Start 1861: I just inherited the Dutch throne

Chapter 371 Attack from the husband of the Queen of the Netherlands in her previous life

William IV's "suggestion" plunged the entire British House of Commons into silence.

"His Majesty William IV, may I ask a question?"

An energetic middle-aged voice sounded, and everyone looked over.

He was the leader of the opposition Whig Party and former Prime Minister Creston.

Creston was a Whig senator.

Today I was invited to attend the speech of William IV in the House of Commons.

Disraeli looked at Creston in surprise, unable to guess what he was thinking for a while, but as an opponent for many years, there was no doubt about his ability.Disraeli instantly understood that Creston must have evil intentions.

"However, I would like to see what you want to do?"

William IV on the stage looked at Creston unexpectedly. Although the two had never met, the portrait of the other person had already been imprinted in his mind.

The Whig Crichton, the man who replaced Viscount Palmerston as Prime Minister for a year.

Waving to stop Hesbert von who was not far away, William IV understood that they were asking if they wanted to block Creston's sudden request. As long as William IV refused and Hesbert von found another reason, It would make it impossible to ask questions.

Many people believed that William IV should reject Creston when he clearly wanted to cause trouble.

However, they miscalculated William IV.

William IV showed a smile on his face and said, "Are you Mr. Creston?"

"I am Creston"

William IV's smile remained unchanged and he asked: "As a former prime minister of the British Empire, will the question be too difficult to answer?"

Shocked!
William IV actually responded to Creston's provocation in a joking manner.

Even Queen Victoria, who originally frowned and wanted to scold Creston, was shocked by William IV's "candor".

"You're not afraid? It's impossible. In a strange country's parliament, facing possible sarcastic remarks from members is the most fearful thing for visiting kings from various countries."If Queen Victoria were to give a speech in Berlin and then be asked questions, she would be upset and dissatisfied and hope that the meeting would end quickly, instead of being as indifferent as William IV is now.

Yes, that is to say, he doesn't care at all. He doesn't seem to care at all about Creston's foreseeable attack.

Creston looked at the leisurely William IV on the stage, and his heart suddenly sank.

ex PM?Are you mocking yourself for being in the opposition?

hateful!

He glanced at William IV fiercely and thought: I'll make it look good for you later. Originally it was just for Disraeli to steal the limelight, but now there is no need to be wary of Holland's reaction.

Creston then asked calmly: "I just heard that His Majesty William IV inherited the throne in 1861 and recounted the dense and glorious diplomatic history of the Netherlands in the following years. Don't you think that under the British rule? The House of Representatives talks about this, and it is a bit forced to make the British watch it, don’t they like to watch dramas?”

British Foreign Secretary Russell's expression changed, "Is Creston crazy?"

It was agreed that Disraeli, a sharp-edged Tory, should confront the King of the Netherlands so that the Whigs could gain more recognition from the Queen. Now, how about he rush to the front first?
Crown Prince Edward looked at William IV with evil intentions, thinking of Alexandra who was already married to William IV. , there was a burst of anger in his heart, so he said to Queen Victoria next to him: "Your Majesty, I think Lord Creston is right. After all, this place is a representative of British public opinion and represents British ideas. William IV His Majesty, the King of the Netherlands, is like writing a novel here. Telling the history of his country and his glorious achievements in detail seems to be a bit time-consuming for the British House of Commons."

After glaring at him and ignoring him, Queen Victoria turned to Disraeli and asked: "What does the Prime Minister think William IV will answer?"

Crown Prince Edward looked at the stage with surprise, but several people next to them smiled bitterly. As expected, the mother and son were still fighting against each other, and six or seven years had passed.

Disraeli paused, and his voice seemed loud enough for Creston to hear.

"I think the UK can be more generous. After all, visitors are guests."

These few words made Creston a little depressed. Obviously, Disraeli's answer made Creston originally want to show that he was a hard-liner against the Netherlands and highlight the Whig party's preparation to win votes by being anti-Dutch in the general election. The idea was suddenly highlighted too prominently, and in an instant it only had the opposite effect.

Faced with the "almost pressing questions" from the influential leader of the British opposition party, William IV on the stage was calm and calm.

In an instant, even Queen Victoria was impressed by his demeanor.

Secretly thinking: I should have married Alice before the Danish princess, or even Helena or Louise. Such a son-in-law would be much better than Crown Prince Frederick of Prussia.

Thinking of Prussia, she couldn't help but look gloomy.

Just at this scene, Creston, who had been paying attention to her, saw it and felt happy.Did you hit the right spot?Is the Queen really still dissatisfied with William IV?Although I don’t know whether it is because of South Africa or something else, in short, William IV’s support from the British royal family should not be high.

Creston looked at Prince Edward, who had always been on the side of the Tories, and sneered in his heart.

When love rivals meet, their hatred should only increase!

Seeing Queen Victoria's expression of hatred for steel, Creston became convinced.

