A series of congratulatory regrets.

The phrase is a compact oxymoron: “congratulations” (public praise, polite approval) paired with “regrets” (private disappointment, loss, or envy). Disraeli’s wording suggests a social ritual in which people offer compliments that are not wholly sincere—praise that carries an undertone of resentment, rivalry, or mourning for one’s own missed opportunity. Read this way, the line satirizes the etiquette of high society and politics, where success is acknowledged because it must be, yet emotionally resisted because it alters status and power. The plural “series” implies repetition and performance: a predictable sequence of courteous remarks masking mixed motives.