Indiscretions of the Queen

Caroline’s Little Family

CAROLINE had accepted her life. The Prince would always hate her; he would, if he could, separate her from their daughter but this was not in his power while the King remained her friend. She was grateful to the King, the only member of the royal family whom she could trust, but naturally the most important, for in the end if he insisted that something be done so it must be.

He visited her often; they talked of the Princess Charlotte and he told her how worried he was about Amelia’s health. Caroline always listened intently and although the King had to admit that her manners were too free and her conversation a little coarse and that she laughed too loudly and was too familiar, he always added a rider: She was affectionate and he liked to feel affection in the family.

The Queen ignored her— more than that, she would do her harm if she could.

Caroline retaliated by laughing behind Her Majesty’s back at her odd little habits of which she read in the press. Her snuff-taking, her careful scrutiny of accounts, how she kept her tippet in a paper bag to prevent its getting dusty— as though she were some farmer’s wife. But Caroline knew that the Queen was not merely a figure of fun; she was a sinister power in her life. ‘The old Begum,’ she would say, ‘what is she up to now?’

But the days she spent with baby Charlotte made up for any disappointments in her life. How she loved to romp with the child! They would crawl about the floor together and Charlotte would give imperious orders and show quite clearly that she adored her mother. If she could only have the child with her she would have been perfectly happy; but she had to realize that as a royal princess, a possible Queen of England, Charlotte would had to receive an education which it was not in Caroline’s power to give her.

But she was a baby yet and there were happy time together.

Caroline was not allowed to return to Carlton House and Charlotte continued to live there with her governess and nurses; but the King arranged that Caroline should oft visit her daughter and that Charlotte should often stay Charlton with her mother.

‘Dear old George,’ said Caroline to Miss Hayman, who was a very special friend. ‘A pity he had to marry the old Begum. He deserves better.’

Miss Hayman, like everyone else, thought Caroline’s speech and manners very wild and free; but that did not disturb Miss Hayman; and she often visited Caroline at Charlton to tell her what Charlotte had been doing and to repeat her clever sayings.

When the Prince heard of the friendship between Caroline and Miss Hayman he dismissed the latter from Princess Charlotte’s household, so Miss Hayman went to serve that of Caroline.

The Princess was becoming extremely popular. She only had to ride out into the streets and a little crowd would gather to cheer her. When he heard of this it infuriated the Prince, for the more people liked her the less they liked him.

He could not understand why this rather slovenly, non-too-clean creature with her too-ready and too-loud laughter, her flamboyant manner of dressing, her tactlessness and whole lack of grace should have so caught the public imagination But the fact remained that she had.

He was ashamed of her; and while he determined to shut her out of his life as much as he could he was desperately longing to bring Maria Fitzherbert back into it.

Caroline meanwhile had moved to Montague House, near Greenwich Park, which was more suited to her rank than the little house in Charlton and she set out to make this an inviting centre for amusing people. Strangely enough she did attract to it some of the most brilliant men of the day. The chief of these was the great politician, George Canning. This further enraged the Prince, who could not understand how such a man could find anything in Caroline’s household to attract him. Other important influential people followed Canning’s example and it seemed inevitable that Montague House should become a rendezvous for those who disapproved of the Prince.

But Caroline longed for her daughter and since she could not have her all the time she took up a hobby which had been hers in Brunswick and adopted children from the surrounding neighbourhood. She would call at any house, however humble, if there were children there; and she only had to hear of an orphan to take the child into her special care.

This project filled a great deal of her time because she made it her duty to see that the children were placed in households where they would be well looked after; she founded a little school where they could be taught; she treated them as though she were their mother and no matter how poor and sick they were, she cuddled and kissed them, showering her affection on them.

People were surprised to see her pick up a child with open sores on its face and tend them herself.

She loved children. She adored her own daughter; but since she was allowed to see her only occasionally she created her own little family about her.

This was one of the reasons why she was so loved by the people who saw in her a good kind woman who had been badly treated by their profligate Prince.

And so the next few years passed.