The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-07-26
STORIES OF A FAMOUS BEAUTY
DIARY OF LADY-IN-WAITING TO
QUEEN CAROLINE.

Presents-Sequel to an Elopement.
Toward the end of the 1908 a great many
dovecotes were fiuttered by the publication
aof a diary which had been kept by Lady
Charlotte Bury, one OF the greatest beauties
of her day, and at one time lady in waiting
to the unhappy wife Of George ~.
lady Charlotte was the daughter Of one
o. athe beautiful Gunnings,' and at II
years old, when presented at Court to
George III. and his Queen, astonished Lon
don by her beautiful face and handsome
presence. Like many another spoiled
bsiuty, .says the London Daily Mail, she
did not mako a brilliant match. Hand
some Jack Campbell" was "a great fellow
with only a small income. At 81 she was
a widow In uneasy circumstances and with
nine children but scantily provided for.
1t was then tina she became lady in
!. waiting to Caroline, Princess OF Wales,
who. separated from her powerful and vim
diotive husband, had three years previ-
ously been the subject of the famous @Deli-
cate Investigation which had cleared her
character Of the charges levelled against
her.
In the service Of this erratio but un-
: fortunate Princess, Lady Charlotte Bury
(she married as her second husband the
Rev. Edward Bury was at the very foun-
tainhead Of the secret social history Of her
time. She was one of those cited for the
defence Of her mistress--then Queen Caro-
line-at the trial Of 1920, and she was in
England when death terminated a sad
history.
1t Is all a very long time g O But there
yet remain some who remember paying
their respects to the venerable lady. who.
still beautiful. lived at her own house in
Sloane street in 1851. and these touched
hands with n who had taken part In
some of the most momentous happenings
in the story Of Georgian society.
1t was a very o~utspoken, q very indis-
Greet diary which Lady Charlotte Bury
penned. but time has obliterated the indis-
scretions. and we obtain in a new edition
just published many interesting sidelights
Of the manners. habits Of thought, and In
~cidentally the morals Of famous people
Of the Regency days.
: That must have been a strange menage
where 1t was possible for the only child OF
the m~arriage-the high spirited. Iii fated
girl, Princess Charlotte-to say Of her
parents: my mother was wicked. but she
would not ave turned so wicked had not
father been much more wicked STILL
lt was of this Princess Charlotte, onoe the
anticipated Queen Of England, Of whom the
diarist records: 1Her legs and feet are
very pretty; her Royal Highness knows
that they are 30. and wears extremely
short p~etticoats."
Unhappy Queen Caroline when Princess
Of Wales was extremely outspoken to
correspondents regarding her husband.
THE only astonishing news ! can offer
you.' writes he Princess on one occa-
sion. SIS that the Regent is dangerously
I'LL; still / am not sanguine enough to iatter
myself that the period to all my troubles
and misfortunes is yet TO come. Yet on Q
must hope for the best
After dinner writes Lady Char lotte
Bury on another occasion. sher Royal High
ness made a wax figure as usual and gave 1t
an amiable addition of large horns, then
took three pins out of her garment and
stuck them through and through and put
the figure to roast and melt at the fire.
III It was not too melancholy to have to
do with this I could have died Of laughing.
lady - says the Princess INDUCES
this amusement whenever there are no
strangers at table. and she thinks her Royal
Highness really has a supersttious belief that
destroying this efigy OF her husband will
bring to pass the destruction OF his royal
person.
Here is the record OF what royalties talked
about during a casual afternoon visit:
-The conversation between these three
royal personagas put me exactly In mind OF
Che Margarine Of Bayreuth's Memoirs and
I think all account OF courts and the petty
transactions therein must have precisely
the same stamp.
sThe old Duchess talked chiefly OF the
Queen and the Princesses having visited
.Ar .,x.Na -uh;ah LA. l,,,phtor NhA Drs-D.ao
Of Wales. addressed herself es loud as she
could, across her mother. toNthe Duke Of
Gloucester, not liking to hear her enemies,
as abe conceives them, 80 dwelt upon and
with such complacency.
Then they talked Of the death Of Lady
'A~ilesbury, and immediately Of who would
get her place in this world; then Of the death
of a Mrs Fielding and who would get her
place-upon which the Princess Of Wales
rolled her eyes in signal Of being weary;
to bestow il she ever has the power she Ia
not at all ware that to those not particu-
larry on the lookout it must be equally
tiresome.
This was the Princess,s birthday
writes the diarist on another occasion.
Il went to pay my respects. Her Royal
Highness was very injudiciously attired-
wrapped in a pink dressing gown. Lady
C-n was with her: she seemed grew
ously tired OF the latter. who In truth ap-
Pooao ~ 10 % uuh othhL VIZ bAoio 40 oi
expression In her features Of something very
like deceit and a sneer which makes me
grave in spite OF myself.
Shortly after her departure came the
Duke Of Brunswick. He paid his sister a
set compliment and gave her a ring OF no
value. IN. BAH these princes and prin-
cesses give shabby presents. !"
Many OF her misfortunee as Princess and
Queen apparently arose from the royal
lady's somewhat unconventional ways. but
in spite OF these among the greater part Of
the English people she was popular. Her
woes touched their imagination.
After a visit to the opera, when the
goodman attempted to drive home through
street the crowd Of carriages was
so immense 1t was impossible to pass down
that street, and with difficulty the Princess's
carriage was hacked and we returned past
House, where the mob surrounded
her carriage, and having found out that
II was her Royal Highness they applauded
and huzzaed her tin she and Lady -
and myself, who were with her. were COM
pletely stunned.
the mob opened the carriage door
and some OF them insisted upon shaking
hands with her and asked II they should
burn Carlton House. No. my good people,
she said. be quite quiet-let me pass and
go home to our BEDS
sThav would mt hoUavar laaya IN fol-