Time for another recap of Masterpiece’s Victoria, magpies! Today, we’ve got a recap of the season’s fifth episode, “Entente Cordiale.” (Catch up on our previous recaps here!)

Wearing some of her little dangling earrings, Victoria shows little Vicky a model of the new royal yacht, the Victoria and Albert. She suggests that they should go see Uncle Leopold in Belgium on the new ship. Albert, still smarting from last episode’s revelations, overhears and scowls.

But there’s a more pressing destination on the docket. Peel shares that the Duke of Montpensier, youngest son of the French king, is courting the young Queen Isabella II of Spain. The Brits are nervous because King Louis Philippe of the French wants to set up an empire in Europe, linking various royal houses to his by marriage, and the Brits, fresh off the Napoleonic wars, don’t like that idea at all. Against Peel’s advice, Victoria decides to write Louis Philippe a letter suggesting that the Spanish marriage is a bad idea.

Peel asks Albert to intervene — he thinks Louis Philippe will misinterpret a letter from Victoria. Plus, he reminds him, Uncle Leopold wants Victoria and Albert’s cousin, Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, to marry the Spanish queen. Albert bristles at the mention of Leopold. (I know this storyline was engineered for more emotional torture for Albert, but it’s worth mentioning that Ferdinand married Queen Maria II of Portugal in 1836, four whole years before Albert married Victoria.)

Albert tells Victoria that Peel thinks she should cool it with the letter writing. Victoria agrees — she thinks they should go to France, so she can discuss the matter with Louis Philippe in person.

When she tells Peel about this plan, he’s unhappy. He thinks Louis Philippe can’t be trusted, just like his father — the Duke of Orleans — who betrayed Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette (and then ended up being guillotined anyway). But Victoria is a believer in monarch-to-monarch communication, so the visit is going ahead. (Victoria and Albert visited Louis Philippe at his chateau in Eu in September 1843, three years before all of the angst about the Spanish marriages happened.)

Peel wishes he could go along, but asks her to take Drummond instead. He also inquires about Albert, who seems awfully distressed lately. Victoria hopes that a trip to France is just what he needs to lift his spirits after his father’s death. (The French visit took place the year before Albert’s father died.)

Charlotte Buccleuch and Wilhelmina are going along, too, even though Charlotte HATES France. (This is Wilhelmina’s face when she finds out that Lord Alfred is also traveling with them to France.)

After the crossing, the party is greeted by Louis Philippe, who tells Victoria that she’s a cute little monarch. Great start there, Louis. She loves being reminded that she’s short!

Louis Philippe, whose costuming appears to be inspired by his Winterhalter portrait, is accompanied by his youngest son, Antoine, who is the source of all this international matchmaking hullabaloo.

The French are clearly curious about Victoria, who really was the first English/British monarch to visit France since Henry VIII.

Albert, ever the prude, isn’t a fan of the fleshy paintings in the chateau. Louis Philippe introduces him to the “Duchesse du Barry,” asking her to show him Renaissance paintings more to his taste. She appears to be fictional; there was no one in France with that title in 1843. The former Duchesse de Berry was still alive, but she had remarried to an Italian duke by that point. Clearly they’re riffing on the famous Madame du Barry, mistress of King Louis XV, who was executed in the revolution.

Victoria, who sensed that some of the French ladies were silently judging her fashion choices, asks her dresser to come up with an ensemble that’s a little more chic for her next appearance.

Surprise! Someone else has popped in for a visit with Louis Philippe: it’s Ernst! He’s tired of Coburg already.

Ernst was not really present for the visit, but other Coburg family members actually were. Uncle Leopold’s second wife, Queen Louise of the Belgians, was present, which makes sense — King Louis Philippe was her father. Victoria and Albert’s first cousin, Prince August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was there, too. Only a few months before, August had married Louis Philippe’s daughter, Princess Clementine. Another first cousin, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, was married to Louis Philippe’s second son, the Duke of Nemours. (I don’t believe they took part in this visit.)

