ABSTRACT
On Wednesday 9 December 1868, William Gladstone became Queen Victoria's eighth prime minister. Gladstone was a convinced monarchist whose fervent religious belief made him regard Queen Victoria's rule as sacred. The first significant breach between the Queen and Gladstone occurred in 1869 when the Queen declined to open parliament in person, claiming that she was too weak. A universal feeling of discontent at the Queen's seclusion found voice in all the leading newspapers and journals. Between 1871 and 1874 alone, 84 republican clubs were founded in Birmingham, Cardiff, London, Aberdeen and other big cities, calling for the Queen to abdicate or be deposed. The Queen's recently appointed private secretary, the Liberal grandee Sir Henry Ponsonby, no doubt shared the view of most of the population when he commented that he was thankful that there was no 'talking now of this or that Seidlitz-Stinkinger' joining the royal family. The 54-year-old Queen grew to like the 69-year-old Disraeli more and more.
