19 December 1851
Palmerston resigns over Louis Napoleon

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Louis Napoleon, Bonaparte's nephew, takes power in France through a coup d'état (he will rename himself Napoleon III when he establishes the Second Empire the following year). British Prime Minister Russell is keen to stay neutral, while Queen Victoria hopes that France's former king, Louis Philippe, will be restored to the throne. Foreign secretary Palmerston disagrees with them both: he is afraid that, if Louis Philippe returns, there will be a radical uprising in France, which would then ignite unrest in Britain.

Palmerston confers recognition on Louis Napoleon as head of state without consulting Cabinet or the queen, and because of this, Russell forces him to resign. However, he gets his revenge in 1852 by leading a parliamentary rebellion against Russell (see 1852 General election).

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