Victoria arrives for the grand banquet. There’s a lot going on here! She’s wearing the production’s replica of the sapphire coronet, this time as a traditional tiara, plus the replica Albert Brooch and an invented necklace. Her dresser has also taken some tips from the French servants at the chateau, and Victoria is wearing makeup. (Ooh la la!) Albert, typically, disapproves of “painted faces.”

We get another good look at the replica tiara during dinner. (According to contemporary press reports, her glam appearance is exaggerated: “Her head dress was very plain, the hair being simply braided, and her jewels were handsome emeralds and diamonds.”) She tries to get Louis Philippe to chat about his matchmaking during the meal, but he refuses to mix business with pleasure.

That evening, Victoria and Albert discuss the visit so far. He’s beyond disgusted with the vulgarity of everyone and everything. He is heading for a full-on emotional breakdown. Victoria’s disappointed that Albert is wasting time on being judgmental instead of getting to the bottom of the Spanish marriage problem.

Victoria tours the chateau’s kitchen gardens with Louis Philippe the next morning, where they chat about monarch things, like assassination attempts and patriotism. She tells him that a marriage between his son and the Queen of Spain would “upset the balance” between Britain and France. He says that an alliance between Spain and the Coburgs would be a problem, too.

Sadsack Albert can’t even find it in himself to be cheerful at a charming French picnic. He’s especially mad because Ernst up to his old tricks, sniffing around the French ladies. Albert ends up being so frustrated that he literally jumps in a lake. (Lord Alfred and Drummond get flirty and follow suit.)

Wilhelmina, wearing her coral earrings, is in a mood, too — she’s finally realized that Ernst is an absolute hound, not a charming prince.

Victoria spies on her husband’s skinny-dipping adventures, and she jokingly admonishes him for his loose morality when he returns to the chateau. And then, of course, canoodling ensues. Turns out Albert isn’t totally averse to pleasure.

Later, we get a good view of Victoria’s famous emerald serpent engagement ring.

And Albert finally tells her what’s been bothering him: the possibility that Uncle Leopold is really his father. Victoria is shocked, but she quickly recovers, and tells Albert that it’s no surprise that Leopold would want to believe he’s Albert’s father. Any man would want him as a son. She doesn’t care who his father is. She loves him no matter what.

That night at dinner, Victoria wears one of the production’s invented diamond tiaras and a brooch with pearl pendants. She gets down to business, telling Louis Philippe why the Spanish marriage is unacceptable to the Brits. He says that the Coburg marriage for the Spanish queen is unacceptable to the French.

Albert steps in and offers an alternative solution, which he decides to illustrate using a bunch of grapes, for some reason. He thinks that both the French and the Brits should back off and do nothing regarding the Spanish marriage.

Louis Philippe appears to let Victoria and Albert convince him that doing nothing is the right path, and the three celebrate the “entente cordiale” between their two nations. (Louis Philippe really did use that phrase to reference Anglo-French diplomatic relations, though most associate it with agreements brokered between the two countries in 1904, during the reign of Victoria and Albert’s son, King Edward VII.)

Okay, guys, here’s what really happened with Louis Philippe and the Affair of the Spanish Marriages. In 1846, three years after this visit, the French and the British got involved with the Spanish government to try to broker a favorable political marriage for the sixteen-year-old Queen Isabella II. The Brits wanted Prince Leopold (not Ferdinand) of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Victoria and Albert’s cousin. (I’m guessing the show didn’t trust the viewers not to mix up the Leopolds?) The French wanted the Duke of Cadiz, one of Queen Isabella’s Borbon cousins. The Duke of Cadiz won the day, and the diplomatic relationship between France and Britain was severely damaged.

