Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-06-20


scruples which she or her friends
might have felt were overcome in
this way. By the DEGREES of the
Council of Trent, which are the law
of the Roman Catholic Church, mar
riage is valid in countries where the
authority of the Council of Trent
lis not acknowledged, even if it is
not performed by a Roman Catho-
lie priest. This marriage, utterly
void by the English law, was sane
toned by the law of Mrs. Fitzher-
bert's church, and she believed that
she could, without scruple, live
with the Prince of Wales as her
husband and she did so, privately.
But it is certain that there never
was any issue of the marriage.
In the spring of 1857 it was an
nounced in the house Of commons
that an application would be made
to parliament to pay the Prince Of
Wales's debts. A member (Mr.
Role J rose and said that if such a
motion was made he would move
the previous question, as the pro-
posal "involved matter by which
the constitution, both in church
and State, might be injuriously
affected" Everybody understood
this to allude' to the rumors of the
princes private marriage. On a
succeeding day, Fox denied the
marriage in the house, Sin point OF
fact as we'll as law" "The fact"
he said, mot only never could have
happened legally, but never did
happen in any way whatsoever, and
had been from the beginning a base
and malicious falsehood." On being
questioned, he declared that she
had direct autht .,y Cor what he
said" The next day a gentleman
of Fox's acquaintance said to him
at Brooke's club house, 81 see by
the papers, Mr.. Fox, you have de.
MED the fact of the marriage Of the
prince and Mrs. Fitzherbcrt. You
have been misinformed. / was pres
ent at that marriage" In the in.
terval between Mr.. ROLES threat
and Mr.. Fox's declaration, The
prince had told Fox deliberate
lie. Fox, finding that he had been
duped, renounced the princes ac
quaintance, and did not speak tC
him for more than a year and
although he afterward associated
, with hun personally, he never agair
, trusted the word cf the Prince o
; Wales. Mrs. Fitzherbert, who wa!
, made to believe that Fox had denied
/ her marriage while knowing al
/ about it, never afterward spoke tc
him. Fox could not retract tn,
, declaration he had made in TIN
house of commons without exposing
the prince to the danger of losing
I the crown.
} The marriage, Of course, never
, was acknowledged; but the stranges
. part of this affair is that no one il
England ever doubted that it haC
! taken place. Mrs. Fitzherbert wa
! regarded, as long as she lived, b,
!, some members Of the royal famil,
as a lady who had in fact been mar
. ried to the Prince of Wales, an(
she was treated with certain re
! spect on that account. The subse
quent marriage Of the prince to thu
Princess Caroline Of Brunswick, hi
q separation from her, the renewal o
I his relation with Mrs Fitzherbert
! and his second desertion of her
q make up the rest of this singula
a history. If the man had been any
body but prince, he would hay
/. been indicted for bigamy, and tn
= penitentiary would have been tn
o end of him.
!. As to the fact that this marriag
: was without issue, there is the mos
d conclusive authority. Earl Russell
G in his "Iile of Fox" closes hi
Vt chapter on the subject as follows
: "Fortunately for the nation, tn
q marriage of the Prince of Vale
: and Mrs. Fitzherbertwas not curse
[, with issue. Had q son been bor
: from this marriage, a disputed, 0
II at least doubtful, succession mus
q have been the result; for the Re
is man Catholic subjects Of the crow
MI were bound to believe in the yalidi
/ ty Of the marriage, and they Nigh
1t have disputed the binding nature Q
le an act Of parliament which Sc
It aside the legitimate issue of reign
t. ing king. Mr.. Fox had done II
|, more than his duty in pointing on
N these perils TO the Prince of Wales
is but he did so at the risk Of losin
Or the favor of the prince, and of IL
ie curing the lasting resentment {
his victim"
Ig There is a sequel to this singuls
q story which Earl Russell does nc
:. tell, In 1912 an action Tor lib,
r vas tried in the Court of King
A. Bench, In which it was clear
ne proved that the Prince OF Walk
r. had, for twenty years, paid an Al
h nuity to a former editor Of Il
70 Morning Post (the plaintiff in Il
IN action) for SURPRISING some letter