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her forcibly removed. There was nothing she could do, but return fuming to

Blackheath.

————————

As soon as she returned to Blackheath she sat down and wrote a letter:

Sir,

It is with great reluctance that I presume to intrude upon Your Royal Highness and to solicit
your attention to matters which may, at first, appear rather of a personal than of a public nature—

There is a point beyond which a guiltless woman cannot with safety carry her forbearance. If her
honour is invaded, the defense of her renutation is no longer a matter of choice; and it signifies
not whether the attack be made openly, manfully and directly— or by secret insinuation, and by
holding such conduct towards her as countenances all the suspicions that malice can suggest—

I presume, sir, to suggest to Your Royal Highness, every succeeding month that the
separation, which every succeeding month is making wider, of the mother and the daughter, is
equally injurious to my character and to her education. I say nothing of the deep wounds which so
cruel an arrangement inflicts on my feelings.’

She went on to write of the implications of such a decree but she signed

herself:

Your Royal Highness’s most devoted and most affectionate Consort, Cousin and Subject,
Caroline Amelia.

This letter she had delivered to the Prime Minister, Lord Liverpool, with the

request that he should hand it to the Prince Regent. The Prime Minister returned

the letter unopened the following day with a covering note.

His Royal Highness has stated that he will receive no communication from Your Highness
and sees no reason why he should change that decision.

‘Very well,’ cried Caroline, ‘I will publish this letter that the people may read it.’

Shortly after it appeared in the
Morning Chronicle
.

————————

This naturally had its repercussions in the fury of the people against the

Regent and their increased sympathy towards Caroline. But this, the Regent

ignored, and Caroline received a letter from Lord Liverpool in which he said that in view of the publication of the letter, the Prince Regent had commanded that her next meeting with the Princess Charlotte should be cancelled.

But the mood of the people and the truculent attitude of Caroline forced the

Regent to a decision. He called together a committee to decide what the

relationship between the Princess of Wales and her daughter should be; and he

asked that the papers which were accumulated during the Douglas case be studied

again in the hope of proving to the people of England that Caroline was no fit

companion for the heiress to the throne.

————————

Caroline was not without friends and now that she had lost Perceval she found

two ardent supporters in Baron Brougham and Vaux, a distinguished lawyer and

politician, and Samuel Whitbread, the Member for Bedford who had made a

fortune out of the brewery business.

Whitbread was an earnest idealist who saw Caroline as a much persecuted

heroine; Brougham was something of an opportunist who saw in Caroline’s case a

cause which could bring him fame.

They called on her— separately— and both told her of their admiration for

her fortitude in her misfortune and how they would work for her.

With her usual exuberance she welcomed them.

It was fortunate for her that she had these supporters for those of the Prince

were demanding that the Douglases repeat their accusations against her.

Whitbread, aware of this, forestalled the Princess’s enemies by asking in the

House of Commons that Lady Douglas be prosecuted for perjury.

————————

The affairs of the Regent and his wife were being discussed everywhere.

There was no doubt whose side the people were on.

On one occasion riding in Constitution Hill Caroline’s carriage passed that of

Charlotte and the young Princess called to her driver to turn and follow her

mother.

When the carriages were side by side the two embraced affectionately and

through the windows engaged in an animated conversation.

A crowd collected.

‘Long live the Princess Charlotte!’ they cried. ‘Long live the Princess of

Wales!’

The two smiled affectionately at the people and waved their greetings.

There were loud cheers and grumbles in the crowd too. Why should fat

George come between mother and daughter? Why should they stand by and allow

such wickedness?’

Mother and daughter bade each other a fond farewell and their carriages drove

away in opposite directions were seen to turn and wave and look after each other

longingly. There were tears in many eyes as well as indignation.

‘It shouldn’t be allowed,’ was the comment. ‘Someone should put a stop to it.’

————————

No one was more aware of public opinion than Brougham; he came down

vehemently on Caroline’s side. Meanwhile the Douglases were alarmed

considering the penalties of perjury and Sir John wrote to the House of Commons

on behalf of his wife explaining that the depositions they had made on oath before the Lords Commissioners were not made on such judicial proceedings which

could legally result in a prosecution for perjury. But as they felt the fullest

confidence in their statements they were ready to take the oath and swear before a tribunal, which if they were proved false could mean a prosecution for perjury.

They were eager to swear before such a tribunal, but they did not wish to take

these oaths before one which was lacking in these legal liabilities.

Brougham laughed aloud when he heard this.

‘Ah,’ he cried to Caroline. ‘You understand. They’re bluffing. They know

what this will mean. They will only swear at a public trial in which the Prince

Regent would have to appear.’

‘They are taking a risk,’ suggested Caroline.

‘Well, they have to take a risk— but a small one. They’re banking on the

impossibility of having a public trial in which the Regent would show up in none

too good a light. Moreover, all those spies of theirs might have been ready to

swear before the Lords Commissioners but would they be prepared to do so in a

court of law? Consider the penalties of perjury, dear Madam. No, this is good,

there will be no trial. And they don’t deceive people in the know.’

He was right. News came that the Duke of Sussex had dismissed Sir John

Douglas from his service. This was taken as a vindication of Caroline and there

were bonfires in the streets and the effigies which were burned were those of Sir John and Lady Douglas.