But there was an even more complicated wrinkle: because some people believed (rightly or wrongly) that the Duke of Cadiz was gay, there was a possibility that Isabella would not have any children. Louis Philippe engineered a marriage on the same day between his son, the Duke of Montpensier, and Isabella’s younger sister, Infanta Luisa Fernanda, with the lingering possibility in the air that their children would one day inherit the Spanish throne. Joke was on them, though: Isabella ended up having nine children, though their paternity was often questioned. Also, Louis Philippe ended up losing his throne in 1848. C’est la vie.

ANYWAY. Everybody heads back to Britain, including Charlotte Buccleuch, who has been a party pooper during the entire trip because she absolutely loathes France. In the carriage on the way home, she finally gives a reason: her brother Mungo was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar. (She didn’t have a brother named Mungo. Also, she was thirty-two at the time of this visit. Why didn’t they just make up another fictional character for Dame Diana to play???)

Back at Buckingham Palace, Vic ‘n Al regale everyone with tales of their diplomatic triumph over dinner. Peel is pleased — the last thing they need is another war with France.

But then, the next day, Peel arrives with some disappointing news: Louis Philippe has fooled them all, and his son has officially been engaged to Isabella. (See above: that never happened!)

Victoria and Albert are a little crushed, but at least they’re happy that there aren’t any secrets between them anymore. Except one, that is: Victoria’s expecting again. (That’ll be Princess Alice, who was actually born in April 1843, months before the visit to France. This show, guys.)

Sunday’s airing of Victoria on Masterpiece was a two-parter, and today, we’re recapping the jewels and the history of the second episode shown, “The Sins of the Father.” (Catch up on our previous recaps over here!)

We begin with the birth of Albert and Victoria’s second child, Albert Edward, who will one day become King Edward VII. That means that it’s November 9, 1841.

Albert announces to the officials waiting outside that they have a Prince of Wales. Not quite yet, Albert — the title of Prince of Wales isn’t automatic. When Bertie was born, he was automatically Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay. Victoria didn’t make her son Prince of Wales until a few weeks later, on December 8, 1841, when he was just about one month old.

Albert is enamored with his son. Victoria is less so; famously uninterested in babies, she declares that they all “look like frogs to her.” She’s feeling melancholy after having the baby, and she can’t explain why. (Postpartum depression wasn’t really a recognized thing in the 1840s.)

In Coburg, Albert’s randy old dad, Ernst Sr., cavorts with his mistresses. He’s rather seriously cavorting with one of them, in fact, when he up and dies.

The show makes it look as if Albert’s father departed just as his son was born, but that wasn’t the case. Ernst Sr. died in January 1844. By that time, Albert and Victoria had three children (Vicky, Bertie, and Alice), and Victoria was in the early months of her pregnancy with their fourth child, Alfred.

Victoria’s back in her pushchair, listening listlessly to Charlotte Buccleuch express horror about a lady wearing diamonds in the daytime. (Step off, Charlotte!) Victoria says they don’t need to worry about inappropriate diamonds at court, because she’s not ready to go out in public anytime soon.

Her melancholy intensifies, to the point that she’s sadly playing the piano alone wearing no jewelry at all. Albert comes in and sings along in German, but that doesn’t even make her smile. He’s worried.

The Duchess of Kent admires her new grandson, but Victoria is pretty much off in her own world.

And then the bad news arrives for Albert from Coburg. He knows it’s not good even before he opens the envelope, because the paper is edged in black. Victoria is finally shaken out of her own depression just a little because of her sympathy for her grieving husband.

The real Albert and Victoria learned of his father’s death on February 3, 1844, via an express that had arrived at 4 AM from King Louis-Philippe of the French, not from relatives in Coburg. (Louis-Philippe’s daughter, Louise, was married to King Leopold of the Belgians, the late Duke’s brother.) The Observer commented, “It is considered as a most extraordinary circumstance, that no direct information relative to this important event should have been received from Germany.” The Coburg court chamberlain did arrive in England shortly afterward to convey the news in person.