All beings!
William IV said: "Your Excellency Creston thinks that I am showing off by speaking out about the Netherlands' diplomacy?"

Creston argued: "Isn't it?"

William IV shook his head, "Of course that's not the case. The reason why I talk so much about the diplomacy of the Netherlands is actually because I am talking about the fact that the Netherlands has its own diplomatic interests.

The Netherlands is dealing with Britain, France, Russia, Prussia, etc. Each country and the Netherlands shape the Dutch diplomatic index network. "

William IV looked at the confused people and said cheerfully: "This is a set of Dutch diplomatic judgment and calculation methods, let's not mention this for now."

I, William IV, continued: "The reason why the Netherlands has exchanges with other countries is actually to remind the great British Empire that the Netherlands has its own circle. The Netherlands is willing to have closer exchanges with the British Empire, but the premise is that it can communicate with other countries. We should engage in open and honest exchanges with other countries that interact with the Netherlands. Well, just like the question raised by Lord Creston just now, the content is simple and easy to understand. You can raise the good, bad and ugly, and let the Netherlands improve its own problems."

Creston secretly scolded the other party for being so quibbling, so he asked professionally: "Then what does your Majesty think of the relationship between the Netherlands and the British Empire?"

William IV smiled slightly: "Since the relationship between Britain, France and Prussia will be difficult to eliminate competition and even partial hostility for a long time to come, how can the British Empire determine a long-term strategy towards the Netherlands and maintain a relatively stable relationship in this period?" Within the strategic framework, making specific corresponding policies according to the characteristics and situations of each stage is an issue worthy of discussion and conception.

At the same time, I think the MPs here and the officials of the British Empire also know that the Netherlands is very active in diplomacy in Europe and America. My visit this time is the first visit to a major European country in seven years, and it can be regarded as my visit to a major country. The first stop of the journey is also because the Netherlands puts Britain first in its foreign relations. "

"The first stop." Creston grasped the key point and asked, "I wonder if you can know where His Majesty William's next stop is?"

"There is no need to hide it, my next stop will be Paris."

Paris, France!

Everyone looked at William IV strangely.

Now the Netherlands is leading the small and medium-sized countries in Europe and the United States to sanction the French Empire. When William IV passes by, he will probably face not cheese bread, but an attack by rotten eggs.

At such a time, William IV still dared to go to Paris?
Even Creston admired the other party's courage at this moment. At the same time, he was also interested in William IV's trip to Paris.

Suddenly, he and Disraeli looked at each other, and both saw caution.

Is the Netherlands preparing to go to Paris to ease relations?

If successful, it would be a big deal for Western Europe. After all, when William IV took the order of the members of the International Hague Tribunal to lift sanctions against France, Napoleon III might really be able to compromise in the face of its threat. After all, France has been under such sanctions for a year.

The economy was in serious decline, and the setbacks in diplomatic relations had damaged Napoleon III's reputation and dropped his approval rating. William IV's visit at this time was undoubtedly a timely help. William IV might gain a lot in Paris.

Thinking of this, Creston and Disraeli suddenly had the idea of ​​cooling down their hostility towards William IV.

However, some people don't want this.

"His Majesty William has said so much, but after listening for a long time, I still can't understand how the Netherlands can warm up its relations with Britain. His Majesty William should know that in the South African War, Dutch people caused countless deaths in the UK, and therefore the UK was in an international position. The loss was huge, and Holland's reputation was huge.

One positive and the other negative, the west fell and the east rose. In the end, the Netherlands took a step back, but they got the Australian continent from the United Kingdom.

In the Civil War on North American issues, the Netherlands supported the Confederate States of America in the north, while the United Kingdom supported the south. This shows how diametrically opposed the foreign policies of the two countries were. I don’t know how His Majesty William IV improved relations with the United Kingdom. , after all, the diaphragm is so big.”

It’s Prince Edward!
His words shocked the audience, and they couldn't help but look at the British monarch Queen Victoria next to him. Although they did not think that this was the Queen's order, no one would think that the Queen would know nothing about such an outstanding provocative behavior.

Except for the few who knew, they had indeed wronged Queen Victoria.

Queen Victoria glared at Crown Prince Edward with dissatisfaction, but then stopped talking. It was obvious that she was refuting Crown Prince Edward at this time. This was simply an act of undermining the prestige of her heir. This was an act that was detrimental to the country's dignity, and the Queen would naturally not do it. , but it’s hard to say after that.

William IV was stunned at first, and looked at the queen suspiciously, but seeing the other party's intention of staying out of the matter, and at the same time thinking about the rift between mother and son shown in the intelligence, he became clear.

At the same time, he thought that Prince Edward seemed to be his wife Alexandra's husband in the previous life, and suddenly felt uncomfortable, so the idea of ​​teasing became active again.

Buckingham Palace.

(End of this chapter)