n I dare say that you barely noticed what, to us, seemsnlike an inconsequential detail. It was that wee thing about having her namenremoved from the Liturgy that tipped the balance for Caroline. In the biddingnprayers included in the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England, saidnbefore the reading of the Collect, specific mention was (and still is) made ofnthe members of the Royal family, for whose health and well-being prayers werenoffered. By removing Caroline’s name from the Liturgy, her position as thenQueen of England was publicly denied, both before God and Man. She had beenntried, found guilty, and sentenced; justice had been served without hearing herncase. A tiny thing mayhap, yet a straw that broke the camel’s back. Carolinenresolved to return to England.
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| Lord Castlereagh |
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nLetters were written, to the leader of the Housenof Commons, Lord Castlereagh, to the Prime Minister, Lord Liverpool, demandingnto know why her name had been omitted from the Liturgy, detailing insults tonHer Majesty’s dignity suffered in foreign courts, and announcing her intentionnto come to England forthwith. Replies were sent, pointing out that if she setnfoot on English soil, proceedings against her would be inevitable. Liverpoolnoffered terms, a satisfactory financial accommodation (£50,000 per year!) couldnbe made if only she remained abroad and did not assume the title or style ofnQueen Consort. Acceptance of which, of course, would be an admission of guilt.
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| Lord Liverpool |
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nCaroline was met by Brougham, who was acting as her representative, and Lord Hutchinson,nrepresentative of the government, at St Omer, and the options were laid beforenher. Another slight, in her eyes. She left for Calais in the very highestndudgeon, very much against the advice of Brougham, and not finding the expectednRoyal Navy yacht waiting for her, she boarded the insignificant PrincenLeopold and, on June 5th 1820, she landed at Dover.
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| Pergami and Caroline – The Long and the Short |
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nThe populacenturned out to greet her, cannon thundered a royal salute, banners werenunfurled, cries and cheers sounded out, church bells rang continuously in everyntown and village. As she progressed to London, labourers stopped work in thenfields and cheered ‘God Save the Queen’ as she passed. One chap, obviousnovercome by the emotion of the moment and not altogether au fait withnthe ins and outs of Her Majesty’s private life, even called for cheers for ‘MrnAustin, Her Majesty’s son.’
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| Alderman Wood |
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nWhen Caroline arrived in London, she tooknlodgings with Alderman Wood, in South Audley Street, and waited for the King tonmake a move. She did not have to wait for long; on the next afternoon, annannouncement was read simultaneously before the Lords and the Commons.
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n“ThenKing, in consequence of the Queen’s arrival, feels it necessary to communicatento this House certain documents relating to Her Majesty’s conduct after herndeparture from this country. These documents he entrusts to the serious andnimmediate consideration of the House.”n
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nThese ‘certain documents’nwere contained in two green bags, and were identical copies of the evidencencollected by the preposterous Milan Commission. The House of Lordsnimmediately appointed a secret committee of fifteen members to examine thenevidence. The Commons, on the other hand, allowed their green bag to sit,nunopened, on the table for two weeks.
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| The Como-Cal Hobby – Set a Courier on Goat back and he’ll ride to the Devil – Caricature of Pergami and Caroline |
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nA Bill of Pains and Penalties wasnthen brought before the ministers; these bills were a legal hangover, even inn1820. They were intended to punish offenders who had committed crimes againstnthe State not covered under ordinary law, and were legally dubious, to say thenvery least, as a person could be tried for an act that was not illegal whennthat act was committed, and punishment could be enacted in excess of what wasnapplicable under law. Furthermore, these bills were brought against a specificnindividual by name, rather than a class of offenders, all of which runs againstnthe very heart of English jurisprudence.
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| How to Get Un-Married |
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nThe preamble to the 1820 Bill statednthat Caroline, then Princess of Wales, had left Great Britain and travellednabroad, where she engaged in licentious intimacy with Bartolomeo Pergami, andnby reason of this disgraceful behaviour it was necessary to dissolve hernmarriage to the King of England (the enacting part of the bill simply dissolvednthe marriage). After two days of legal niceties, the trial proper of the Queennbegan on August 19th 1820, with Henry Brougham (a member of thenCommons) given the unusual dispensation to speak before the Lords.
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| Henry Brougham |
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nHe,ncleverly, offered speculations rather than recriminations; why had the King notnfiled for common divorce, well, because no petition would be heard from anhusband who had driven his wife from the marital home, and had frequentlynviolated the matrimonial vows. He pointed out that George, in marrying MrsnFitzherbert, a Roman Catholic, had forfeited his right of accession to thenCrown. Why was a Bill of Pains and Penalties being enforced when, surely, therenwas a case of treason to be heard? Knowing that support and sympathy in thencountry lay virtually unanimously with Caroline, he also called for thenevidence to be made public, a move that would almost certainly have led to thenfall of the Tory administration.
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nIn the end, Brougham’s objections werenoverruled and the very soiled linen of Caroline began to be scrutinised by thenmembers of both Houses.
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nTomorrow – A Queen on Trial