Lord William Melbourne, Queen Victoria’s well-known prime minister, descended from the great landed aristocracy that had ruled Great Britain for most of the eighteenth century. Some of their members had sat in Parliament for many years, including one who never opened his mouth during his forty-year tenure.1
For most of his life, Lord Melbourne had been in good health. At one time he was fond of riding horses and taking long walks. He also was afflicted by the common complaints that afflict most people, such as influenza; and as he grew older, he became prone to digestive symptoms that at the time went under the name of “bilious attacks.” Lord Cecil mentions in his biography that he was a ravenous eater. Considering he eventually had a stroke, he may have had hypertension, but no devices for measuring blood pressure were available in his time, nor were the deleterious consequences of untreated hypertension yet understood.
There was a tradition in the families of the Whig aristocracy that young men like William Melbourne were to receive a good education. William learned the classics, Greek, and Latin, and was sent to Eton College, Trinity in Cambridge, and the University of Glasgow. For a brief period, he studied law (1804) but later preferred to enter politics. Elected to a Whig seat in Parliament in 1806, he served in the House of Commons for 25 years. In 1828, he moved to the House of Lords and held the position of Home Secretary until 1834. A short four-month ministry was his first experience as prime minister, but then the entire cabinet was dismissed by King William IV in favor of the Tories. He regained power in April 1835, becoming prime minister for the second time. Two years later, in 1837, the young and inexperienced Victoria came to the throne, and he became her political mentor.
Victoria came to rely on his advice and wisdom. He was politically moderate and able to advise her on all political matters. In time, their daily conversations expanded from political discussions to court news and historical dialogues. He saw her constantly, visited her at least twice a day, sometimes as many as three times. They were also writing to each other once a day; and it was calculated that in first five years of Victoria’s reign Melbourne spent four or five hours daily talking or writing to his royal mistress. No doubt it was his duty to do so, but what began as a duty soon turned into an intense pleasure.2
Victoria was eighteen years old when she became queen. Melbourne was in his late fifties, about forty years her senior. For many years, his personal life had been complicated by his marriage with Lady Caroline Lamb, who had severe mental health problems, most of which now would be diagnosed as bipolar disorder. She also took drugs, caused public disturbances, and made suicidal threats. These problems continued to impact their marriage until Caroline’s death in 1828.
In 1841 the Whigs were defeated at the polls and fell from power. William Peel, the Tory leader, became prime minister. Lord Melbourne’s entire life suddenly felt purposeless, as he was no longer able to see the Queen. He increasingly became depressed and seemed to age more quickly. The next year, he had a stroke. It left him partially paralyzed on his left side, impairing his speech and mobility, effectively ending his political career. He died in 1848 at age 69, perhaps from superimposed pneumonia or heart failure. He is remembered as a wise, politically moderate politician, and as a mentor of young Victoria before she was able to come into her own.
Further reading
- Lord David Cecil. Melbourne. New York: Harmony Books, 1939.
- Lytton Strachey. Queen Victoria. London: Chatto and Windus, 1922.