Dinner with Queen Vuctoria by Evelyn

Dinner with Queen Vuctoria by Evelyn - February 2016 Scholarship Essay

Dinner with Queen Victoria
By Evelyn Donahoe
We would fall easily into conversation, Queen Victoria and I, because we have so very much in common. We both take up less space - by which I mean we are both shorter than average - yet neither of us were ever ignored. She was deferred to because she was the queen of the British Empire. But I believe that if she had been no more than a cook, she would still have been a woman whose presence drew the eyes of all in any room. Some of us are bigger than the space we fill. I, for example, can’t disappear into the wallpaper – even if I try.
Our greatest common bond is widowhood, and a rather specific kind of widowhood at that. She and her Albert were deeply in love, happily married, and partners in the business of running England. My Mike and I were also deeply I love, happily married, and partners in the music business in Austin. Both of our husbands died 21 years after our weddings.
She and I both suffered from grief for a significant period of time after the loss of our true loves. It was said that she had Albert’s clothes laid out every morning and a place set for him at every meal. The phrase “We shall have our tea,” referred to her intent to have him with her, even if his presence was only represented by china and silver. For this, she was privately and publicly mocked. She held her head even higher. Eventually she returned to her duties, attacking them with vigor. Historyextra.com’s article, “Prince Albert: The death that rocked the monarchy,” verifies this information and states of Queen Victoria that, as the years passed and Britain changed, “she liked being called the Empress of India.” She found many ways, aside from tea time, to honor her love. The greatest of those was the building of Albert Hall…her tribute to his devotion to art, science, and music.
Although I never became empress of anything, I found a way to pay tribute to my own husband and his devotion to Austin music. I published a book about the independent scene of which we were so much a part for six magical years. The book has sold well and garnered great reviews in Texas and in Europe. And, like Victoria, I have taken on new obligations and faced battles that might or might not have been part of the life I am no longer lucky enough to share.
Over dinner I believe that Victoria and I would share intimate giggles over special things our husbands did and said. I think we might both shed a few tears of as we reminisce, but also relish our good fortune to have married good men, instead of the jerks we might have found in our beds. I think we’d celebrate the things we accomplished alongside our husbands, and those we’ve accomplished since. And I believe we would reinforce in each other the fact that, although we never “moved on,” we both came to embrace our new lives and to “move forward.”
I think we would also giggle over how easily others fall prey to our power; over how remarkable it is that plump, little women - as are we - can get even more that is due to us. I gain such feats by being generous and gracious in my sometimes excessive requests. I believe she very likely understood that the power to command often comes from simple courtesy.
Our lively dinner would certainly include chatter about the beauty and charm of Scotland, which captured both Queen Victoria’s heart and mine. Balmoral Estate was a favorite getaway of hers and Scotland travel guides claim that from the moment she saw the traditional Highland Games in action, she recognized the marketability of Scot traditions.
As a long-time marketing specialist I can certainly appreciate that revelation. After all, what red-blooded woman can look at a burley, kilted, Scotsman and not consider happy possibilities?