"In your

Creevey wrote enthusiastically to Miss Ord. life you never heard such testimony as hers in favour of the Queen-the talent, the perspicuity, the honesty of it." A severe cross-examination failed in any way to shake her testimony. "Wonders will never cease," Creevey wrote. Upon my soul! this Queen must be innocent after all-Lady Charlotte went on in her crossexamination, and could never be touched, and though she was treated most infamously-so much so as to make her burst out a-crying. There was a ticklish point about a letter from her brother, who was in great distress, advising her to give up her place under the Queen, which letter she said she could not find. The fact is, her husband, Lindsay, who is in the greatest distress, has absolutely sold her correspondence on this subject to the Treasury. She told this to Brougham himself under the most solemn injunction of secrecy, and he has this instant told it to me. When, therefore, Brougham mentioned loudly the name of Maule as a person to be called as witness, the Chancellor decided the letter should not be producedthis Maule being the solicitor to the Treasury who bought the correspondence of Lindsay. Was there ever villainy equal to this?"

CHAPTER VIII

CAROLINE, PRINCESS OF WALES: (II) GRASS-WIDOW

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The Prince of Wales, Caroline, and Lady Jersey-Caroline dismisses Lady Jersey-Lady Jersey's insolent letter-The Prince returns to Mrs. Fitzherbert-Public avowal of the reconciliation-Caroline and Mrs. Fitzherbert-Caroline at Blackheath-She rarely goes to CourtThe Queen's attitude towards her-Appointed Ranger of Greenwich Park-Her home for foundlings-The King and his affection for Princess Charlotte-The Prince's hostility to his Consort-" Monk Lewis-An admirable hostess-Life at Blackheath-The SapiosMary Berry-Sir Walter Scott-John William Ward-Caroline's "unguarded" conduct-Sir John and Lady Douglas-Admiral Sir Sidney Smith-William Austin-" The Delicate Investigation "Caroline declared innocent-Her indiscretions commented on-The King's point of view-The Book suppressed-Caroline goes to Court. It would be paying Lady Jersey too high a compliment to say that she was the sole, or even the principal, cause of the separation between the Prince and Princess of Wales, but certainly she did her best to foment the trouble between them, for it seemed to her that by precipitating matters she would best serve her own ends.

His Royal Highness, it is not to be denied, vigorously backed his mistress whenever it came to a matter of openly insulting his consort. Charles Abbot (afterwards Lord Colchester) noted in his Diary, under the date of February 25, 1796: "A few nights ago, Lady Jersey was invited with the Prince's party to the Queen's House, and put to a card-table with the Princess Augusta and Lady Holdernesse. The Prince of Wales, in the course of the evening, repeatedly came up to her table, and publicly squeezed her hand. The King sees and disapproves of the Carlton House system. The Queen

is won over to the Prince's wishes by his attention, and presents in jewels, etc.; the Princess says her father told her to observe everything and say nothing."

The same observer noted three weeks later: "The Queen openly patronised Lady Jersey. The Prince and Princess of Wales within these last three days have had an open difference, but at the Opera last night affected an extraordinary cordiality. The Princess of Wales in this matter behaved with dignity." Another disgraceful incident was the Prince taking back from Caroline some pearl bracelets he had given her as a wedding-present, and bestowing them on Lady Jersey, who had the temerity, as well as the bad taste, to wear them at Court in the presence of the Princess of Wales.

Caroline bore with these outrages for a while, and behaved with great dignity. She made no protests; only she declined absolutely to have Lady Jersey at her table, or, indeed, in her presence, except when the Prince was with her. Nothing that George said could move her from this resolve.

When the separation took place, however, the situation was changed. Then Caroline determined to have nothing more to do with Lady Jersey, and intimated the same to her. To the surprise and disgust of Her Royal Highness, Lady Jersey refused to resign her post of Lady of the Bedchamber. Caroline had put up with many slights and much overt rudeness, but this was too much for her, and she spoke her mind very plainly in a letter to George, in which she said that Lady Jersey's attempt to remain in her Household convicted her of an absolute lack of delicacy ("c'est announcer un manque absolu de délicatesse.")

As the Prince would not use his authority, Caroline appealed direct to the King, who at once intervened, and

intervened effectively, on her behalf. Lady Jersey was given the choice of resignation or dismissal.

Lady Jersey, seeing that the game was up, evidently consulted with the Prince as to the manner in which her resignation could be rendered most offensive to Caroline. The following letter was the outcome of this deliberation :

"Madame-I seize the earliest opportunity in my power to have the honour of informing your Royal Highness that I have this day obtained permission of His Royal Highness to resign into his hands the situation of Lady of the Bedchamber in your Royal Highness's Family, a situation which I had the honour of being appointed by him at the same time with the rest of those who compose your Royal Highness's Household.

"The same duty and attachment which I shall ever be proud to profess for his Royal Highness, and which induced me to accept that appointment, urged me to obey his commands in retaining it long after the infamous and unjustifiable paragraphs in the public papers rendered it impossible for a person of the rank and situation which I hold in this country (indeed for anyone possessing the honest pride and spirit of an English woman) to submit to hold a situation which was to make her the object of deep and designing calumny.'

"The Prince of Wales represented to me, upon my mentioning my earnest request to His Royal Highness for my instant resignation, that such a step would not only be regarded as confirmation of every absurd

This refers to the scandal occasioned by the intercepting of a packet of letters written by Caroline to members of her family at Brunswick, for which Lady Jersey was believed to be responsible.

and abominable falsehood that had been so industriously fabricated for the present purpose, but that it would be further promoting the views of those who had been so wickedly labouring to injure His Royal Highness in the public mind, and through him to degrade the rest of the Royal Family. But the moment is now come when I can with propriety withdraw myself from such persecution and injustice, and the conscious satisfaction that I have by my silence and forbearance on my side given the strongest proof of my duty to the Royal Family and of that respectful attachment and gratitude to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, which can never end but with my life.

"I am, Madam, with all possible respect,

"Your Royal Highness's most humble servant, "A. JERSEY."

The reason why the Prince of Wales was so insistent on separation from his Consort was, not his devotion to Lady Jersey (as that lady soon found out, no doubt, much to her surprise), but his desire to resume relations with Mrs. Fitzherbert. Lady Jersey had been entirely indifferent to the fact that the man with whom she had an intrigue was married. Mrs. Fitzherbert was a woman of a very different stamp. She would not even receive any overtures from the man she regarded as her husband so long as he was living, even nominally, with his Consort. In her eyes, George and Caroline were living in adultery. But if the Prince ever loved anyone, it was Maria Fitzherbert.

When he was very ill early in 1796, he signed a will in which is the following passage: "In this my last Will and Testament, I now bequeath, give and settle at my