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‘I must ask Your Highness to tell me the truth of this matter. Hold nothing

back. Tell me how did the child come to be in this house?’

Caroline told him of her discovery of the Austins, how he himself had found

work for the child’s father, how before he was born his mother had promised him

to her and how he had come to her a few weeks after he was born.

Perceval nodded, well satisfied.

‘We have a good case,’ he said. ‘We need one. But I don’t think we are going

to have any difficulty in proving these charges false. You have been very

indiscreet, Your Highness; and I do beg of you to curb your tongue. A word in the wrong place can ruin you. I beg of you remember that.’

‘I have always been told that I talk too much and without thinking.’

‘I trust Your Highness will remember the truth of that.’

‘I shall do my best. And I think it’s— noble of you to help me. You know,

don’t you, that the Prince will not be very pleased with you because I believe my beloved husband is hoping to prove me guilty. He can have as many love affairs

as he pleases— and he’d grudge me just one.’

Perceval sighed. What was the use of begging for discretion?

‘We must do what we can,’ he said sternly, ‘and remember the gravity of the

situation.’

————————

The Queen was delighted; the Princesses giggled together. It certainly added a

spice to life when such dramatic events took place in the family. And all centred round the Prince of Wales as was usually the case.

‘So,’ said Sophia, ‘there is to be an investigation.’

‘A delicate investigation,’ Mary reminded her.

They laughed. ‘Oh, very delicate. Really, Caroline is a fool. What do you

think will happen?’

‘Well, if it goes the way George wants it, she’ll be divorced and sent back to

Brunswick. And then he’ll take another wife and if he has a son that will put dear little Charlotte’s nose out of joint.’

‘Which I daresay will do her no harm. That child gives herself airs.’

‘What do you expect with such a mother?’

‘And such a father!’

‘How exciting they make life. George has had a morganatic marriage which

you would have thought was enough for anyone. But not for George. Now he has

to have a Delicate Investigation!’

————————

The
Delicate Investigation
had begun. The King himself had appointed a

Council to enquire into the truth of the Douglases’ allegations and this was made up of Lord Grenville, the Prime Minister, Lord Erskine, the Lord Chancellor,

Lord Ellenborough, the Lord Chief Justice, and Lord Spencer the Secretary of

State; and presided over by Sir Samuel Romilly, one of the leading lights of the

Bar recently, at the instigation of the Prince of Wales, appointed Solicitor-

General.

There was no representation for the Princess of Wales, though Perceval was at

hand to help her and advise. She had in fact not been officially warned that the

investigation was to take place although an attorney, a Mr. Lowten, had been

appointed to watch the case for the Prince of Wales, which meant that he was to

do all he could to prove Caroline’s guilt.

She had just put Willikin to bed— a task which she undertook herself with

the utmost pleasure— when Mrs. Fitzgerald came to tell her that a messenger had

arrived with a letter for her.

She said that he was to be brought to her and when he came, she read the

letter and went to her desk to write an answer.

When the messenger had left with it she said to Mrs. Fitzgerald: ‘They are

telling me that they will want the servants to appear for questioning and I have

answered that they may question all they like.’

‘For questioning?’ cried Mrs. Fitzgerald aghast.

‘Why? What’s worrying you? Why shouldn’t they question them if they want

to?’

‘If they tell the truth all should be well,’ said Mrs. Fitzgerald, but she was

thinking of the many indiscretions— the light, frivolous flirtatious manner and

conversation of the Princess. She was thinking of young Willikin upstairs in his

bed.

Couldn’t she see how easy it was going to be to make a case against her?

————————

But it was not so easy. It was true that some of the servants gave the answers

which they knew the Prince of Wales would want. Several of these servants were

no longer with the Princess of Wales; some had been dismissed and had a

grievance; others had been sent to serve her for the sole purpose of spying.

Oh yes,
said these. They had seen the Princess behave very familiarly with men who came to the house. They had seen her kiss Sir Sydney Smith, embrace

Captain Manley and speak very affectionately to Mr. Canning; she had told them

not to disturb her when she was alone with Sir Thomas Lawrence. Oh, yes, they

all thought this was very strange behaviour for a Princess of Wales.

But there were other servants— good and loyal. The Princess was by nature

friendly. She was warm and affectionate to everyone— even the humblest of her

servants. She called them ‘my dear’, ‘my love’, ‘my angel’ even. It was a habit of hers.

Had she been very familiar with men who called at the house?

No more than with women. She was impulsively friendly with all.

But right at the heart of the matter was Willikin. Who was this boy? Was it

possible that he was the Princess’s son? This was the charge against her and if it could be proved that she was the mother of that boy then it would be possible for the Prince to divorce her, for not only would she have been proved flagrantly

unfaithful, but guilty of treason to the State, for that boy could claim the throne; and this was where the matter was so serious.

The Princess had declared— and some of her servants corroborated this—

that William Austin was the son of Samuel and Sophia Austin; they were near

neighbours of hers and the man worked in the dockyards.

There was only one thing to be done: Call the woman whom the Princess

alleged was the mother of the boy.

Sophia came— clean, respectable, a witness whom they had to admit they

could trust.

Yes, she had had conversations with the Princess of Wales.

‘And was she the mother of the boy who lived with the Princess of Wales?’

‘If you be talking of young Willie,’ was the direct answer, ‘I am his mother.’

‘And your son now lives at Montague House with the Princess of Wales?’

‘Tis true that I sometimes have to pinch myself to believe it. But she’s an

angel, that Princess. And my, don’t she love the little ones! When I was carrying Willie she came to me and I complained of having another mouth to feed.
Give

him to me
, she said
. I’ll adopt him
. There! It was as easy as that.’

