EARLY BELGIAN COLONIAL EFFORTS - The University of Texas at ...

the Roman concept of citizenship, had a profound effect on later British policy,
especially on late nineteenth century imperialism.
Palmerston’s relationship with Victoria was, at best, rocky. The queen never
particularly trusted Palmerston; 102 there seems to have been a great deal of difference of
opinion over her view of the influence of a monarch on the government and
Palmerston’s viewed the monarch more in the nature of a figurehead. Additionally,
Palmerston did not feel that a constitutional monarch necessarily needed to know
everything that was going on in the government, a view that was surely not shared by
Victoria and subsequently resulted in Palmerston’s dismissal.
Palmerston’s relationship with Stockmar, at least based on what we can glean
from Stockmar’s memoirs and the reflections of Leopold and Palmerston, seems to
indicate a general respect. His respect was tempered, however, by his fear of the
German influence exerted on Victoria by both Stockmar, Albert, her husband and
Leopold. The relationship between Palmerston and Stockmar does not seem to have
influenced in any way Leopold’s attempts at Belgian colonial expansion. Stockmar
generally took the position that was most sanguine in terms of Victoria's general interest
as queen of England.
The relationship between Leopold and Palmerston, whom Leopold later
derisively referred to as “Filgerstein,” was initially one of respect. After 1839, however,
Leopold began to see Palmerston as his nemesis. Palmerston, on the other hand, felt
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Palmerston was aware that Victoria and Leopold often used private or diplomatic couriers and
several times he intentionally diverted or opened these letters. This was one of the reason cited by
Victoria when she demanded Palmerston’s resignation from Prime Minister Lord John Russell in 1851.
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