Hubbard argues that President Davis could not have selected "three less qualified Southern leaders". In contrast to Walther's favorable characterizations of Yancey's conduct, Hubbard stated that Yancey's conduct in England was "consistently impulsive, arrogant, unreasonably demanding". Arriving in Britain just a few days ahead of the news about the attack on Fort Sumter, Yancey and his delegation met informally with British foreign secretary Lord John Russell on May 3 and May 9. Yancey emphasized the points from his instructions and denied, upon being questioned by Russell, that there was any intent to reopen the slave trade. Russell was non-committal, and on May 12, Queen Victoria announced British neutrality combined with recognition that a state of belligerency existed.