Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Conversation After the Funeral

Translator: 549690339 |

Around 3 PM, the hearse officially arrived outside Windsor Castle and continued to move along the Long Walk of the castle.

This was the last stretch of road leading to Windsor Castle, with thousands of British citizens gathered on both sides of the route to wait.

Under the reluctant gaze of the British people, Queen Victoria’s hearse entered the Windsor Castle enclosure, disappearing from the sight of everyone present.

The final funeral ceremony was held at St. George’s Chapel within Windsor Castle, a church often used by the royal family for weddings, christenings, and funerals.

The burial ceremony was presided over by the Bishop of St George’s Chapel, David Connor. Since the burial ceremony was by invitation only, only about 4.00 guests attended.

The main attendees of the ceremony were the royal family and current and former staff of the private estate, symbolizing the end of Queen Victoria’s reign.

The royal crown, symbolizing sovereignty, and the monarch’s orb and scepter was removed from the top of the coffin by the crown jeweler. Queen Victoria was separated from her crown for the last time.

Then, under the leadership of Edward VII, all the British royal family sang hymns in St. George’s Chapel, including Arthur.

After the last hymn, the Guard of Honour placed their regimental flag on the coffin, representing the highest-ranking honor guard responsible for monarch travel ceremonies.

Finally, the church resounded with blessings and songs of ‘God Save the King,’ sending Queen Victoria into the Royal Mosolas Tomb, buried beside Prince Albert.

With this, the funeral of Queen Victoria officially ended, marking the end of the Victorian era and the beginning of the new era under Edward VH’s rule.

As Edward VH’s title had already been confirmed, his official title would be King Edward VII of Britain and Emperor of India.

As Queen Victoria’s coffin entered the tomb, the focus of the audience gradually shifted to Edward VII.

As the reigning king of Britain and the helmsman of the British Empire, Edward, with the remaining prestige of Queen Victoria, would hold considerable power and influence in Britain.

Edward’s attitudes and actions would also determine the future policies and actions of the British government.

As the current leading superpower, all nations were waiting for Britain’s stance on the current European situation and which side they would choose.

However, Edward VII remained extremely low-key during the funeral, maintaining a serious and reserved attitude and refusing any attempts at conversation or contact with others.

With no other option, the attendees dispersed but did not leave Britain.

That was because another grand ceremony awaited them in seven days: the coronation of Edward VII.

These spectators would witness the change of power in Britain, as well as the transition between the old and the new, both today and seven days later.

Arthur, mixed in among them, was just about to sneak away when he heard a familiar voice calling him from behind.

“Arthur, long time no see!”

He turned and saw that it was William II, whom he had not seen since their parting on White Island a month ago.

William II was similarly low-key today, firstly because the protagonists could only be Queen Victoria and the British Royal Family, and secondly, because his popularity in Britain was indeed less than that of Edward VII.

However, William II didn’t care about these things. On the contrary, the fewer people paying attention to William II on the scene, the more relaxed he was.

“Cousin William, it has indeed been a long time,” Arthur replied with a smile and a bow.

Previously, the farewell procession could only be made up of members of the British Royal Family, so even though William II was an emperor, he had to wait at Windsor Castle.

“Arthur, what about having a meal together later?” There were too many foreign officials and royals around, and William II had no plans to discuss matters with Arthur now.

“Of course.” Arthur nodded and followed William 11, one in front of the other, out of Windsor Palace.

One was the emperor of the German Empire, and the other was a noble duke specially protected by Queen Victoria’s testamentary will. The departure of William II and Arthur attracted a lot of people’s attention, including Edward VII.

Edward VII watched the two leave like good friends, a deep light flashing in his eyes, before striking up casual conversations with his guests like nothing happened.

William Il’s reserved restaurant was in a private estate in the suburbs of London and was not open to the public.

It was a restaurant only for nobles and high-ranking officials. Clearly, its owner was William II.

One cannot deny the luxury of Western monarchs and nobles. In later generations, such top-tier restaurants as the “Tire Three Stars” could not compete with the many private restaurants, which were visited only a few times a year.

After inquiring about Arthur’s tastes and preferences, the kitchen staff began to prepare lunch for William II and Arthur.

As for ordering, it simply wasn’t done in such a restaurant.

After dismissing the royal guards, William II laughed and looked at Arthur, saying, “Arthur, I didn’t expect your great-grandmother to care so much about you. The first thing she mentioned on her deathbed was to give you British New Guinea and New Zealand.”

Arthur smiled and shook his head, saying, “Compared to these two territories, I would rather my grandmother not leave.”

“Enough of the heavy stuff, Arthur. Your great-grandmother has left, but life must go on, right? After acquiring British New Guinea and New Zealand, Australia can claim to be the dominant power in the South Pacific and establish regional hegemony,” said William II, changing the subject with a smile.

“Cousin William, you are exaggerating. Where is the regional hegemony? Australia, at best, has some say in places like Oceania, surrounded by small colonies of the powers and the Dutch East Indies to the north which are protected by various countries. We can only focus on developing in Oceania, and in any case, it is unrelated to hegemony,” Arthur shook his head and denied.

Given another ten years or even longer for Australia to develop, establishing regional hegemony in Oceania and Southeast Asia may be possible.

But if it’s just now, Australia is merely a weak regime that has barely gained independence from its colonies, and at best, it can barely ensure its own independence.

“Arthur, how did the negotiations with Uncle Edward go? Did Britain agree to give Australia a large amount of aid?” William II got to the point, curious to ask.

By lineage, there is no doubt that Australia is closer to Britain. Most Australians are British immigrants and exiled criminals, as well as indigenous Australians. After decades or even a hundred years of blending and evolution, a new nation has been formed.

After Arthur’s integration of Australia’s six colonies, the concept of Australians has become vague and can be used to refer to all citizens in general.

If viewed in this sense, more than half of Australians are of British descent, and the vast majority have British ancestry..