The 1855 visit to Britain by the French Imperial couple Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie
- Victoria Regina
- 24 hours ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 12 hours ago
In April 1855 Emperor Napoleon III and his wife Empress Eugénie were invited to make a State Visit to England, in part an attempt to persuade Napoleon III against carrying out a wish to travel to the Crimea to lead his troops. Many important meetings in relevance to the future conduct of the war took place throughout the visit. The state visit was divided into two parts, with four days spent at Windsor and three in London.
Although the journey was plagued with dense fog which endangered the Imperial yatch, the Imperial couple arrived safely at Dover. Prince Albert had travelled to Dover to meet the Imperial couple, and then escorted them to London via train before driving across the city in an open carriage escorted by the Household Cavalry. On their progress from the South-Eastern terminus they passed King Street in which the Emperor indicated his former residence to Empress Eugénie. When the Imperial couple arrived at Windsor, Queen Victoria received them with her eldest children, ministers and members of her court and Yeomen of the Guard in attendance.
Two mishaps threatened to spoil the start of the occasion, the Empress's hairdresser had not arrived at Windsor, but was at Charing Cross, threatening to kill himself if somebody did not take him to Paddington at once. He was eventually fetched, but arrived too late to be of assistance to his mistress that evening. Moreover, she was told that her dressing case and the trunk containing her dresses was also missing. One of her ladies came to the rescue by lending her a simple dress and placed
chrysanthemums, taken from a vase, in her hair.
During the afternoon of the 17th April 1855, the royal couples attended a military review in Windsor's Great Park. The review consisted of infantry and cavalry men who had been serving in the Crimea. Among them were a dozen fine horses that the Emperor had sent from France as a present to Queen Victoria.
In the evening a ball was held in honour of the Imperial couple at The Waterloo Chamber in Windsor Castle.
On the 18th April a Council of War was attended by Prince Albert, the Emperor, and some of their Ministers. The gathering was to discuss military and strategic matters. In the afternoon the Queen invested the Emperor with the Order of The Garter in the throne room of Windsor Castle. As the congregation departed the throne room The Emperor was heard remarking to The Queen 'Enfin je suis gentilhomme' (At last i am a gentleman) To commence the memorable day a concert (only of orchestral music) took place in the music room of Windsor Castle.
Before the Emperor and Empress set out for their journey to London they recieved an address at Windsor from the Corporation of London. Immediately after the Emperor and Empress had arrived at Buckingham Palace, they were obliged to leave for a state luncheon at the guildhall. This was followed by a diplomatic levée at the French embassy, and in the evening a command performance of Fidelio at Covent Garden.
The following day, which was also the Emperor's forty-seventh birthday,
they drove to see the Crystal Palace at Sydenham. The public had been excluded from the venue as to allow the monarchs and entourage to walk around undisturbed. Although by the time luncheon was over the building was opened to the public again! They had to walk through a crowd of at least 30,000 people which made the Queen somewhat unnerved. A rare but predominant photograph taken of the two royal couples on a dais during their visit to the Crystal Palace Exhibition is often referred to as one of the world's first propaganda photographs.
Victoria's journal entry is typically detailed and full of amused asides, such as when she heard the cry "Vive le Hempereur" in cockney English! from the enthusiastic crowds lining their route. At the Crystal Palace, the sovereigns toured the galleries and then shared a luncheon, after they sat before the public on a dais to hear The French national anthem being played.
The last event on the programme was a concert at the palace with 400 guests invited-a day after this was the last of their visit. Although it consisted mostly of operatic arias, which the Queen enjoyed, as with the case at Fidelio two days earlier, she and the Emperor spent most of the time talking throughout the performance. She had already noticed that he was not very interested in music. By the following morning, they found themselves at a sad leaving party outside the palace, as the Empress flung herself into the Queen's arms and begged them to come and spend a return visit at Paris as soon as they were able. It went off so beautifully the Queen noted, 'not a hitch nor contretemps, fine weather, everything smiling. The nation enthusiastic, and happy in the firm and intimate alliance of two great countries, whose enmity would prevent peace for their country'. A few days later, she wrote a lengthy memorandum on the visit and her impressions of her guests. Her admiration for Napoleon knew few bounds:
"[He is] a very extraordinary man, with great qualities there can be no doubt-I might almost say a mysterious man. He is evidently possessed of indomitable courage, unflinching firmness of purpose, self-reliance perseverance, and great secrecy ... and at the same time he is endowed with wonderful self-control, great calmness, even gentleness and with a power of fascination, the effect of which upon all those who become more intimately acquainted with him is most sensibly felt."