Queen Victoria 2 (Pages 33 - 68)

 

On 24 May 1819 Victoria was born in Kensington Palace. 

The doctors who were present during the birth were Charlotte Heidenreich von Siebold and Dr David Daniel Davies. 

Marian Theodore Charlotte Heidenreich von Siebold (12 September 1788 – 8 July 1859) was a German physician. She is regarded as the first gynecologist in Germany.

David Daniel Davis  (15 June 1777 – 4 December 1841) was a British physician. He settled in London, and in 1813 was elected to the office of physician accoucher at the Queen Charlotte Lying-in Hospital.In this role, he was in attendance to the Duchess of Kent when she gave birth to the future Queen Victoria in 1819. 

In January of 1820 Edward and Victoire took Victoria to Sidmouth for a winter holiday. Sidmouth is a town on the English Channel in Devon.

The place where they stayed was Woolbrook Cottage. 

During their stay Edward took sick and died. The Duke of Kent died of pneumonia on 23 January 1820 at Woolbrook Cottage, Sidmouth, and was interred in St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

The doctor who treated Edward was Dr William Maton. William George Maton M.D. (31 January 1774 – 30 March 1835) was an English physician, a society doctor who became associated with the British royal family.

George III died a week after his son, and George IV acceded to the throne. He had a mental illness characterised by acute mania. He developed dementia, and became completely blind and increasingly deaf. He died of pneumonia at Windsor Castle at 8:38 pm on 29 January 1820.

George IV acceded to the throne on January 29, 1820, upon the death of his father, King George III. He had been serving as Prince Regent since 1811 due to his father's prolonged illness. At the time of his accession, George was 57 years old. 

In her deathbed Edward signed a will, leaving Victoire as the guardian of Victoria, and he asked his wife to place her trust in his friend John Cornroy. Sir John Ponsonby Conroy (21 October 1786 – 2 March 1854) was a British military officer best known for serving as comptroller to the Duchess of Kent and her young daughter, the future Queen Victoria.

During her early childhood Victoria grew up without the company of children her age, and she was surrounded by adults who did not leave her alone at any time. Apart from her mother and Conroy, there were other adults like the Baroness de Spath, Mrs Brock, her nurse, Mrs Louis, a dresser, and Johanna Clara Louise Lehzen, her governess.

Marie Walburg, Baroness de Späth, was a Lady-in-waiting to Princess Victoria.

Mrs. Brock was taken into the household of the Duchess of Kent (Victoria's mother) when Victoria was still a baby. She was one of the earliest caregivers for the young princess.

Johanna Clara Louise, Baroness von Lehzen (3 October 1784 – 9 September 1870) was the governess and later companion to Queen Victoria . Lehzen was strongly protective of Victoria, and encouraged the princess to be strong, informed, and independent from the Duchess and Conroy's influence, causing friction within the household.

When George IV was dying, Victoria learnt of her position for the British throne. George's last years were marked by increasing physical and mental decay and withdrawal from public affairs.  By December 1828, like his father, George was almost completely blind from cataracts, andGeorge took laudanum to counteract severe bladder pains, which left him in a drugged and mentally impaired state for days on end. had such severe gout in his right hand and arm that he could no longer sign documents.