The Queen took the liveliest interest in the many objects of historical interest which were shown to her.  “We saw the rooms where Queen Mary lived, her bed, the dressing-room into which the murderers entered who killed Rizzio, and the spot where he fell, where, as the old housekeeper said to me, ‘If the lady would stand on that side,’ I would see that the boards were discoloured by the blood.  Every step is full of historical recollections, and our living here is quite an epoch in the annals of this old pile, which has seen so many deeds, more bad, I fear, than good.”

Both the Queen and her husband had an especial love for animals, and the Queen’s suite, when she travelled, always included a number of dogs.  Her favourites were Skye terriers and the so-called ‘turnspits’ which were introduced into this country by Prince Albert.  One of the Queen’s great delights at Windsor was to walk round the farms and inspect the cattle, which are still, owing largely to the careful methods of feeding and tending instituted by the Prince, among the finest in the world.  Kindness to animals was a lesson she taught to all her children, and pictures and statuettes of all her old favourites were to be found in her homes.

THE ROYAL FAMILY

QUEEN VICTORIA m.  PRINCE ALBERT of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
               1840
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         | | | | | | | | |
         | | | | | | | | |
Victoria, Princess | Princess Alice | | | | | Princess Beatrice
Royal (Empress | (Grand Duchess | | | | | (Princess Henry of
Frederick of | of Hesse) | | | | | Battenberg)
Germany) born 1840 | born 1843 | | | | | born 1857
                   | | | | | |
-------------------- | | | | -----------
| | | | | |
| ----------------------- | | | |
| | | | | Prince Leopold
| | --------- | | (Duke of Albany)
| Prince Alfred, Duke | | | born 1853
| of Edinburgh (Duke | | |
| of Saxe-Coburg and Princess Helena | --------
| Gotha) born 1844 (Princess Christian | |
| of Schleswig- | |
| Holstein) born 1846 | Prince Arthur
| | (Duke of Connaught)
| | born 1850
| |
| Princess Louise
-------------- (Duchess of Argyll)
             | born 1848
             |
Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, m.  Princess