rumours regarding their child would be quick to take every precaution to ensure their safety, therefore justifying the Duchess’s actions.

Whilst Victoria spent years complaining that her mother didn’t care about her wellbeing, this changed as soon as the Duchess passed away in March 1861. As she looked through her mother’s documents, the Queen and her husband, Prince Albert, discovered letters and notes documenting the Duchess’s affection towards her daughter. In that moment, Victoria’s perspective was completely altered as she began remembering the nicer moments from her childhood, including holidays at the seaside and the little notes of affection that the Duchess would leave under Victoria’s pillow as she grew up.

With so many different perspectives it is tricky to know what Victoria’s childhood was truly like. We can, however, admit that, although mistakes were certainly made and there is no doubt over the neglect that Victoria felt as a child, the Duchess of Kent only wanted what was best for her daughter, who would would one day grow up to become one of the most powerful women in history.