Albert tells Lehzen that he’s heading straight to the funeral in Coburg. While he’s gone, he wants her to solve the mystery that’s plaguing the palace: which staff member blabbed to the press about the recent break-in by a boy. He warns her that if they don’t find the mole, every staff member will be fired — including her. (Spoiler: the blabber is a relative of Victoria’s head dresser. Albert decides to let the dresser stay.)

The real Albert, though, didn’t attend his father’s funeral; it took place only about two days after Albert learned of his father’s death. He did go to Germany to see his family after his father’s death, but he didn’t make the trip until the beginning of April 1844.

Victoria finally tracks down Albert and tries to comfort him. She wants to go to Coburg, too — he says she shouldn’t. She points out that they’ve never spent a night apart, which was true. She didn’t go with him to Coburg during the Easter 1844 trip after his father’s death, and it was the first time he and Victoria had been apart since their wedding.

Victoria, who has a teeny bit of sparkle on the neckline of her gown, watches with Lehzen as Albert departs. While no one traveled to Germany for Ernst Sr.’s funeral in real life, the British court went into full mourning.

In Coburg, Albert joins Ernst Jr. to view their father’s body lying in state. A ducal coronet rests on Ernst Sr.’s body, which seems like an interesting choice on the part of the production.

Uncle Leopold shows up to mourn his brother, too.

Back at Buckingham Palace, everyone’s in mourning clothes. Victoria, Charlotte, and Wilhelmina sit in the nursery, sketching the children. Victoria’s irritable, and she’s angry that little Vicky won’t sit still. (In the same scene, Charlotte makes reference to her “late husband.” The 5th Duke of Buccleuch didn’t die until 1884!)

Albert’s beating himself up, feeling guilty about his final interactions with his father. When Ernst tells him precisely how the old duke died, Albert stops feeling quite so bad. “He died doing what he loved,” Ernst says languidly. (Ernst would know. By the way: by 1844, Ernst had a wife, Princess Alexandrine.)

In London, Peel tries to convince Victoria that she should attend the opening of the new Thames Tunnel, one of the projects of famed Victorian innovator Isambard Kingdom Brunel. She resists, but Drummond has brought a visual aide: a model of the tunnel. It intrigues Victoria, but she still says she won’t attend. (The tunnel opened to the public in March 1843.)

Victoire can’t figure out why her daughter is so upset, and she can’t figure out why she isn’t spending all her time with her babies.

In Coburg, the ducal coronet rests atop the coffin at Ernst Sr.’s funeral. There are no women present anywhere in these scenes — not Ernst Jr.’s wife (who hasn’t yet appeared on the show), and definitely not Ernst Sr.’s second wife, Marie of Württemberg, who was also his niece (blech).

After the funeral, Albert gazes at a miniature of his mother — Ernst Sr.’s first wife, Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. (That’s a real portrait of her.) Albert’s parents were both unfaithful, and they divorced when Albert and his brother were children. She was only 30 when she died of cancer.

Uncle Leopold finds Albert and talks with him about Louise. Albert’s still angry at the idea that his mother would leave her children behind, fitting right in with the episode’s discussions of the “right” kind of mothering. Leopold explains that it was more complicated than that. And then he drops a big old bomb: after his first wife, Princess Charlotte, died in 1817, and Ernst Jr. was born in 1818, Leopold and Louise “comforted each other.” Without really saying it, he implies that he’s Albert’s real father.

Okay, so I know what you’re all thinking — could this possibly have been true? It’s a fact that there were rumors about Albert’s true paternity even during his lifetime. Because his mother had one documented affair, which reportedly occurred after his birth, Albert was dogged by suggestions that he was the product of another extramarital liaison. (The complicated medical history of the family also raises questions about Albert’s parenthood.) A biography published in the 1970s argues that Leopold could indeed have been Albert’s father. The truth is that we’ll probably never really know.

