By George! Welcome to England, Highness-To-Be.

If Princess Caroline needs a moral compass which the dissolute Prince George isn’t able to provide, what is to become of her? Let’s see how she is greeted on arrival.

While Princess Caroline was underway, her reception was taking shape. The Princesses arrival would be a big deal, of course. It had to be done right, as befitting a new Princess of Wales. And not just the public functions. Her household had to be put in order. A million details needed attending to. How very fortunate for Princess Caroline that there was someone to take charge of these personal matters. Someone of accomplishment and rank, someone the Queen personally recommended for the job. Lady Jersey.

The Jupiter docked at Gravesend in early April 1795. The Princess had suffered some seasickness and had lost a tooth, but her un-stuffy manner and off-colour jokes made her a hit with the tars and officers alike. From Gravesend, her party proceeded to Greenwich, where an official delegation was supposed to be waiting to take her to London. There was no delegation. There would have been no one there to greet them at all had not the pensioners from a home for crippled veterans cut short their midday services and come pouring out of the chapel when word of her arrival spread.

The Princess thanked the men and shook hands, at least with those who had them, and commented; “What, is every Englishman without an arm or leg?” Eventually, the cause of the delay arrived in person. Lady Jersey. The Captain of the Jupiter had warned Lord Malmesbury that the word from London was that Lady Jersey was on a mission to humiliate the Princess at every opportunity. His Lordship was nearly powerless to stop it. He could only warn the Princess and hope for the best.

Lady Jersey wasted no time in exerting her authority. Right out of the gate, she told the Princess her dress was unbecoming and that she needed to change. As it happened, she had a spare dress that would suit the Princess much better than that tatty blue number she had on. The dress was white muslin and did nothing to improve her appearance. In fact, it served to accentuate the Princess’s somewhat pasty complexion.

Her Ladyship tried other tricks on the trip to London. Lord Malmesbury told her that if she made him pull over one more time…she’d be spending the rest of the trip on the luggage rack. Or words to that effect. At one point, Princess Caroline, perhaps feeling a bit intimidated by this beautiful, sophisticated older woman, tried to show that she was no country bumpkin by sharing a bit of her own love life.

This was one of the things that she had been warned not to do. It was one of the things she had been warned she especially should not do. German ways were not English ways. The Princess prattled on about a fellow of low birth she had given her heart, and other parts of her anatomy, to. When the Duke and Duchess found out, there was a scene and the romance was ended. Wasn’t that terribly sophisticated and sad? Lady Jersey filed it under “Pillow talk for the Prince.” And waited for more tidbits.

Although the Prince had urged Lord Malmesbury to return to England with all haste, this at the time His Lordship was stuck in Brunswick due to circumstances beyond his control, now that he and the Princess were actually in England, the Prince seemed in no hurry whatsoever to meet her. No doubt this was due to Part Two of Lady Jersey’s plan. Now that the Prince was committed, in writing, to marry Caroline, she began letting him know there would be no “happily ever after.” God knows there were plenty of people in London, including mom, who could confirm everything she told him.

Finally, the date was set for them to meet. Lord Malmesbury was on hand to make the formal introductions. One version of this story has the Prince very drunk at this meeting. Lord Malmesbury says nothing of this. Which does not prove that he was or was not. His Lordship may have decided on discretion. Either way, drunk or sober, it was obvious the Prince was not looking forward to it.

When the Prince entered the room, Princess Caroline kneeled in obedience. The Prince then, “raised her up gracefully enough and embraced her.”  His Lordship said nothing about the Princess needing a bath, but something caused the Prince to release her immediately, turn and cross the room, motioning to His Lordship to follow. Once in a far corner, he said, “Harris, I am not well. Get me a brandy.” To which his lordship replied “Sir had you better have a glass of water?” To which the Prince replied, with considerable heat, “No! I will go directly to the Queen.”

Which he did without so much as a nod in Caroline’s direction. Said his Lordship, “The Princess, left during this short moment alone, was in a state of astonishment.” Lord Malmesbury returned to her side and attempted to calm the waters. Gathering herself up, the Princess said, in French, since her English was not quite up to snuff. “My God! Does the Prince always act like that? I think he is very fat and he is nothing like as handsome as his portrait.”

Lord Malmesbury did not record his reply. He hardly need to. He was well aware that whatever bad things the Prince had heard were all over London. The only hope of countering this would be an iron resolve on the part of the Princess to behave impeccably. It was glaringly obvious that no such thing would happen. And they still had the Princess’s “Welcome to England” dinner to get through.