Advent Day 15: Christmas Eve 1851 – Queen Victoria’s Journals
- youngqueenvictoria
- Dec 15, 2025
- 2 min read
“This dear family festival I ever hail with joy. — Albert out shooting & I, walking with Lenchen. — When I came home much occupied with Xmas presents, sending them off &c. & preparing for the evening. —
In the afternoon, after a short walk my time entirely taken up with the Xmas preparations, which really are of a great magnitude, a happy time, but one which puts me always in a great fuss. After giving our presents to the Governesses, & personal servants, we went at ¼ p. 6 with Mama as usual first into the room with my Xmas tree & beautiful gifts. Amongst them is from my dear Albert the little marble group of the 2 lovely sleeping Children, which
I had always so much admired at the Exhibition. I have received so many beautiful & useful things, but I cannot enumerate them all.
After this we went to the next room, where the Children’s tree stood, surrounded with multitudes of toys, books, &c & dear Mama’s presents, were as usual also arranged there. The 7 children’s ecstasies over their things was a pleasing sight, & the whole looked so light & gay. Albert’s tree was in the 3rd room, & he was kindly pleased with all my gifts. Vicky & Alice worked things for both him & me, & the Boys wrote out Poems. We continued the whole evening in the rooms. At 7 Household received their tree & gifts, & afterwards came to door’s where the Children’s toys were a great attraction.
No one extra to Dinner. — Phipps & Grey, all, delighted at the great news. A piece of good telegraphic news, is the safe delivery of the Queen of Spain, on the 20th, of a daughter. — John Russell sent me a wonderful note from Lord Palmerston to him, saying he could not admit the accusation of want of decorum & prudence for Ld John himself contradicted this by offering him the Ld Lieutenancy of Ireland, for which office he concluded “prudence & decorum” were required!! Really very impertinent, but at the same time it rather serves Ld John right for his weakness in offering this post.”
RA VIC/MAIN/QVJ (W) [24 December 1837] (PRINCESS BEATRICE’S COPIES), VOLUME 32, p235-237, RETRIEVED [30 November 2025]. Supplied by Royal Collection Trust / © HM King Charles III
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