‘Do you swear that you are the mother of William Austin?’

‘I swear it, and if you don’t believe me you go along to Brownlow Street

Hospital, for that was where Willie was born.’

There was no refuting evidence of that sort. The Council had reluctantly to

admit that there was no truth in the allegation that the Princess of Wales had

borne an illegitimate son.

They did not forget, however, that they must please the Prince. They added

that, although there was no evidence to support the theory that the child, William Austin, was the Princess’s and although it seemed certain that he was not, that did not mean that the Princess was not guilty of behaving in most unbecoming

manner; and in the Council’s opinion the morals of the Princess of Wales left

much to be desired.

————————

So her enemies were defeated. They had been proven by the Prince’s friends

— to be lying.

She had forgotten that she was only exonerated from the charge of producing

an illegitimate child; it was by no means proved that the life she lead was not one of immorality.

She was made aware of this when she wrote to the King with her usual

exuberance and received a very restrained letter in reply in which His Majesty

stated that he could not help but be gravely concerned by her conduct.

‘By my conduct!’ she cried to the faithful Mrs. Fitzgerald. ‘But I have been

proved to have been slandered! Oh, my dear, dear Fitz! Was ever such a poor

devil in the plight I’m in? I’m a princess and no princess. I’m a married woman

with no husband— for the Prince of Wales is worse than none. This is not the

end, Fitz. They’ve determined to make my life a hell— all of them. Can’t you

imagine the old Begum tittering away, surrounded by her virgin daughters! Let

them! What do I care! But I do care about the old man, Fitz. I think I loved him in a way. He tried to be so good always. And now look at this. He’s gravely

concerned— by my immorality and he isn’t going to see me. I’m going to be shut

away here and forgotten. But I’ll tell you something, my dear, I won’t have it. I won’t. I won’t.’

Mrs. Fitzgerald looked alarmed, but Caroline burst out laughing.

‘Don’t be frightened, my dear, I’m not going mad. Though I declare there’s

enough to make me. That’s for my poor old father-in-law. God bless him. But I’m

not having him turned against me! I’m going to see him. And I’ll keep on at him

until I do. I shall write to him again and again—’

‘Your Highness, why not ask the advice of Spencer Perceval? He will know

what’s to be done.’

The Princess was thoughtful for a moment. Then she cried: ‘You’re right.

That dear man will know— and at least he is my friend.’

————————

The King was decidedly worried. On all sides he heard stories of Caroline’s

misconduct. The Queen believed in it and constantly referred to it. Oh, they had

not proved that she had had this child but it was quite obvious that she led a very wild life. All those men calling on her at odd times of the day and night! Most

peculiar! And what a way for a Princess of Wales to live! What a sad day for the

Prince of Wales, for the family and for England when George had taken the

King’s niece from Brunswick instead of the Queen’s from Mecklenburg-Strelitz!

A sad day, a sad day indeed, thought the King. But she was a pleasant woman,

quite handsome in her way too. Why could not the Prince of Wales give up his

wild life and settle down as an heir to the throne should do?

He was sorry for Caroline, but how could he see her in the circumstances? It

would be as though he gave his approval to immorality.

And he had felt life was going to be better. Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar had

put new heart into the nation and in him. Yet even that victory had its sadness, for Nelson had fallen and the country had lost its saviour in the moment of victory.

He thought of the great hall of Greenwich hospital into which the public had

crowded to see the coffin of the naval hero and of the funeral that followed and at which he had been represented by the Prince of Wales and his brothers. A sad

occasion to follow victory. But Lord Nelson would have rejoiced because he had

crippled the might of Napoleon and made England safe.

But there was constant trouble. No sooner was the threat of invasion removed

than the family was at war within itself.

The Prince of Wales hated his wife and this was an even sadder pattern than

that set by the family when father and son were fighting together. At least he had been faithful to his Queen; George II had been notoriously uxorious in spite of

constant infidelity. George I— ah, there had been a sad case of husband and wife

who had been enemies—

But what was the use of thinking of the past? He dared not think too much.

His head went into a painful whirl when he did so. He tried to catch at his

thoughts and found them eluding him. He grew alarmed when that happened.

I must not think of it,
he told himself.
And I must not receive her.

————————

On her request Spencer Perceval called to see Caroline and listened to her

account of the King’s refusal to receive her.

‘This must not be allowed to continue,’ he told her, ‘or it will be said that you were guilty. His Majesty is treating you though you are. This must be stopped at

all cost or the verdict of the people will be against you. This is unthinkable,

for try as they did the Council could prove no case against you. The King must

receive you. You should write again and request him to do so.’

This she did and it brought a reply from the King. He would see her; but

before the meeting could be arranged she received a letter from Windsor in which

the King said that he must postpone receiving her because he had heard from the

Prince of Wales that he intended consulting his lawyer with regard to the

Council’s findings. Until he heard the result of this His Majesty must put off the meeting.

When Caroline received this letter she was furious. She wrote indignantly to

the King. It was with great pain that she had read his letter, she said. It was seven months since she had seen the King and now that nothing had been proved against

her there was no longer any reason why he should refuse to see her. She signed

herself : ‘His dutiful and affection ate but much injured subject and daughter-in-law’.

She declared that she would be received at Court. She was not going to be

thrust aside in this way. How dare the Prince of Wales, whose own life was so

scandalous, treat her in this way?

Perceval came to see her. He heard of the latest developments and said they

must delay no longer. It was necessary to deliver an ultimatum. The only thing