Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1914-09-15
was a wife. bur her act would cost her
husband a crown.

Since SOcletY treated ner Win ever
more attention than before she was
appeased and refrained from produc
ing her marriage certificate The con
ditions were paradoxicat The heir ap-
parent was known or at least supposed
to have defed 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 &C
corded by the court circle Except the
king and queen) the honors due to a
wife. whereas if she were not a wife
she would not be received mt all
Nevertheless Mrs. Fitzherbert, recog-
nized by the nobility rs a 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 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 a 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. Ftzherbert 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 1t 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
and the Princess Charlotte of Hanover
was very unhappy one. He excused
himself for it 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. Fltzherbert 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
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
hard drinker and was under the in
fuence OF profigate men, His wife
was obliged to divide her husbands
love with other women At different
times be had different favorites, each
one of whom influenced him against
his wife. Mrs charlottesville has
always been called by her widowed
name-bore 1t all with her accustomed
equanimity. 1t seems remarkable that
she could have continued to love so
pontomnfibla a chorootor ana sao..
especially, should have consented to
suffer the sights she received on &C
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 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 a sovereign. Mrs. Fitzherbert.
having grown older and In way less
attractive. was put aside. and the king
gave her to understand the great gulf
there was between a sovereign and a
eommoner 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 ~. 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. Fitzberbert, but
he was so proud of his position as
king of England that be would have
nothing to do with her.
Meanwhile the castoff 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 4
reverence for royalty has been handed /
down among the English people for 1
many generations. and Mrs. Fitzher- /
bert for protecting her royal husband 4
in his guilt stood high among English |
men and especially Englishwomen. BY /
the church Of Rome. which boasts that 1
no sovereign has been sufficiently DOW 4
erIul 10 OBTAIN from II q divorce to I
marry again; by the universal law OF I
mankind. she was wife But she con I
sented for the good Of the king. con
sidered in England the good Of the 4
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
his wife's miniature about his neck.
When he died as king she was anxious
to know If be still wore 1t. One Of his
attendants. who examined the body
found 1t In its accustomed place.
This was . great satisfaction to tie
discarded wife. After an the kins. I'D