In July 1899, Susan B. Anthony, who was almost eighty, was in London for the Worldwide Council of Girls. She wrangled a go to to Windsor Fort for the group:
One day I mentioned to Woman Aberdeen, “Now if this nice Council had been in Washington, I ought to definitely get an invitation for you to name on the President and his spouse. Isn’t it doable for us to safe some recognition from the Queen?” She mentioned she didn’t know, however she would strive, so she despatched a letter to the Queen and quickly acquired a reply from her secretary that Her Majesty would be very pleased to see us. The Queen gave instructions to present tea for the women. “Ah, however,” mentioned the secretary, “you should bear in mind that you may have to present for a whole lot.” “Properly,” was the Queen’s reply, “if there be 1000’s, present for 1000’s. I can’t enable the women to name upon me with out giving them a cup of tea.” The tables had been positioned in St. George’s corridor, the banquet-room of the palace, the place all varieties of refreshments, with the luxuries of the season, hot-house grapes, strawberries, and many others., had been served on the royal china by the Queen’s personal retainers in scarlet livery.
Victoria didn’t personally greet Anthony or the opposite delegates however allowed them to witness her setting out for a day drive. As Ida Husted Harper, Anthony’s official biographer, recalled,
Our get together handed by means of the outdated Norman gateway, the most historic portion of the citadel, and then we paused underneath the shadow of the nice spherical tower. . . . The omnipresent red-coated, fur-topped troopers stand guard at the entrance, a solitary policeman paces again and forth and tries to evade the volley of questions from the crowd of girls who are afraid to strategy the troopers however who have policemen at residence. Far throughout the court docket in an open doorway stand three people in lengthy coats, white “spats” and silk hats. They are the gentlemen-in-waiting. We have a fellow feeling for them, now we have been ladies-in-waiting for extra than an hour.
At final a wave of pleasure goes scurrying over the dry gravel. We are all organized in a semi-circle alongside the driveway. A broad, low carriage dashes up to the major door in the southeast nook, drawn by two lovely dappled bay horses with black factors, attended by two outriders, mounted on prancing steeds, a good match to the others. The coachman is an precise counterpart of the typical John Bull Varied functionaries seem; one stands at the horses’ heads, one other blocks the wheels so they might not transfer. White-aproned maids are seen in the corridor—and now comes the Queen! Carried in a chair by a stalwart Scotchman in plaid and kilts and naked legs, and a tall, black East Indian in white skirt and turban, she is gently positioned in the carriage. The Princess Beatrice takes a seat beside her, and the chief lady-in-waiting sits reverse, however we have eyes solely for Victoria.
As slowly as the horses can step she approaches the line. All round us the English girls whisper, “Don’t overlook to courtesy [sic]!” We People haven’t been taught to criminal the knee however we make our very greatest bow. The carriage stops earlier than Woman Aberdeen, who stands at the head of the line. She courtesies to the floor and kisses the prolonged fingers. A Canadian girl, who is introduced on account of some particular service, does the identical. Then, horror of horrors, up steps a girl from the United States and shakes the Queen’s hand! She supposed, of course, Her Majesty was going to greet all of us in that democratic style. Slowly the carriage passes on, pausing for one more second in entrance of the delegates from India in their picturesque clothes. The English girls start to sing “God Save the Queen.” We People do not know the phrases, however, led by Emma Thursby, we sing “America” to the identical tune, and it solutions simply as effectively. Her Majesty smiles and seems to be happy. She is a beautiful outdated girl, with honest hair and blue eyes, a complexion as pink and white as a lady’s, and does not seem a day over sixty. On goes the carriage, underneath the excessive arch beneath which solely royalty can move—and the nice occasion is over. The Queen has sanctioned the Girl’s Congress!
Anthony advised the London Day by day Chronicle: “I shall at all times bear in mind the pleasant sensation of sitting there on a couch in the Queen’s personal residence, consuming her tea, and, as it had been, breaking bread together with her. It was not a mere matter of curiosity with us; we felt that the Queen is a grand girl, who has set a good instance to the nations of the world, that her affect has at all times been for peace, and that she has been a good spouse and a good mom; furthermore in her reign girl has made monumental advance.”
In an interview with an American syndicate after her return to america, Anthony mentioned, “I assumed Her Majesty was a really human trying girl—a superb, motherly girl. That’s normally one’s first impression in assembly royalty or the Aristocracy—that they’re much like different folks—that’s, refined and cultured folks. . . . The Queen is a most conspicuous instance to refute the oft repeated assertion that public life destroys the female instincts and unfits girls for residence duties. Because the mom of 9 youngsters and head of the biggest family on this planet, she at all times has been distinguished for her wifely and maternal devotion and for her thrift and talent in managing her home affairs.”
Anthony’s interactions with the nice throughout her go to to England weren’t with out their hiccups. As Harper recalled:
Two little tales are advised about that staunchest exponent of democratic and republican establishments, Susan B. Anthony. On one event she truly undertook to introduce one of many biggest lords of the dominion to 2 poor little lady workers on a London paper, and, as if this weren’t sufficiently heinous, she advised him frankly that she had forgotten his title. He didn’t inform it to her and if Gibson may have caught the expression of his lordship’s face he may need produced his masterpiece.
At one other time she was invited to a luncheon to fulfill the Princess Christian, the Queen’s daughter. After shaking fingers together with her and speaking a couple of minutes. Miss Anthony sat down. Presently some one got here and advised her she should not sit whereas royalty was standing. A few of her buddies say that her eighty years and the fatigue from the pressure of the previous weeks justified her in sitting. Others say that she may have stood up two hours if she had had a suffrage speech to make, however that the terrible breach of etiquette was as a consequence of ‘that spirit of her Quaker ancestors which made them face loss of life moderately than take off their hats to a king. Miss Anthony herself solely laughs and “refuses to be interviewed.”
From Ida Husted Harper, Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony, vol. 3.