————————

The Duchess of Brunswick died at the time. Caroline was saddened, but her

mother’s behaviour had not been exactly endearing. The Prince, on attaining the

Regency, had offered her an apartment in Carlton House. Caroline guessed that

this was to discountenance her; and the old lady had been eager to accept and

would have done so had she not been prevailed upon by her son to refrain from

doing so. So she had declined and continued to hold court in her dark and gloomy

old house in New Street, Spring Gardens; but she did seem to take a delight in the humiliations heaped on her daughter, while she declared her dear nephew, the

Prince Regent, was always charming to her.

Caroline, was understandably, concerned with the fate of her mother’s faithful

lady-in-waiting, Lady Finiater, who on the death of the Duchess was left in very

dire straits, and endeavoured to get her pension of five hundred a year.

Caroline was beginning to see that the Regent was too powerful for her. There

would always be trouble, and as he was almost the King, she had little chance

against him.

Charlotte was to be betrothed to the Prince of Orange, a match which the

young Princess viewed with some distaste; and Caroline longed to be with her, to

condole with her, to stop her making an unhappy marriage as she had.

Bat Charlotte had spirit and her father was a little afraid of her on account of

that great affection she inspired wherever she went and the greater it became, the more he realized that quarrel between them could be disastrous to his own

standing with the people.

He groaned and cursed his wife and daughter. Never was it man such a lover

of the female sex, and never was a father and husband so plagued by them.

He blamed everything on to Caroline; he hated her; he could not bear to think

of her. The manner in which she behaved disgusted him. She was vulgar; she had

no sense of decorum; she was everything that he was not; and to think that she

was the mother of the heiress to the throne enraged him.

When the Czar of Russia visited England he was determined to keep Caroline

out of his sight for he could not endure the thought of the Czar’s seeing her and knowing that she was his wife.

When Caroline heard that there was to be a State visit to the Opera, she

mischievously decided to discountenance the Regent.

‘They may ban me from the drawing rooms but they can’t prevent my going

to the Opera,’ she announced triumphantly.

And while she was dressed for the occasion she grumbled to Lady Charlotte

and her women about the manner in which she had been excluded from the

Queen’s drawing room.

‘The Regent has said he does not wish to see you. And how can I ban the

Regent from my drawing room?’ she mimicked the Queen. ‘
I fear in the

circumstances I cannot invite you to attend.
The old Begum! We have more fun in Montague House in five minutes than they do in a year in the old drawing rooms.’

She laughed gleefully, and gazed in delight at her reflection while Lady

Charlotte shuddered inwardly. Could she really be contemplating visiting the

Opera like that? She wore black velvet and on her head had set an elaborately

curled wig so black that her face heavily daubed with white lead and rouge made

a startling contrast.

‘Come on,’ she cried. ‘Smack it on. I want to be noticed tonight.’

Her large bosom was generously displayed and she called Willikin to

comment on her appearance. He threw his arms about her neck and she gave him

several smacking kisses and was clearly contemplating taking him with her.

Oh God,
prayed Lady Charlotte,
don’t let her be as foolish as that.

Fortunately she changed her mind in time.

At the Opera the National Anthem was being played when she arrived. The

Prince Regent was standing to attention in his box— on one side of him the Czar

of Russia, on the other the King of Prussia.

The anthem over, the audience seated itself and then someone in the stalls

noticed her.

‘The Princess of Wales!’ the cry went up and the people began to cheer. Here

was a situation more interesting than the Opera could hope to be. The Princess

and the Prince in the house together.

The Czar was looking interested.

‘What a handsome fellow,’ whispered Caroline excitedly.

‘Madam,’ said Lady Charlotte, ‘the people expect you to rise and

acknowledge their cheers.’

‘Oh no,’ she said audibly, ‘Punch’s wife is nobody when Punch is there. I

know my business better than to take the morsel out of my husband’s mouth.’

The applause continued.

And the Prince Regent with that elegance and
savoir-faire
which Caroline

could never hope to understand, let alone emulate, rose turning to face her and

gave the house and Caroline the benefit of that elegant bow which was the

admiration of all who beheld it.

It was an evening of triumph for Caroline and of exasperating humility for the

Prince. For when the Opera was over she went out to the carriage and found a

crowd waiting for her.

They were also waiting for the Prince Regent. ‘Where’s your wife, George?’

they asked mockingly. This was particularly infuriating when he was in the

company of visiting royalty.

As for Caroline it was: ‘Long live the Princess. God bless the innocent.’

They crowded round her carriage; they insisted on shaking hands with her.

Nothing loath she opened the door and took their hands in her affable friendly

way. They cheered her lustily. She was the heroine of the evening.

One cried: ‘Shall we burn down Carlton House? You only have to say the

word.’

‘No, no,’ she cried. ‘Just let me pass now and go home and sleep peacefully.

And God bless you.’

‘God bless you,’ they cried.

It was certainly a triumph.

————————

But she soon realized the emptiness of such triumphs. The Czar had been

impressed or amused by the evening at the Opera and he sent a note to Caroline

asking permission to call on her.

How delightedly she gave it! ‘We must have a banquet. My word, this will put

his little nose out of joint. We’ll have such a spectacle as to compete with

anything he’s ever had at Carlton House.’

That was a wild exaggeration, of course, but it delighted her to think that in

spite of her in-laws she was to receive the royal visitor.

She set her cooks to work; she sat with her women while long hours were

spent on her
toilette
. She insisted that the rouge and white lead should not be spared.

‘That’s what he liked last time. Give him lots of it.’

But when she was ready she waited in vain; for the royal visitor did not

appear.