Shooting Victoria (72 page)

Robert Peel, Victoria's second Prime Minister. The Queen's initial repulsion to Peel had under Albert's influence changed to respect and affection by 1842, the year of Francis's and Bean's attempts. Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, London.

William Ewart Gladstone, the prime minister Victoria most despised, and the one who did the most to strengthen her monarchy. Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, London.

Lord John Russell, prime minister at the time of Hamilton's and Pate's attempts in 1849 and 1850. Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, London.

Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, who as Foreign Secretary drove Victoria and Albert to a state of distraction. Palmerston's stunning speech in the 1850 Don Pacifico debate, given two days before Robert Pate struck the Queen, saved his career and confirmed him as the most popular politician of the day. Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, London.

The Opening of the Great Exhibition by Queen Victoria on 1 May 1851
, by Henry Courtney Selous. Victoria proclaimed this day the greatest of her life. She stands with Albert and her two eldest children, diplomats and dignitaries arrayed before them. Foremost in the group on the right is He-Sing, owner of a Chinese junk, and Victoria's benign assailant on this day. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

William Hamilton's attempt, 19 May 1849. Hamilton, in his bricklayer's outfit, stood on Constitution Hill close to where Oxford and Francis had stood before him, but on the other side of the Green Park palings. He immediately faced the wrath of crowds on both sides of that fence. From the
Illustrated London News
.

Robert Pate's attempt, 27 June 1850, outside the narrow gates of Cambridge House on Piccadilly, where Victoria had gone to visit her dying uncle, the Duke of Cambridge. From the
Illustrated London News
.

Sir Charles Wentworth Dilke, Second Baronet: his 1871 speaking tour marked the high-water mark of Victorian British Republicanism. Weeks later, the illness and recovery of the Prince of Wales and the failure of Arthur O'Connor's attempt crushed the movement.

Benjamin Disraeli depicted in
Punch
in 1876 as a sorcerer offering Victoria the grand gift of the imperial crown. Disraeli's carefully cultured dedication to serving the Queen made him the ideal prime minister in her eyes, and made his rival Gladstone that much more unpalatable to her.

Victoria and her recovering son Bertie during the thanksgiving procession of 27 February 18, 1872, as depicted in the
Illustrated London News
. John Brown sits on the back of the carriage, in full Highland dress. Arthur O'Connor tried and failed to make his attempt on this day; he would have better luck in confronting the Queen two days later.

Punch
depicts the death of British republicanism: Sir Charles Wentworth Dilke presented as Arthur O'Connor failing in his attempt, with William Gladstone as a policeman, arresting the progress of Dilke's republican motion.