章節 5: Chapter 5: The Crown Prince's Gift
Actually, not only for the British Empire but also for most of the royal families of European monarchies, Queen Victoria is indeed the benchmark of monarchy.
Queen Victoria, known as the "Grandmother of Europe," is not called so without reason. Many royal families of various countries have close blood relationships with Queen Victoria. Even Emperor William II of the German Empire, one of the great powers, is her direct grandson.
According to the original history, when Queen Victoria died on White Island, she was surrounded by her many descendants, including Crown Prince Edward and Emperor William II of Germany.
With the prestigious status of Emperor William II, it is evident how lofty Queen Victoria's status is for the royal families of Europe.
As expected, most people opposed Queen Victoria's idea. No one would want to see the 80-year-old Queen Victoria travel thousands of miles to White Island.
Even though many people understand Queen Victoria's longing for her late loved ones, neither the British Empire nor the European royal family can accept the loss brought by her absence.
However, once Queen Victoria made up her mind, no one could stop her - not even Prime Minister Robert or Crown Prince Edward.
The only consolation is that Queen Victoria did not decide to set off immediately but to wait until Arthur had settled all matters and then go to Australia together.
Although the young Duke of Ase was assassinated, he left Arthur with a substantial amount of wealth and property.
Not to mention the two ducal territories and one earl territory that have already been transferred to Australia, just the several castles and two armament factories, one steel factory, and one shipyard under the control of Duke Arthur are worth at least over £100 million.
Duke Arthur also left behind a large number of industrial and other industries' factories or company shares, the valuation of which is at least tens of millions of pounds.
Now that Arthur is going to Australia, most of these properties need to be relocated or liquidated entirely to achieve maximum effect.
For Arthur, all of the shares in his hands must be liquidated. Although these shares may appreciate in the future, Arthur, who is about to go to Australia, apparently does not have much time to wait for these stocks to appreciate.
It's better to turn them all into pounds and contribute to Australia's development.
As for those shipyards, steel mills, and armament factories, it would be better to relocate them all to Australia if possible.
These factories are very scarce for Australia, which can not only fill the long-standing industrial gap in Australia but also accelerate Australia's industrial and technological development.
As for the several castles left by Duke Arthur, as expected, Arthur will not return to the British Empire, so there is no need to keep them.
These castles are all ancient castles with over a hundred years of history, covering a very large area, with comprehensive supporting facilities, gardens, multiple restaurants, and a large number of valuable artworks.
The value of these castles alone might exceed £60 million, a full quarter of the British Empire's total annual fiscal revenue.
The good news is that Hunter Steward was previously in charge of managing Duke Arthur's property and is very familiar with all his property.
After learning that Arthur plans to sell all his property and go to Australia, Hunter Steward did not object but silently helped Arthur sell the properties he had built up by himself.
It may be because of the prosperity of the British Empire that many wealthy people are created, the sale of Duke Arthur's properties goes well. In just one month, most of the stocks and castles have already been sold.
Especially the castles, which are very welcomed by the nobility. They not only sold all of them but also brought Arthur a total of £70 million.
Plus the income from the sale of shares, Arthur's cash on hand has reached a terrifying £87 million.
March 3rd, Buckingham Palace.
This is Arthur's last day in the British Empire and the day before Queen Victoria decides to travel.
The British Government is especially busy today, not only dealing with daily affairs but also reconfirming the arrangements for Queen Victoria's departure tomorrow.
As the Queen of the British Empire, there is no way the pomp and circumstance of Queen Victoria's trip can be low.
This time, Queen Victoria will not only bring along two thousand royal guards but also be escorted by two battleships, five cruisers, and a fleet.
Accompanying her are members of the royal family and palace officials, including Princess Beatrice, Arthur, Princess Louise, Margaret, and Patricia, as well as Palace Steward Harvey and Deputy Prime Minister John.
To take good care of Queen Victoria's daily life during the travel, an additional twelve servants, three maids, five chefs, and two pastry chefs will be brought along.
After making all the final preparations, Queen Victoria began her final farewells with government officials and Crown Prince Edward.
Crown Prince Edward's farewell to Queen Victoria was very stiff, perhaps because both of them had their concerns.
But after all, his wish has been fulfilled, and at this moment, Crown Prince Edward appeared very relaxed and happy. He smiled and told Arthur who was next to Queen Victoria, "Arthur, when you go to your territory, remember not to act recklessly. Your people are the foundation of your territory. Only a popular ruler can rule a country for a long time. Learn from your grandmother and strive to be a qualified ruler."
"Yes, Uncle." Although Arthur didn't understand why Crown Prince Edward seemed so lively, Arthur took it as his uncle's advice before his departure.
"Edward, Arthur is about to leave. Don't you, as his uncle, have any gesture to make?" Suddenly, Queen Victoria, who had been silent, spoke and looked deep into Edward's eyes.
"Oh, damn it, how could I forget such an important matter?" Crown Prince Edward immediately broke out in a cold sweat, and then quickly said, "Arthur, I promised a gift to you before you leave for your territory. I heard that you have been selling everything recently. Here's what I'll do. I'll give you £20 million privately, and then let The Bank of London give you an interest-free loan of £30 million. This is a belated birthday gift for you. I couldn't celebrate your birthday with you due to special circumstances before, but I still want to wish you a happy seventeenth birthday."
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