Chapter 59: The Isle of Wight Treaty
Outside the church, tens of thousands of people braved the cold and damp weather to wait.
To avoid missing Edward VII's coronation, at least a hundred people had pitched tents along the boulevard in front of Buckingham Palace the night before.
Tickets for the simple viewing platforms had been scalped to over ten pounds, and at prime spots with clear views of the procession route, a single seat could go for over a hundred pounds.
After Edward VII delivered his coronation speech, the Archbishop of Canterbury raised the St. Edward's Crown high above his head and then lowered it, placing it upon the head of the undisputed sovereign.
The St. Edward's Crown, made primarily of gold and adorned with numerous diamonds, is the oldest and most valuable crown in the British royal family, traditionally used in coronation ceremonies.
A similar crown—the Imperial State Crown—is used for daily ceremonial wear.
"Long live His Majesty the King!"
Led by Prime Minister Robert, the British people in attendance erupted in cheers for their new monarch.
After the grand coronation ceremony came Edward VII's first banquet as King.
The banquet was large in scale, with all the royal dignitaries from the funeral and coronation in attendance, along with Britain's top nobles and officials, each offering their congratulations.
Edward VII was the sole focus of this event, and the tone of the evening revolved entirely around congratulating him. For Arthur, it was dreadfully dull.
After exchanging a few formal words with Edward VII and offering his "sincere" congratulations, Arthur quietly slipped away to a more secluded corner and sat by himself.
Perhaps anticipating this kind of situation—or simply unwilling to offer personal congratulations—Wilhelm II did not attend the banquet, sending his son, Crown Prince Wilhelm, in his place.
Wilhelm II had already returned to Berlin the day he last met with Arthur.
Fortunately, the banquet did not last long—only about two hours from 8 p.m. to just past 10.
After enduring the event, Arthur quietly returned to his room.
He had intended to ask Edward VII about a specific time to negotiate with the British government, but seeing him surrounded by well-wishers, Arthur reluctantly gave up.
To Arthur's surprise, the very next afternoon, a guard delivered good news: the British government had decided to meet with the Australian diplomatic delegation on December 10—just two days later—to discuss the aid program.
This was a welcome development. The sooner matters with Britain were settled, the sooner Arthur could finalize his agreement with Germany.
Staying in Britain indefinitely was not ideal. Australia was in a critical stage of rebuilding and needed Arthur's presence.
Time flew by, and December 10 arrived in the blink of an eye.
After two days of thorough preparation, the Australian diplomatic delegation officially visited Whitehall, located in the Westminster district of London—the hub of important government offices such as the Prime Minister's Office, the Foreign Office, the Home Office, the Ministry of Defence, the Privy Council, and the Treasury.
Negotiations took place in the Prime Minister's conference hall. Officials involved included the Prime Minister, six ministers, and over forty senior department staff.
Since Edward VII had delegated the authority to negotiate to the British government, Arthur chose not to attend in person, leaving the delegation to handle it entirely.
This was a deliberate strategy by Edward VII. If both monarchs were present, as Arthur's uncle, Edward would inevitably be expected to offer concessions.
By handing off responsibility to the government, Edward VII distanced himself from the negotiations. Without his presence, Arthur, as a high-ranking duke of the royal family, also found it inappropriate to appear.
As a noble and royal, it would have been beneath him to haggle over the minutiae of negotiations.
However, without Arthur's presence, the Australian delegation was at a clear disadvantage in terms of rank, position, and numbers when compared to the British team.
Still, Arthur had planned for this in advance. The outcome now depended entirely on the efforts of his delegation.
While Arthur waited anxiously, discussions in the Prime Minister's Office went on continuously. Occasional bursts of argument could be heard, though they quickly faded.
Around 8 p.m., there was a knock at Arthur's door, followed by a familiar voice: "Your Highness, it's done!"
It was the three ministers of the delegation. All wore expressions of excitement, clearly indicating that the talks had gone well and the results met their expectations.
"Tell me—how did it go?" Arthur asked, taking a seat in his office and signaling the guards to bring in coffee. He spoke with a neutral expression.
"Overall, quite smoothly, Your Highness," said Andrew, the Foreign Minister, excitedly.
Due to the range of diplomatic skills required, Andrew had served as head of the delegation, with Ministers Pierre and Kent acting as deputy leaders.
"Were all our demands met? Has the aid agreement been formally signed?" Arthur asked, calmly nodding as he continued the inquiry.
"Almost everything has been fulfilled, Your Highness. Today, we discussed all the details of the treaty with the British government. We've scheduled the official signing for tomorrow, with the agreement taking effect the day after. The term is set for ten years," Minister Andrew replied with a smile.
The ten-year term had been decided by Queen Victoria. Neither Britain nor Australia intended to change it.
From Britain's perspective, they didn't want to commit to longer-term, unconditional aid—no matter how small the support, it still cost real money.
For Australia, a ten-year aid program was more than acceptable. As the saying goes, the greedy swallow more than they can chew. Both Arthur and his officials were quite content with this arrangement.
"How much funding will we receive each year under the treaty? What about industrial equipment and personnel? Was the immigration issue discussed?" Arthur continued.
Australia had an overwhelming need for assistance—especially immigration, which was the country's biggest challenge before it could rise.
Both industrial development and infrastructure construction required a massive labor force and population.
With fewer than four million people, Australia had only one viable option for true growth: attracting large-scale immigration from Europe to increase its population as much as possible.
(End of Chapter)
Friends, if you enjoyed the novel, you can subscribe to my Patreon channel.
Until November 30st, get 40% off both your subscription and the purchase of your novel. Thank you for your support.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Kira1997