teatimeatwinterpalace:Prince Leopold’s sixth birthday, April 1859.Leopold was six in April 1859, and
teatimeatwinterpalace:Prince Leopold’s sixth birthday, April 1859.Leopold was six in April 1859, and his birthday was celebrated with a children’s costume ball at Buckingham Palace. The Queen and Prince Albert collected him from the schoolroom in the morning and took him to see his presents. The excitement rose in the evening as the children put on their costume. Leopold and Arthur appeared as the sons of Henry IV, in tights and short doublets, while their sisters Helena and Louise became Swiss peasants for the night. Writing to her daughter, the Queen remarked ‘ Your sisters and little brothers looked very pretty, particularly Arthur and Louise. ’ The evening was a triumph, described in the pages of the Illustrated London News and other society journals. The Queen and Prince ALbert, the Duchess of Kent, and a select gathering of royal parents, stood on a dais to watch just over two hundred guests, all between the ages of six and fourteen, dance a polonaise, a quadrille, waltzes and galops, until supper was served at midnight. ’ The Children all enjoyed it so much,’ said the Queen, ‘no one more than little Leopold.’ Queen Victoria’s youngest son : The untold story of Prince Leopold -- source link