After orchestrating a fashion revolution that transformed his Queen into the most admired woman in Europe, Arthur did not linger in celebration.
His attention shifted swiftly to a matter far less glamorous—yet infinitely more decisive for the future of the Empire.
Public health.
And, more precisely, **childcare**.
The catalyst was personal.
Only days earlier, the youngest princess—**little Alice**—had suffered sudden vomiting, fever, and intestinal distress after drinking what the Royal Kitchens proudly described as *the freshest milk from the Royal Farm*.
She recovered quickly, thanks to an emergency remedy discreetly prepared under Arthur's supervision.
But Arthur's fury was immediate and absolute.
He stormed into the Royal Kitchens, his presence alone enough to paralyze chefs and officials alike.
"Incompetents," he said coldly. "Every last one of you."
"Do you have the slightest idea," he continued, voice sharpened by restraint, "what unseen filth hides in untreated milk? What invisible poisons lurk in unclean feeding vessels?"
The kitchen staff stared back in mute confusion.
Arthur exhaled slowly.
He understood at once: explaining invisible dangers to a nineteenth-century household would be futile.
Reform required **authority**, not explanation.
Days later, a Royal Proclamation was issued—signed personally by **Her Majesty Queen Victoria**, with technical endorsement from the **Royal Society for the Advancement of Science and Industry**.
Its purpose was stated plainly:
> *To safeguard the health of the Royal Family, and to establish a scientific and exemplary model of motherhood and childhood for the entire Empire.*
Thus was founded a new institution:
**The Royal Childcare and Public Health Society**
* **President (Honorary):** Her Majesty the Queen
* **Executive Director:** His Royal Highness Prince Consort Arthur Lionheart
Its first publication caused immediate shock within London's aristocracy.
Drafted under Arthur's direct supervision, the document avoided abstruse theory and instead laid down **clear, unquestionable Royal Standards**.
Among them:
* **Water:**
All drinking water destined for Royal use must undergo sedimentation, sand filtration, and prolonged boiling.
* **Milk:**
All dairy products must be gently heated and held at a precise temperature for a fixed duration, achieving what was termed *Royal Grade Sterilisation*.
* **Utensils & Feeding Bottles:**
All vessels intended for infants must be boiled thoroughly before each use.
These standards—initially mocked as excessive—were enforced without compromise throughout Buckingham Palace.
Within weeks, the effect was undeniable.
Minor illnesses among the Royal children virtually vanished.
What had once been routine fevers and stomach ailments became rare events.
Scepticism evaporated.
And something else took its place.
**Imitation.**
"Raw milk? How terribly old-fashioned."
"My dear, we follow Royal Sterilisation now."
"You don't boil your child's feeding bottle? Good heavens…"
Before long, *Royal Standards* became the most fashionable doctrine of motherhood among London's elite.
Health—when wrapped in prestige—spread faster than law.
Arthur observed the transformation with satisfaction.
Tie a standard to **class**, **dignity**, and **Royal approval**, and society will enforce it for you.
With the door opened, Arthur advanced.
Under Royal patronage, select manufacturers—operating quietly within **Future Industries Group**—introduced two new products:
* **"Royal Angel" Infant Milk Powder**
A carefully balanced formula derived from treated dairy sources, enhanced with essential nutrients vital to early growth.
* **"Royal Care" Infant Pads**
Disposable, highly absorbent, designed to spare mothers the endless burden of laundering.
Neither product was advertised aggressively.
Royal endorsement was enough.
The response was explosive.
Young mothers praised them with near-religious devotion.
The Prince Consort's reputation shifted once again.
No longer merely a strategist or financier—
He became, in whispered admiration, **the saviour of mothers**.
---
### The Queen's Ascendancy
Queen Victoria's unwavering support of the Society transformed her public image.
She was no longer simply Sovereign.
She became **Mother of the Nation**.
Benevolent. Protective. Enlightened.
Her authority deepened—not through force, but through care.
Arthur Lionheart watched the system take root, satisfied.
From his vantage point, one truth was clear:
An empire's strength lies not only in fleets or colonies—
—but in the health of the generation yet to rule it.
And quietly, efficiently, he had secured that future.
Of course, the Royal Mother and Child Enterprises also generated remarkable profit.
Even saints, after all, must eat.
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