Back in England, Victoria sneaks up to the nursery in her nightgown to look in on the baby. She spies on him through the slightly-open door, but she can’t make herself go inside.

The next day in Coburg, Ernst (who is now the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) and Albert make family small talk at a gathering. They discuss “Cousin Ferdinand,” whom Uncle Leopold wants to marry off to the Queen of Spain. (I believe they’re referencing Prince Ferdinand, the son of their Uncle Ferdinand, who eventually married Queen Maria II of Portugal and was proclaimed King Ferdinand II of that country.)

Albert expresses surprise that Leopold hasn’t tried to marry Ernst off yet. (Just for fun, let’s suspend disbelief for a second and pretend that Ernst hadn’t already been married for two years by the time his father died. Go ahead, show, let’s see what you’ve got.)

Leopold’s candidate for Ernst, Princess Alda of Oldenburg is a) fictional, and b) a pain in the backside. (Oh, show.) She arrives and immediately begins complaining. Her lady-in-waiting, though, is wearing a ferronniere — maybe she’s more Ernst’s type?

She may be severe and humorless, and she may be imaginary, but at least she’s wearing earrings and a brooch!

In England, Peel arrives with some bad news for Victoria: there’s been an explosion in the armory at the Tower of London, and five men have died. (This really happened in October 1841, about a week before the birth of the Prince of Wales. We are all over the map in this episode.) She wants to send condolences, but he urges her to appear in person.

She finally relents, struggling to decide what accessories to wear. With a cameo pinned to her dress, she admits that she’s nervous.

She sucks it up and goes, and it does make a difference to the people.

Even Charlotte Buccleuch is impressed. She’s the only one who directly ties Victoria’s “low spirits” to the birth of baby Bertie — she has been where Victoria is, and she understands. Charlotte experienced something similar with the birth of her daughter Mary — who wasn’t born until 1851, because this show is so, so strange in its approach to its source material.

Meanwhile, Lord Alfred and Drummond have found a little quiet time for flirtation over drinks — but then they’re unceremoniously uninterrupted by Wilhelmina, who has lost her Chopin. Such timing.

Later, Alfred finds out that Drummond’s engaged to be married, and his fiancee is an aristocrat, the daughter of the Marquess of Lothian. Alfred offers begrudging congratulations.

Back at the palace, Alfred and Wilhelmina take part on a very Victorian courtship ritual: playing glasses. She’s still mopey about Ernst, and he’s mopey about Drummond, so obviously, the answer is to be mopey together. (They’re holding hands openly by the end of the scene, which is an interesting choice for the time!)

In Coburg, Albert is still so distressed about Leopold’s big revelation that goes to a tavern to track down Ernst. Albert! In a bar! Ernst is kind of amused and maybe a little concerned, but they end up drinking in tribute to their late father.

Albert gets sloshed, which is what any sane Victorian prince would do if he learned that his father might have been a king rather than a duke, right? He says he feels like he “has elves around [his] person.” Okay, dude. He tries to tell Ernst about Leopold’s paternity bombshell, but Ernst talks over him.

He’s still so wasted when he gets back to Rosenau in the morning that he tries to put on a suit of armor. Leopold finds him and scolds him for his drunken state.

Albert unloads on him, telling him that his entire life is now a lie, and Victoria is married to a bastard. Leopold warns him that no one else should find out — especially not Victoria.

Albert heads for home, telling Ernst to come visit him in England ASAP.

Back in England, things are looking up for Victoria. She even has a new puppy!

When Albert gets home, he and Victoria are kind of awkward with each other, but a new puppy always helps break the ice.

Soon enough, they’re comfortable with each other again.

But after his trip, it’s Albert’s turn to be depressed. Victoria wants him to come with her to the tunnel opening, but he declines.

She can tell something’s not right, but he isn’t talking.

