The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1914-02-06
was wife. but her act would cost her
husband q crown.

prince and his wife at one time but
since society treated her with even
more attention than before she was
appeased and refrained from produc
ing her marriage certificate. The con,
ditions were paradoxical. The heir ap-
parent was known or ut least supposed
to have deted the laws of England
by marrying without the kings con
sent and to have forfeited the throne
by marrying Roman Catholic. A de
NAL had been given In parliament
which was not believed. The lady he
was supposed to have married was az
corded by the court circle Except the
king and queen, the honors due to a
wife. whereas IL she were not wife
she would not be received Mt all.
Nevertheless Mrs. Fitzherbert, recOg
nized by the nobility as wife in ac'
cOrdance with any law except that OF
England's royalty, lived happy life,
Her husband was very attentive to
her and showed himself appreciative
of all attentions shown her. Their
winters were spent in London. their
summers in n handsome residence the
prince built for his wife on the sea
coast.
But there was skeleton between
them of more Importance than the
laws of England. The prince was a
spendthrift and hopelessly in debt
Parliament would not help him with.
out the kings consent, and he and the
king had long waged bitter warfare
Finally the princes financial condition
became intOlerable. Application was
made to his father. The king consent
ed to help him provided he would give
up Mrs. Fitzherbert. Forced by his
necessities. the prince yielded.
Mrs. Fitzherbert, who was not with
her husband when this decision was
made. would not believe the report
concerning it till the evidence was
convincing. She Immediately broke
Off all communication with him. II
was arranged that he should marry a
HanOverian princess. Though at this
second crisis it was in the power Of his
wife to establish her position. she re.
Trained. For time she withdrew
from the world and lived In seclusion
but no word Of censure of her husband
escaped her.
The marriage between Prince George
and the Princess Charlotte Of Hanover
was very unhappy one. He excused
himself for it on the ground that II
was his duty to beget an heir to the
throne, and. hating the princess. as
soon as daughter was born to them
he refused to live with her any longer
He now begged Mrs. Fitzherbert to
live with him again. She referred the
matter to Rome. and 1t was held that
she. being the real wife, was privileg.
ed to live with him. any other mar
riage he might have made not being
recognized by the, church. This de-
cided the lady, and she returned to
her husband.
1t does not appear that this last term
which husband and wife spent to-.
gether was fraught with the same hap.
piness as before. George had become
q hard drinker and was under the IN.
duence Of profiigate men. His wife
was obliged to divide her husba nd s
love with other women. At different
times he had different favorites. each
one Of whom influenced him against
his wife. ME-. Fitxherbert-she has
always been called by her widowed
name-bore II all with her accustomed
eQuanimity. It seems remarkable that
she could have continued to love 90
contemplate a character and. more
especially, should have consented to
suffer the sights she received on ac-
count Of her false position when she
might have at any time righted her.
self before the world.
Then came the insanity Of King
George Ill. and the regency Of the
prince. The authority now vested In
him pulled him with pride. and he de-
sired to be treated with the reverence
due sovereign. Mrs. Fltzherbert,
having grown older and In a way less
attractive. was put aside. and the king
gave her to understand the great gulf
there was between a sovereign and a
cOmmOner and especially a sovereign
and a commoner who had lived with
him without being his wife according
to the law of the realm.
Finally King George III. died and
was succeeded by his son, who now
became George Nv. He was old and
vain and corpulent. He had no direct
heir to whom to leave his scepter at
his death. He was really attached to
but one person. Mrs. Fitzherbert, but
he was so proud of his position as
king Of England that he would have
nothing to do with her.
Meanwhile the CASTOR wife lived q
more retired life than formerly. She
was universally respected both for her
virtues and attractions. but especially
for having silently borne the injustice
that had been imposed upon her. A
reverence for royalty has been handed
down among the English people for
many generations. and Mrs. Fitzher-
bert for protecting her royal husband
in his guilt stood high among English
men and especially Englshwomen. By
the church of Rome. which boasts that
no sovereign has been sufficiently pow
erful to obtain from IL divorce to
marry again; by the universal law of
mankind she was n wife But she con-