Camphor and Rhubarb
by Carolyn Sally Jones
Directed by Kay Patrick
Broadcast 17th February 1986 @ 8:15 p.m., The Monday Play
128/44; 77.4 MB; sound quality good
There was a turnover gap of unknown length that has been edited out at 42:27. The end credits are cut off.
The royal family hit the newspaper headlines for the very first time in 1839. The scandal revolved around Lady Flora Hastings, Lady-in-Waiting to the Duchess of Kent, Queen Victoria's mother. Flora had become the pawn in a family feud involving the 20-year-old Queen Victoria, her mother and Sir John Conroy.
When Victoria came to the throne in 1837, she had two ambitions: to get rid of the immorality of the Regency period, and to get rid of Sir John Conroy. Conroy had been acting as Victoria's unofficial stepfather since her real father had died when she was eight months old, and was rumored to be much more than just private secretary to Victoria's mother.
In 1839, Flora travelled down from Scotland in a carriage with Conroy. They were alone, with no chaperone. Rumours began to fly, and when, months later, Flora's stomach started to swell, gossip about a pregnancy became rife. It seemed the perfect opportunity for Victoria to get back at Conroy.
With Janet Maw [Queen Victoria], Colette O'Neil [Lady Flora Hastings, a Lady-in-Waiting to Queen Victoria's Mother], Patricia England [The Duchess of Kent, Victoria's Mother], Miriam Margolyes [Baroness 'Daisy' Lehzen, Victoria's Governess], Bosco Hogan [Sir John Conroy, Comptroller of the Duchess' Household], Noel Johnson [Lord Melbourne, the Whig Prime Minister], Rosalind Knight [Lady Portman, a Lady-in-Waiting to the Queen], Christopher Kent [Sir James Clark, Physician to the Duchess of Kent and Physician in Ordinary to Queen Victoria], Valerie Windsor [Lady Tavistock, a Lady-in-Waiting to the Queen], and Jamie Roberts [Lord Hastings, Flora's Brother / Charles Greville, Clerk of the Privy Council].
Replies
860217 Camphor and Rhubarb.mp3