The Lovelight of Apollo. Barbara Cartland

Queen Victoria herself gave in as well.

      Princess Marigold she then became and was undoubtedly a major thorn in the flesh of her benefactress.

      She was brought up at Windsor Castle and indeed there was plenty of room in that huge unwieldy edifice for a dozen or more children if necessary.

      But it was often felt by those in attendance that it was too small for Princess Marigold and she was invariably in trouble of one sort or another.

      However, as she grew up, she became extremely pretty, in fact a real beauty.

      She resembled her mother with her fair hair and pink-and-white English complexion. But her eyes were definitely Greek, dark, expressive and stunningly beautiful in their depths.

      The combination was just so striking that whoever saw her looked at her and then looked at her again.

      This made Queen Victoria even more determined to marry off Princess Marigold as soon as it was possible.

      It would certainly mean a quieter and less turbulent atmosphere inside Windsor Castle.

      Her Majesty might have known, however, that anyone she did chose for her troublesome relative would be totally unacceptable to her.

      Usually before Princess Marigold had even seen the man in question she decided that she would not marry him. Crown Princes were suggested to her one after another.

      All of whom were, as Queen Victoria knew, only too eager to be more closely associated with Great Britain and her ever-growing Empire.

      Princess Marigold stamped her foot and cried, “No! No! No!”

      Princes were invited to England and they came cocky and very pleased with themselves, confident that they would go home closely united through marriage to the British Throne.

      They left with their tails between their legs.

      A sharp little voice said, “no! no! no!” to everything they suggested.

      Then unexpectedly and without any scheming by Queen Victoria, in fact it was without her knowledge, Princess Marigold met Prince Holden of Allenberg.

      He had come to England to stay with some friends of his, who had studied at the same University.

      His visit had not been notified as a special Royal Occasion to Buckingham Palace nor to Windsor Castle.

      It was just by chance that Princess Marigold, having nothing at all to do one afternoon, thought that she would go to Ranelagh and watch the Polo.

      She had been invited many times, but generally found that it was rather boring for the spectators. A lot of galloping about after a small ball.

      However, when she looked in her diary, she found that there was nothing specific for her to do that day.

      So she decided on an impulse that she would drive to Ranelagh.

      A good-looking young Duke with whom she had danced the previous night had told her that he was playing against a team arranged by the German Embassy.

      “I believe they rather fancy themselves,” he had said, “but I am quite certain, Your Royal Highness, that we will win. We are in tip-top form and have won every game we have played so far this Season.”

      He had paused and then added,

      “We would, of course, be very honoured if you would come to watch us play tomorrow afternoon.”

      Princess Marigold had actually enjoyed herself that evening. No one had pestered her to go home early or told her that she could not dance for the third time with the same partner.

      She had therefore given orders when she awoke that she would be going to Ranelagh.

      This meant that she had to take a Lady-in-Waiting with her.

      The one whose turn it was complained bitterly,

      “I have a headache,” she told the other Ladies-in-Waiting. “So why cannot that tiresome girl stay here instead of gallivanting off to watch Polo where I will doubtless have to sit in the sun all afternoon.”

      She gave a sigh before continuing,

      “I shall then have to listen to her saying all the way home that she was bored.”

      It must have been a real surprise to her later that Princess Marigold was in such a good temper.

      Especially as, when they finally did drive back to Windsor Castle, it was quite late in the evening.

      “I must see you tomorrow,” Prince Holden had said as he helped her into her carriage.

      “You will not forget?” the Princess had replied in a soft voice.

      “How could you imagine that I could forget anything that concerns you?” he asked.

      They had looked into each other’s eyes.

      It was with the greatest reluctance that the Prince moved away so that the footman could close the door of the carriage.

      As Princess Marigold drove off, she bent forward to wave to him.

      He then stood watching until the carriage was well out of sight.

      *

      Prince Holden had arrived at Windsor Castle the next day to pay his humble respects to Queen Victoria.

      And she had received him in her study without much enthusiasm.

      Allenberg was a very small South German Principality and of no particular importance or standing in the world.

      However Her Majesty was determined to prevent the unscrupulous way that the Russians were trying to exert influence in a number of the smaller Balkan States.

      They had already infiltrated into Serbia and the other North Balkan States as well.

      The Czar of Russia had fortunately not been successful in gaining control of Bulgaria.

      Prince Alexander of Battenberg had refused to act as a Russian puppet.

      Finally the Russians kidnapped the Prince and had then forced him to abdicate at pistol-point.

      Queen Victoria had been furious.

      “Russia behaves and has behaved shamefully and disgracefully!” she raged.

      It was because of what had happened in Bulgaria that finally she became more amenable to the idea of Princess Marigold marrying Prince Holden.

      However Bulgaria was a large country while Allenberg was a very small one.

      Over and over again she told Princess Marigold how advantageous it would be for her to marry a man who could make her a Queen.

      To Queen Victoria’s surprise, however, for almost the first time since the death of the Prince Consort, she found that she could not have her own way.

      “I intend, Cousin Victoria,” Princess Marigold insisted firmly, “to marry Prince Holden even if I have to elope with him and am never allowed to set foot on English soil again!”

      Finally and reluctantly, because nothing she could say would move Princess Marigold, Queen Victoria conceded.

      The engagement between Prince Holden of Allenberg and the Princess Maigold was to be announced the following week.

      Unfortunately the day before the engagement should have appeared in the newspapers, an elderly relative of the Queen and the Princess had died unexpectedly.

      This meant that Royalty were now to be dressed in black for six months and there was no question of even a minor Royal Wedding taking place until the time of mourning was past.

      The Queen therefore decided that their engagement was to be kept secret from everyone except those living in Windsor Castle and the public announcement would be made when the actual date of the Wedding was decided.

      Now in a voice that was almost hysterical