So she goes on her own, meeting Brunel at the tunnel while wearing the production’s little version of the Albert Brooch.

At home, she’s even getting more comfortable in the nursery.

But Albert’s still in a funk. Victoria finally talks to him about the children, and how she sometimes feels like an imposter, both as a mother and as a queen. He’s glad she’s finally been honest with him.

Time for another peek into the bejeweled world of PBS’s Victoria, magpies! Today we’ve got a recap of episode three, “Warp and Weft.” (Catch up on our previous recaps here!)

Everyone’s up in arms about a boy who has managed to break in to Buckingham Palace. Victoria, who wears a large era-appropriate brooch while having tea with Albert and Baby Vicky, isn’t taking it too seriously, and that ticks Albert off.

He can’t believe how badly the palace is run, and he is thrilled when Victoria gives him permission to make some reforms. Albert loved nothing more than reform! He spends much of this episode arguing with the various staff members who are in charge with different parts of the palace, but he ends up deciding that it’s time to raise the servants’ wages.

At Brocket Hall, Melbourne still isn’t feeling well. A doctor comes from London, but he doesn’t have good news — because Melbourne’s condition is so uncertain, he advises Lord M to put his affairs in order. (Melbourne had a stroke in October 1842.)

Victoria and Emma Portman, both wearing hair combs, are also both worried about Melbourne, and Victoria asks Emma to go and check on him.

Charlotte Buccleuch, cameo in tow, brings Victoria her correspondence. Among the letters is one from a Mr. Bascombe, who wove the silk for Victoria’s wedding dress. She agrees to have an audience with him.

Victoire Kent, who has been dressed in mourning clothes and jewels for some reason this season, watches warily.

Emma goes to see Lord Melbourne. He makes various excuses for his absence from court and correspondence. She’s not buying it.

Mr. Bascombe comes to the palace, lobbying on behalf of his fellow silkmakers in Spitalfields.

He doesn’t want the country to import silk from other countries, and he shows her samples for quality comparison. (Note that she’s moved the brooch from her first outfit to her waist on this dress.)

Victoria is displeased when Peel won’t promise to protect the industry. But Drummond, in between flirty glances with Lord Alfred, suggests another solution: throw a ball, and draw attention to the weavers of Spitalfields by requiring all guests to wear their silk. Peel warns that such an event might not be popular with all classes of society, even invoking Marie Antoinette. Victoria throws the Corn Laws in his face, and resolves to proceed with the plan. (Plans for this ball, historically, took place in the spring of 1842, several months after the birth of King Edward VII, with whom she is pregnant in this episode.)

That night, pearl-and-brooch-clad Wilhelmina gazes lovingly at Ernst as he plays the piano, basically the same scene we’ve had between the two of them for three episodes now.

Wearing a production-invented necklace and that very modern brooch, Victoria tells everyone about her plans for the ball. Charlotte Buccleuch is horrified at the idea that Victoria would dance in her “condition.” Victoria finds a reason to casually dismiss her from the room.

Ernst has an idea for the ball: he thinks it should be Plantagenet themed, following the fashions worn at the court of King Edward III. Albert’s still not sure it’s a good idea to hold a ball when so many of Victoria’s subjects are suffering. She counters that the ball, designed to help local trade and industry, will be beneficial.

Invitations go out, including one to Lord Melborne. He scowls.

Albert, Victoria, and their entourage visit Westminster Abbey to see the tombs of King Edward III and Queen Philippa. The guide tells them a story that illustrates Philippa’s influence over her husband.

Wilhelmina takes the opportunity to quiz Ernst about his costume for the ball. She suggests Robin Hood, and he thinks portraying an outlaw would be just about perfect.

Emma visits Melbourne to tell him about the ball preparations. He’s decided he’ll come to the ball after all.

Garrard (the crown jeweler during Victoria’s reign) gets a reference when Victoria presents Albert with a special part of his costume for the ball: his own crown. (He’s going as Edward III, she’s going as Philippa.)

