and the Duchess of Kent.

In the earlier letters the King enquires very affectionately after the Duchess, and constant mention is made of presents sent to her; but the references made to her become less frequent and colder, till at last the King contents himself with sending messages only to the Princess.

But the letters of Queen Adelaide are always written in a strain of touching devotion and affection, and reveal her as a woman of large heart and great simplicity of character.
[Pageheading: KING LEOPOLD] But the most interesting series of letters are the Queen's own correspondence with King Leopold, of which several hundred are preserved.

The letters, too, received by her from the King of the Belgians are preserved in their entirety.
The letters which the Queen wrote to King Leopold are of extraordinary interest; she kept up an unbroken correspondence with him, and spoke freely of all that was in her mind.

Two points are worthy of special mention: though she was early convinced of the necessity of holding an independent constitutional position in politics she mentions the Tory party with undisguised mistrust; and further, the name of King William hardly ever occurs until his last illness.
King Leopold's early letters reveal his character in the most amiable light.