By George! Even the Sickly Can Raise Cain

Last week Mr. Al left us hanging with the intentions of Prince Augustus, George III’s youngest son, regarding the way his father exiled him from England. Let’s see what he does about it.

In October of 1792 he wrote to the Prince of Wales that he longed to return home “after an absence of so many years. I have frequently wrote to His Majesty on this subject. The physicians have also informed The King it would be highly advantageous to my health. Not a line on the subject. Not a hint… Perhaps a word thrown in by you on a favorable occasion might have the desired effect. The more so as he knows my wish is not to remain near the Metropolis (London) from which both physical and political reasons drive me.”

Gee, why do you think he felt the need to reassure The King that he wouldn’t hang around London? Whither The Prince talked to dad on his brothers behalf is not recorded. What is known is that The King refused to allow him to come home. As it turned out, His Majesty would have been a lot happier if he had.

In April of 1794, Prince Augustus met Lady Augusta Murray. Miss Murray was the second daughter of the forth Earl of Dunmore. She has been described as plain and rather bossy. Be that as it may, she was definitely ten years older that Augustus and her mom was tickled pink that her girl had attracted a real live prince of the realm. All this would have been weak tea, gossip-wise had not Augustus done something typically Hanoverian. He married Miss Murray.

Naturally, he didn’t have The King’s permission. That made it illegal. The lad was twenty at the time. That made it doubly illegal. His Majesty heard about it when one of Augustus’s servants ratted him out. NOW dad wanted him to come home! Prince Augustus was ordered to return to England toot-sweet. He did and he brought his brand new wife with him.

This was the only right and proper thing to do since she was pregnant. His Majesty didn’t know that at the time, however. Worried that some persons might not consider the marriage ceremony proper because it had been performed in Rome, although it had been performed by an Anglican clergyman, and completely leaving aside the fact that the ceremony was a double felony, the newlyweds had the ceremony performed again once they reached London on December 5.

I think His Majesty could be forgiven for considering that second ceremony to be a poke in the royal eye with a very sharp stick. He certainly reacted to it as though his son had done so. For the boy he had once hoped would “prove conspicuous” by his good behavior, the Royal Marriage Act was dusted off. The King declared the marriage null and void. But wait, there was more… for reasons not recorded, Augustus returned to Rome a few weeks later. Alone. Perhaps he forgot to feed the cat or he left the front door unlocked, either way, it was a very bad idea because once out of the country, dad wouldn’t let him back in. SURPRISE!!!!

Nor would His Majesty allow Augustus’s wife (ex-wife? Never was wife? ) to leave England. A year later he was still begging his father to let him come home. He wrote to The Prince asking him to “cast one moment of compassion on a unhappy being…. Wandering among the ruins of Ancient Rome.” I’m afraid we’ll have to leave Augustus drifting wraith- like among the ruins of Ancient Rome because The Prince received some good news about this time. The king was about to hand him what he had assured the king and queen was his hearts desire.

This blog was written by Mr. Al