How much Bismarck was hampered by adverse influences at Court we see from a letter to Roon: 

“I am far removed from any hasty or selfish resolution, but I have a feeling that the cause of the King against the Revolution is lost; his heart is in the other camp and he has more confidence in his opponents than his friends.  For us it will be indifferent, one year or thirty years hence, but not for our children.  The King has ordered me to come to him before the sitting to discuss what is to be said; I shall not say much, partly because I have not closed my eyes all night and am wretched, and then I really do not know what to say.  They will certainly reject the loan, and his Majesty at the risk of breaking with Europe and experiencing a second Olmuetz will at last join the Democracy, and work with it in order to set up Augustenburg and found a new State.  What is the good of making speeches and scolding?  Without some miracle of God the game is lost.  Now and with posterity the blame will be laid upon us.  As God will.  He will know how long Prussia has to exist.  But God knows I shall be sorry when it ceases.”

The only ally that Bismarck had was Austria.  Their combined influence was sufficiently strong by a majority of one to carry through the Diet execution instead of occupation; though there was appended to the motion a rider that the question of succession was not thereby prejudiced.

The execution took place.  During the month of December the Hanoverians and Saxons occupied Holstein; the Danes did not resist but retreated across the Eider.  At the end of the year the occupation was complete.  In the rear of the German troops had come also the Prince of Augustenburg, who had settled himself in the land of which he claimed to be ruler.

What was now to be done?  The Augustenburg party wished at once to press forward with the question of the succession; let the Diet decide this immediately; then hand over Holstein to the new Duke and immediately seize Schleswig also and vindicate it from Christian, the alien usurper.  Bismarck would not hear of this; he still maintained his policy that Prussia should not denounce the London Convention, should recognise the sovereignty of Christian, and should demand from him as lawful ruler of all the Danish possessions the repeal of the obnoxious November Constitution.  In this he was still supported by Austria; if the Danes did not acquiesce in these very moderate demands, the Germans should enter Schleswig and seize it as a security.  Then he would be able when he wished to free himself from the Treaty of London, for war dissolves all treaties.

The advantage of this plan was that it entirely deprived England of any grounds for interference; Prussia alone was now defending the London Convention; Prussia was preventing the Diet from a breach of treaty; the claim of Denmark was one in regard to which the Danes were absolutely wrong.  Bismarck had therefore on his side Austria, Russia, probably France, and averted the hostility of England.  Against him was German public opinion, the German Diet, and the Prussian Parliament; everyone, that is, whom he neither feared nor regarded.  So long as the King was firm he could look with confidence to the future, even though he did not know what it would bring forth.