Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1914-12-29
was wife. but her act would cost her
husband q crown,

ditfons were parad0xicai. The heir ap-
parent was known or at least supposed
to have defied 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 ac-
corded by the court circle except the
king and queen the honors due to a
wife, whereas If she were not wife
she would not be received at all.
Nevertheless Mrs. Fitzherbert, recog-
nized by the nobility as a wife In &C
cordance with any law except that of
England's royalty, lived a happy life.
Her husband was very attentive to
her and showed himself appreciatiye
Of all attentions shown her. Their
winters were spent in London. their
summers In a handsome residence the
prince built for his wife on the sea-
coast.
But there was a skeleton between
them of more Importance than the
laws of England. The prince was
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
Hanoverian princess. Though at this
second crisis it was In the power of his
wife to establish her position, she re-
| Trained. For a 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
was very unhappy one. He excused
himself for 1t on the ground that 1t
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 it was held that
she, being the real wife, was privileg-
ed to live with him, any other mar
rage 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
hard drinker and was under the in
duence OF profligate men. His wife
was obliged to divide her husbands
love with other women. At different
times he had different favorites, each
one of whom influenced him against
his wife. Mrs. Fitzherbert-she has
always been called by her widowed
name-bore it all with her accustomed
equanimity. 1t seems remarkable that
she could have continued to love so
contemplate a character and. more
especially, should have consented to
suffer the sights she received on ac-
count Of her false position when she
a lob
self before the world.
Then came the insanity of King
George III. and the regency of the
prince. The authority now vested In
aim pulled him with pride, and he de-
sired to be treated with the reverence
due sovereign. Mrs. Fitzherbert,
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 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 bis son. who now
became George ". He was old and
vain and corpulent. He had no direct
heir to whom to leave his scepter at
bis death. He was really attached to
but one person. Mrs. Fltzherbert, but
he was so proud of his position as
king Of England that be would have
nothing to do with her
Meanwhile the CASTOR wife lived a
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 Fftzher-
bert for protecting her royal husband
In his guilt stood high among English
men and especially Englishwomen. By
the church Of Rome. which boasts that
no sovereign has been sufficiently pow
erful to obtain from 1t a divorce to
marry again; by the universal law of
mankind, she was a wife. But she con-
scented for the good Of the king, con-
sidered in England the good OF the
nation. to be regarded by the masses
as mistress.
During the young lover days Of this
couple the prince and Mrs. Fitzherbert
had exchanged miniatures. and so long
as they lived together the prince wore
bis wife's miniature about his neck
When be died as king she was anxious
to know If he still wore 1t. One Of his
attendants. who examined the body,
found it in its accustomed place.
This was great satisfaction to the
discarded wife. After all the king had
owed her and her alone till death.
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