Mercy Leroux

The tale of how the daughter of Francis Rawdon-Hastings, the Marquess of Moira, went viral in 19th century England and almost got a teenaged queen #cancelled just as her reign began. Unfortunately, the story is actually quite sad and tragic.

Lady Flora was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria’s mother, and a friend of James Conroy, whom Victoria didn’t like. For fair reasons, as Conroy and her mother were incredibly controlling of Victoria to the point of emotional abuse. Also, Conroy may have been having a love affair with Victoria’s mother, and while Victoria denied this using the reasoning that her mother was too religious to engage premarital sex, that isn’t a convincing argument.

Still, Victoria was eager to believe Conroy was having extramarital sex. Just not with her mother. When Lady Flora’s stomach started to swell, Victoria concluded she must be pregnant. A fair suspicion. That the child must be Conroy’s, which she was equally convinced of, is less fair.

Rumors started spreading and Victoria claimed to be certain of the pregnancy. Lady Flora’s denials were met with derision and not an ounce of sympathy. Victoria demanded Flora submit herself to an invasive exam. Flora refused.

Yet Victoria, like many young people (this author not excepted at that age), was convinced she was right. And to be fair, Flora’s abdomen was swollen, and a pregnancy was the more interesting and salacious cause. No one really wanted to think about the alternative.

Victoria banned Flora from court until she gave in, which she eventually did. Victoria’s personal physician conducted the exam, while Victoria’s lady-in-waiting watched just to be sure.

The exam found that Flora wasn’t pregnant because she was a virgin. Presumably, the examination was akin to being forced to undergo virginity testing or a gynecological exam without consent. Not only must this have been humiliating for Flora, but in modern times it would be considered sexual assault.

But the queen was the queen, even when the queen was a teenager who was very much acting like a teenager and setting herself up for a lesson in compassion and humility from the school of hard knocks. Not the way any of us prefer to learn our lessons.

Justified but still humiliated, Flora decided she was not just going to take her lumps. She had very little left to lose, as the doctors and she all knew that now, beyond a shadow of a doubt, she did not have long left to live. She channeled her parents’ wit and bravery and drafted a letter about what had happened. The shame wasn’t Flora’s; it was the gossipmongers who’d used her ill health to their own advantages. With the support of her brother, sister, and mother, that letter was published, and the public read about the new queen’s bullying of Flora.

Victoria? Well, she got mega-cancelled by 19th century standards. People heckled her and whispered about how the queen was cruel, which must have been very distressing for a teenage girl given a ton of power that she didn’t fully understand how to use.

Mortified, Victoria did try to make amends, even visiting Flora on her deathbed. However, she never apologized, and that rankled Flora’s family. Flora didn’t have much time left, and that time she did have left shouldn’t be wasted on someone who slandered her reputation and humiliated her at her most vulnerable.

Lady Flora Hastings passed away on July 5th, 1839. After Flora’s death, there was a massive tumor found on her liver, so presumably she died of some form of cancer. Flora’s family continued to keep her memory alive, particularly her sister Sophia, who published Flora’s poetry in two volumes that were positively received.

As for Victoria, she went on to have a successful reign, married and had children of her own, and, as the saying goes, grandmothered half of Europe’s royal families. Still, her somewhat unhealthy views around sexuality spiraled (indeed, what most people call Puritan today is actually more quintessentially Victorian). She often pushed her children away when they needed her, and yet she grieved every loss of a child and, eventually, of her husband. Despite having more power than almost anyone in the world at that time, her own internal life appears quite run by fear.

Not forgotten among the things weighing on her was Flora Hastings. Victoria apparently continued to fear that Flora Hastings was haunting her throughout the remainder of her long reign and life.

But at least she got that life, and a husband and children. Flora never did.

Next week, we’ll return to Boston and the Revolution to discuss another famous troll. But before that, we have some exciting writing updates for everyone later this week!