We have all heard that Martin Bates and his wife, Anna, met and were favorites of Royalty. We know that they had some special bond with Queen Victoria because of the giant sized watches that she gave the couple as gifts and because she provided the lace and silk used in Anna's wedding gown.
When I think of someone being introduced to the Queen of England and it is in England, I think of the meeting being in Buckingham Palace. I think of a palace having marble floors or being castle-ish and being made of stone. I don't know where their first meeting was held.
This painting of Victoria is by Thomas Scully.
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I am assumming that they met after a performance. Queen Victoria was only 5 feet tall. When the Queen met Martin she looked him up and down and then said, "What else can you do?" He looked down at her and then stomped his foot, which went through the floor.
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I don't make 'em up folks. That's just the way it was passed down through family and had to have been from Martin himself. Can you imagine Anna? Or who knows, maybe Victoria said it so haughtily that it was the only correct response.
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Another story was that he was visiting with the Quillens and Mrs. Quillen was trying to fix breakfast. In those times when anyone was at your home you fed them, too. A crowd was forming to see Martin. She expressed her concern that she did not have enough to feed such a crowd. It would have been a terrible insult not to invite them. Martin told her not to worry and just to fix the meal for them. He went out and talked to the crowd, answered their questions and then told them he knew they were there to see him. He said he would answer their questions, but wanted them to leave when it was time to eat so that he could eat with his family. The crowd followed this direction and no one's feelings were hurt.
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