Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2023
On 6th November 1817, the British public was plunged into deep mourning following the unexpected death of Princess Charlotte of Wales. The only child of the Prince Regent (later King George IV) and Caroline of Brunswick, Princess Charlotte was admired for her spirited personality and the hope she embodied for a new era in British royalty. Her sudden passing at the age of 21 left the nation bereft. A few days later, the following diary entry was written by Lady Charlotte Bury, a novelist who knew the family well as the former lady-in-waiting to Charlotte’s mother.
The Diary Entry
December 9th
A lapse occurs in my journal, which has been occasioned by a severe illness, from which I have scarcely yet recovered; and now I have no memorandum to make, except the melancholy intelligence of poor Princess Charlotte’s death, which gave me unfeigned sorrow of an individual and selfish nature, as well as regret for the irreparable loss her country has sustained in the death of that kind-hearted princess. Every nation has appeared to sympathise with Britain, and to dread that this national calamity is the forerunner of many future woes. There is now no object of great interest to the English people, no one great rallying point, round which all parties are ready to join, and willing to make their opinions unite in concord. A greater public calamity could not have occurred to us; nor could it have happened at a more unfortunate moment. The instant I heard the sad news, I thought of the poor Princess of Wales, and felt grieved from my heart at this blow to her every chance of happiness and support. It was more as the future queen’s mother that she had a strong claim on the English people, than from her own position; and her daughter would, I feel convinced, have supported her to the uttermost; for not only would the good motive of affection for the Princess of Wales have actuated her in doing so, but certainly also the Prince Regent had rendered himself an object of dislike to his daughter, and she would, from the haughty nature of her disposition, have felt satisfaction in upholding the person whom he persecuted and disliked. The Princess of Wales may well now feel careless of life; and her conduct, poor woman! as far as this world is concerned, will not further influence her fate; for be it circumspect or the reverse, she is of no consequence. She has no bribe to offer; and there are few who would undertake to wage war in her cause against her husband, who is all-powerful. I feel certain she will now become quite reckless in her behaviour, and I almost dread some tragical end for this unfortunate Princess.
I wrote to her, and offered her Royal Highness the assurance of my sincere sympathy in this her greatest affliction. When sorrow visits our fellow-beings-even those most obnoxious to us, or the most guilty-the treachery, or unkindness, or neglect of their fellow-creatures should be stayed. The vengeance of man must give way to that of the Almighty, and the mean revenge of human beings sinks into contempt when such judgments are sent from on high.
I have used the word judgments, which repent of; for no one has any right to decide what are judgments, and what are not. And after all, let all that the world has accused the Princess of Wales of be true, this affliction may not be intended to chastise her; so I retract the sense in which I made use of the word.
Letters reach me every day, filled with nothing but accounts of, and lamentations about, this melancholy event. To-day I received an answer from the Princess of Wales. I am certain it was written with the deepest feeling, knowing, as I do, the meaning of her expressions. Others might have written more, and felt less, than she did in writing the following note.
“Villa Caprile
3rd of December, 1817.I have not only to lament an ever-beloved child, but one most warmly attached friend, and the only one I have had in England! But she is only gone before—
I have her not losset—and I now trust we shall soon meet in a much better world than the present one.
For ever your truly sincere friend,
C. P.”I could have wept over this strangely-worded but heartfelt expression of the poor mother’s grief, and I am anxious to receive tidings that she has not committed any rash act of despair-at which I should not be surprised; for the Princess is a woman of such violent feelings, and her situation is indeed now so desolate, that it would not be astonishing if, with her disposition, she were unable to endure this overwhelming calamity.
Further Reading
This entry comes from Lady Charlotte Bury’s diary, published anonymously in 1838 as Diary illustrative of the Times of George IV. That book can now be read online.
Also…
Leave a Reply