The likeness is a good one of Her Majesty in her
youth. The pedestal bears the following inscription:
'VICTORIA R., 1837.
'In front of the Palace where she was born, and where she lived till
her accession, her loyal subjects of Kensington placed this statue,
the work of her daughter, to commemorate fifty years of her reign.'
Sir A. Borthwick read an address to the Queen on behalf of the inhabitants
of Kensington, in which they heartily welcomed her to the scene of her
birth and early years, and of the accession to the throne, 'whence by
God's blessing she had so gloriously directed the destinies of her people
and of that world-wide empire which, under the imperial sway, had made
such vast progress in extent and wealth as well as in development of
science, art, and culture.' The statue representing Her Majesty at the
date of accession would, they trusted, ever be cherished, not for its
artistic merit only, and as being the handiwork of Her Majesty's beloved
daughter, Princess Louise, who had so skilfully traced the lineaments of a
sovereign most illustrious of her line, but also as the only statue
representing the Queen at that early date.
The Queen, in reply, said: 'I thank you sincerely for your loyal address,
and for the kind wish to commemorate my jubilee by the erection of a
statue of myself on the spot where I was born and lived till my accession.
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