Queen Victoria's Footman: Another Royal Anecdote

In the days when Prince Albert had come to woo Queen Victoria, the crowd of people who wished to catch a glimpse of royalty as it promenaded upon the terrace at Windsor Castle was greatly increased by reason of the general interest in the young couple. One day a Yorkshireman who had determined to get a good look at the Queen appeared at the gates by which the spectator was usually admitted and thus accosted a man, a footman evidently, who was at that moment crossing the courtyard:

"Look here, John, Robert, whatever they call you. I come from the country."

" So I hear," said the footman.

" Well, I've never seen the Queen, and I want to get a good sight of her. Now can't you just let me through the gates, just before the rest of the folks. I want to get a good place, you see."

" Well, sir," said the man, " I don't know whether I should dare. I might lose my place, you see."

"Of course not. You’ll never lose your place for such a thing as that. You can say to the Queen that she hasn't gotten a more loyaller subject than John Stokes, not in all Yorkshire. I just want to go in just before the rest of them."

" Well come along, then," said the man. He opened the gate and the eager Yorkshire man robbed through. As he did so an idea seemed to strike him, and he stopped to tender the foot man a half crown,

"No, thank yon sir," said the man, “we are forbidden to take fees,"

"Take it, man, take it. Nobody'll know."

" No, thank you, sir."

The Yorkshireman secured a foremost place, and in due time appeared the Queen and Prince. More than that conversing familiarly with her Majesty was the footman.

"Just look there," cried the country visitor to a bystander. He's a laughing and talking to the Queen like anything."

"Who?" asked the bystander.

" Why, the chap that opened me the gate—the footman—him with  the blue coat and red collar."

"Blue coat and red collar? Why, that's the Windsor uniform ; and your footman is Lord Melbourne, the Prime Minister!”