By George! Let’s Check Her Out.

It appeared Caroline’s goose was cooked, so far as the evidence of her faithlessness to George IV went. Just what did the commission investigating her find?

The commission conducting the delicate investigation could not overlook the fact that nearly all the servants they had interviewed so far had worked for the Prince before taking up positions with Princess Caroline. When servants who had not been previously employed by the Prince were called to testify, They painted a very different picture. Yes, the Princess was flirtatious, but that was just her way. Yes, Sir Sidney was a frequent guest, but he always retired to his room and so what if he was sometimes found in the kitchen late at night? Can’t a guy get a midnight snack without being accused of high treason?

Technically, a man found guilty of having sex with the Princess of Wales would be guilty of High Treason. He could then be drawn and quartered and his head displayed on London Bridge, though by the 18th century that was very unlikely. Other servants testified that they found Caroline’s behavior distasteful, that they thought Caroline had very poor judgment concerning social behavior, but she was not having it off with the men she was accused of having it off with.

As to these gentlemen. They were questioned, and, of course, they denied everything. The servants were closely questioned on the subject of Caroline being pregnant. Again, it broke down along party lines. Ex-employees of the Prince swore she had been; those who had never worked for the Prince swore she was never pregnant after giving birth to Charlotte.

It was very rough sledding for the commission. The evidence was, to put it mildly, conflicting. But there were other witnesses whose testimony could not be ignored. People of rank that had no obvious bias either for or against Caroline. Two main points emerged from this testimony. One, Princess Caroline had never been pregnant after giving birth to Charlotte. Two, Princess Caroline’s behavior with men had been shockingly intimate, but none of them would swear that they were aware of her actually having had sex with these men.

Fortunately for Caroline, the “secret baby” story was officially proved to be a lie when the parents of the child Caroline adopted in 1802 were found. This child was the son of Samuel and Sophia Austin. The couple had come to London from Somerset to seek work. Because of Samuel’s sever rheumatism, he had difficulty holding any job for long. The couple came to Caroline’s attention when Sophia went to Montague House seeking food.
Princess Caroline was in the habit of giving food to the poor. A footman, seeing Sophia’s child, told her to come back another day when the princess was home, that her highness might be interested in adopting the boy. Caroline was interested. After talking to her husband, they agreed to allow the Princess to adopt him. Mrs. Austin stayed in regular contact with Caroline and was allowed to see him from time to time.

Caroline also gave the Austin family a small allowance to help them raise their other children and found Samuel a permanent job as a lock operator in the East End shipyards. The commissioner’s final report stated that Princess Caroline was a very generous and kindhearted woman. Also, that she had a lot to learn about proper social interaction with the opposite sex. This was rather important because, as Caroline herself had stated on many occasions, she preferred the company of men almost exclusively.

Eyebrow raising behavior indeed for a married woman.

Scandalous behavior for a lady of rank.

Absolutely unacceptable behavior for a Princess of Wales.

The Prince was not happy with the final report. It merely confirmed that there was a lot of gossip making the rounds about his wife’s behavior. No evidence of adultery. Solid evidence of bad judgment on Caroline’s part. Questionable behavior? Yes, there was a great deal of that. But no smoking gun. In a nod to the Prince’s intentions the commission stated in the report that the Prince could feel justified in believing Princess Caroline guilty of adultery, he could also feel justified in believing the Moon was made of green cheese should he choose to do so. In either case, don’t take it to court, you’ll lose.

This was very cold comfort to the Prince because his intention was to use the report as a basis for charging Caroline with high treason. He wanted his marriage ended and Caroline banished from England forever. If the Prince was willing to believe his wife was screwing any man who would hold still for her, Uncle George was not. If the Prince wanted a divorce, he needed proof of adultery that would stand up in court. Since the commission had found none, no divorce.

However, the King was sufficiently disturbed by all the stories of Caroline’s reckless behavior to put some distance between the throne and the Lady from Brunswick. Until Princess Caroline mended her ways, she would not be welcome in the presence of Their Majesties. “And no nearer intercourse could be admitted in the future than outward marks of civility.” Coming from the King of England, this was bad. Princess Caroline was, unofficially, no longer a member of the family.

– Mr. Al