We get a montage of the silk weavers creating the fabric for Victoria’s costume and Victoria herself trying on her gown and jewels. Over it all, a member of parliament rails against the excesses of the ball.

Victoria and Albert get dressed and ready for the ball. This Plantagenet ball was a real event, held on May 12, 1842. You can see their real costumes from the ball in the Landseer portrait here.

Note that the costume designers chose to put Victoria in a faux ruby-and-diamond necklace rather than the pearl necklace depicted in the portrait.

The ball is beautiful, but lots of people are unhappy. Peel is worried about the national mood. Charlotte Buccleuch thinks the whole thing is just an excuse for Albert to pretend to be king. And then Harriet Sutherland shows up at the ball on her husband’s arm. (They both really attended.) Ernst convinces her to dance with him. (He wasn’t really there; he married Princess Alexandrine of Baden in Germany the very next day!) Wilhelmina (still fictional) is crushed…

…but she’s soon buoyed by attentions from Lord Alfred, who has also been flirting again with Mr. Drummond.

Another surprise guest also arrives: an ailing Lord Melbourne, in disguise as Dante. (Melbourne really did attend the ball.) Victoria chastises him for not answering her letters.

Peel (who also really attended the ball) grows more and more disgusted by the excess all around him.

And it turns out he’s right about the national mood — the people are not happy with such an extravagant palace ball, no matter how much business it gave to the silk weavers.

Back inside, Victoria convinces Melbourne to waltz with her. Emma has to help cover for him when he becomes ill during the dance.

And then Victoria catches a glimpse of the growing mob outside the palace. She realizes she’s seriously misjudged the situation.

After the ball, Albert’s happy to discard his crown.

Morning dawns, and Victoria, still in her Plantagenet dress, surveys the aftermath of her big silk party. She’s disgusted by the waste, and she decides to give the leftovers to the poor. Hope they like half-melted ice sculptures!

The press is scathing in their criticism of the ball, much to Victoria’s frustration. Emma interrupts her with a request: she needs to take a leave of absence to help her sister following a difficult birth. Victoria quickly agrees. (Conveniently, her sister lives right next door to Brocket Hall.)

Also departing: Ernst, who’s heading back to Coburg. (As I mentioned above, he’d been back in Germany for a while — on May 13, 1842, he married Princess Alexandrine of Baden in Karlsruhe.)

Peel reminds Albert that he can do good things without a crown of his own. He suggests that Albert should start by working with the people building the new Houses of Parliament. (Fire destroyed parliament in 1834, and the rebuilding project began in 1840. The following year, Prince Albert headed a committee that worked on the interior design of the new building.)

Victoria visits Mr. Bascombe’s workshop in Spitalfields to discuss the effects of the ball. She’s pleased to hear that they’ve seen positive effects, and orders have gone up.

Albert heads to Westminster Hall, where he runs into Melbourne, who is clearly suffering. Melbourne thinks Albert’s a good choice to be the patron of the new parliamentary building project.

Harriet and her ferronniere miss Ernst terribly, and it’s mutual. (Still lamenting the missed opportunities with her character. She was an important, influential figure in Victorian society, and she was an ardent abolitionist.)

Albert comes home and tells Victoria that he’s seen Melbourne. Although he’s promised not to, Albert confesses that Melbourne is seriously ill. She promises Albert that she won’t tell anyone that she knows.

But she does stop by Melbourne’s London house before he heads back to the countryside and gives him a gift: a mechanical singing bird. They both clearly know that she knows about his illness, but neither says anything direct about it.

They share a sentimental goodbye.

An even worse goodbye is waiting for Victoria at the palace. Dash, who has been showing his age, has died. (In reality, he died at the end of 1840.) Albert tries his best to comfort her. “Everything changes,” he explains, “except us.” (Ooh, Albert, that’s terrible foreshadowing.)