How did Victoria describe her childhood? <SEP> Victoria later described her childhood as "rather melancholy". Her mother was extremely protective, and Victoria was raised largely isolated from other children under the so-called "Kensington System", an elaborate set of rules and protocols devised by the Duchess and her ambitious and domineering comptroller, Sir John Conroy, who was rumoured to be the Duchess's lover. The system prevented the princess from meeting people whom her mother and Conroy deemed undesirable (including most of her father's family), and was designed to render her weak and dependent upon them. The Duchess avoided the court because she was scandalised by the presence of King William's bastard children, and perhaps prompted the emergence of Victorian morality by insisting that her daughter avoid any appearance of sexual impropriety. Victoria shared a bedroom with her mother every night, studied with private tutors to a regular timetable, and spent her play-hours with her dolls and her King Charles spaniel, Dash. Her lessons included French, German, Italian, and Latin, but she spoke only English at home.
How did V. C. describe their childhood? <SEP> V. C. later described their childhood as "rather melancholy". Their mother was extremely protective, and V. C. was raised largely isolated from other children under the so-called "Kensington System", an elaborate set of rules and protocols devised by the Duchess and her ambitious and domineering comptroller, Sir John Conroy, who was rumoured to be the Duchess's lover. The system prevented the child from meeting people whom their mother and Conroy deemed undesirable (including most of their father's family), and was designed to render them weak and dependent upon them. The Duchess avoided the court because she was scandalized by the presence of King William's bastard children, and perhaps prompted the emergence of Victorian morality by insisting that her child avoid any appearance of sexual impropriety. V. C.  shared a bedroom with their mother every night, studied with private tutors to a regular timetable, and spent their play-hours with their dolls and their King Charles spaniel, Dash. Their lessons included French, German, Italian, and Latin, but they spoke only English at home.