The book: or the investigation of the conduct of Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales / being the evidence given under a Commission from the King; with Her Royal Highness's defence and other important documents.

  • Caroline, Queen, consort of George IV, King of Great Britain, 1768-1821
Date:
1813
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The book: or the investigation of the conduct of Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales / being the evidence given under a Commission from the King; with Her Royal Highness's defence and other important documents. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    81/98 (page 79)
    7S Minays in the presence of my ladies, as unbcconiiiig a iiiarried woman. Upon ihe e.streme injustice of setting up tlic opinion- of one woman, as it were, in judgment upon llie conduct of another; as well ns of estimating tlie conduct of a person in my unfortunate situation, by leferenre to tliat, which might in general be expected from'a married woman, living liappily with her hushaod, 1 have before generally remarked. Hut be- yond these general remarks in formiitg any estimate of my con- duct, vour Majesty w ill never forget ^tlte very pecutirrr rircuin- st..neesand misfortunes of my situation. Your Majesty will remember, that I had not been much above a year ia this country, when 1 received the following letter from Iris Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. The date of his Royal Highness’s letter is the SOth of April, 1796. The date of eur marriage, your Majesty will recollect, is the 8th day of April, in the year 1795, and tlta.t of the birth of cur only child the 7lh of Jan. 1796. » LETTER FROM THE PRINCE OF WALES TO THE PRINCESS OF WALES. “ Madam,—As Lord Cholmondeley informs me that ypu “ wish 1 would define in writing* the terms upon which we “ are to live, 1 shall endeavour to explain myself upon that “ head with as much clearness and as much propriety ;is the na- “ ture of thesubject will admit. Our inclinations are not in. “ our power, nor should either of us be held answerable to the “ other, i.ecause nature has not made us suitable to each other. “ Tranquil and comfortable society’, however is in our power., “ Let our intercourse, therefore, be restricted to that; and I “ will distinctly subscribe to the condition+ w hich you required “ through Lady Cholmo.vdeley, that even in the event of any “ accident happening to ray daughter, which 1 trust Providence “ in its mercy will avert, I shall not infringe tlie terms of the “ restric.ion, by proposing at any period a connection of a “ more ])articular nature. 1 shall now finally close this disa-, “ greeahle correspondence, trusting that as we have completely. * The sut^stance of this letter had been previously conveyed io a message through Lady Cholmondeley to her Royal High- ness; hut it was thought by her Royal Highness to be infinitely too important to rest merely upon a verbal communication, and, therefore she desired that his Itoyal Highness’s pleasure upon it ihould he communicated to her in writing. + Upon the receipt of the message alluded to in the foregoing note, her Royal Highness, though she liad nothing to do but to gnbmit to the arrangement whicii his Royal Highness should de-- termine upon, desired it might he understood, that she should insi=t lliat any such arrangement, if once made, should he con-* •idered as final; and that his Royal Highness should not retain the right, from time to time, at Ills pleasure, or under auy cir- tumiiances, to alter it.