He was whirled rapidly to his destiny.

At Calais a steamboat awaited him, and, together with his father and his brother, he stepped, dejected, on board.

A little later, he was more dejected still.

The crossing was a very rough one; the Duke went hurriedly below; while the two Princes, we are told, lay on either side of the cabin staircase "in an almost helpless state." At Dover a large crowd was collected on the pier, and "it was by no common effort that Prince Albert, who had continued to suffer up to the last moment, got up to bow to the people." His sense of duty triumphed.

It was a curious omen: his whole life in England was foreshadowed as he landed on English ground.
Meanwhile Victoria, in growing agitation, was a prey to temper and to nerves.