IN June 1837, William IV died. He was succeeded by his niece, Victoria, who
was just 18 years old. Not only was she young in years, she was also young
in experience. Neither George IV nor William IV had allowed her to see
much of the world, or to be trained for kingship. Worse, she had had few
emotional points of reference. Her father, Edward, Duke of Kent, had died
when she was a mere girl. Her mother was pretentious, ambitious, and
increasingly resented. Trust and affection were therefore directed towards her
governess, the Baroness Lehzen. For such a girl, spirited, enquiring but
unknowing, to come upon the world suddenly as an anointed queen must
have been an astonishing experience. The light was dazzling. She was badly
in need of a guide and mentor, who could translate the world of politics and
social regulation into language that was readily comprehensible. He appeared
in the person of Melbourne, 58 years old, and someone who had taken most
of the knocks that life could give. For a man with such a reputation to under-
take the political education of a young queen naturally gave rise to gossip and
questioning. On the face of it, hardly anyone could have had a less attractive
curriculum vitae for the task in hand. Yet, the friendship between monarch
and minister was quickly recognized as the central fact in politics:

No minister in this country, since the days of Protector Somerset, ever was placed in
such a situation. . . He has a young and inexperienced infant in his hands, whose
whole conduct and opinions must necessarily be in complete subservience to his views.
I do him the justice to believe that he has some feeling for his situation. . . but in the
nature of things, this power must be absolute, at least at court. ¹

The Tory diarist, J. W. Croker, tartly observed: ' Wolsey and Walpole were
in strait waistcoats compared to him.' ²

If William IV's doubts about Whigs had permanently clouded Melbourne's
political prospects, Victoria's uncritical approval immediately added enor-
mous strength to his government. Victoria may or may not have been
Whiggish in sympathy, but she was a Melbournite to the death. No doubt

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