By the end of the year Louis-Napoleon, the son of Queen Hortense and her husband King Louis of Holland, had been elected President of France. Four years later, after a coup d’état, he was enthroned as the Emperor Napoleon III.
If Leopold ever wondered whether the Emperor knew about his relationship with his mother, he was left in no doubt a few years later, in 1854, when he went to visit him in Calais, in a vain attempt to prevent the French and the British from attacking the Russians in the Crimea. The Emperor received him on a ship called La Reine Hortense, and as soon as he had greeted him he thanked him pointedly for being so kind to his mother when the allies occupied Paris in 1814.
Louis-Philippe did not live long enough to see himself replaced by another Emperor. He died at Claremont on 26 August 1850. Two weeks later his daughter Queen Louise-Marie died of a broken heart in Ostend.
Leopold took easily to being a widower. He went on living very much as he had lived before. He had had mistresses before his wife died, and he went on having them, even though he was in his sixties and wore a black wig. He had worn the wig for some time, not to hide a bald patch, and not to hide any grey hair, which, like many of his contemporaries, he could have done more easily with dye, but because, so he said, it kept his head warm. Over the years his vanity and his hypochondria had grown in equal proportions together.
As he had done before, he went on arranging marriages, and when the time came he arranged them for his children. His son and heir, Leopold, Duke of Brabant, was married to Marie-Henriette, the daughter of the Archduke Joseph of Austria. It was not a happy marriage. Within four weeks of her wedding she wrote, ‘If God hears my prayers, I shall not go on living much longer.’ But she did live, and she bore her brutal husband two daughters – Stephanie, who married the Austrian Crown Prince Rudolf, who shot himself and a mistress at Mayerling, and Louise, who spent seven years in a lunatic asylum and then vanished.
Charlotte was married happily to the Austrian Emperor’s brother, the Archduke Maximilian, and her younger brother Philippe was eventually married to Princess Marie of Hohenzollern.
But the superficial success of these marriages was overshadowed for Leopold by tragedy in another. On 9 December 1861 Albert died of typhoid fever. Leopold wrote long consoling letters to Victoria, some of them alluding, he thought helpfully, to how he felt when he lost Charlotte; the Queen wrote back, sometimes addressing her uncle tellingly as ‘My dear father’.
Leopold went over to London for the funeral, at which the Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, inadvertently embarrassed him by introducing him to the French Ambassador and his wife – the Count and Countess Flahault.
He was accompanied by his latest mistress, Frau Meyer von Eppinghoven. Although it fooled no one, the beautiful lady pretended to be his nurse, but as it turned out this was the only part that she was called upon to play. Leopold spent most of his time in bed suffering from pleurisy and gall-stones.
When he went home, a fortnight later than he intended, he knew that he only had a few more years to live, and only a year and a half after that his sense of doom was magnified by the news that Stockmar had gone before him. But there was still time for one more adventure, although, if he had been in better health, he might have thought twice about it, and if Albert or Stockmar had still been alive they might well have advised against it.
In 1861, in one of the last brash examples of ‘gunboat diplomacy’, France, Spain and Great Britain seized the port of Vera Cruz in Mexico and refused to return it until the Republican government of Benito Juarez paid all the interest on its national debt that was due to French, Spanish and British bondholders. But the French Emperor’s real plan was to conquer Mexico, turn it into an empire and put the Austrian Emperor’s brother Maximilian on the throne. When Palmerston found out what he was up to, he refused to have anything to do with it and withdrew the British forces. But Napoleon told the Austrians that he had agreed, and by the time they learned the truth it was too late.
Maximilian and Charlotte went out to Mexico, where she became known as Carlotta, and Leopold rejoiced in the knowledge that his daughter was an empress. But they were not wanted, and they did not have enough soldiers to impose their rule. Indeed it was only the famous gallantry of the French Foreign Legion that prevented them from being captured or expelled.
In 1865, at the end of the American Civil War, the government of the United States brought pressure to bear on the French, and it became clear that Napoleon was about to give in and withdraw his soldiers. In the following year, in desperation, Carlotta came back to Europe and travelled from court to court pleading for help. She even went to the Vatican. When the Pope told her that, like everyone else, he could do nothing, she refused to leave and spent the night in a small room watched over by two nuns, claiming that Napoleon was trying to poison her. Next day, when they brought her out, she was totally mad.
Meanwhile, in Mexico, Napoleon withdrew his troops, and Maximilian was captured and shot by the Juaristas.
Carlotta never recovered. She lived out the rest of her long life in the castle of Bouchout in Belgium, where she went on calling herself an empress and talking about her handsome husband as though he was still alive. She died at the age of eighty-six, in 1927.
During the First World War, when the German Kaiser’s soldiers invaded Belgium, in contravention of the treaty that created it, a large notice was hung on the gates of the drive that led up to Carlotta’s castle. ‘This Castle is occupied by Her Majesty the Empress of Mexico, sister-in-law of our revered ally the Emperor of Austria. German soldiers are ordered to pass by without singing, and to leave the place untouched.’
Leopold did not live long enough to know that the Mexican adventure had ended in such tragedy. When he died at his country house at Laeken, on 10 December 1865, his daughter was still an empress.
Knowing that he was dying, he asked that his body be taken to England and buried in Windsor with his first wife and their son. He even wrote to Victoria, who agreed to it. His ministers, however, would not allow it. He was the King of the Belgians. He must be buried among his people. But they could only control his earthly remains. Gathered round the bed in accordance with tradition to witness the last moments of their king, they must have known that his heart and mind were in England, when they heard him whisper as life left him, ‘Charlotte… Charlotte.’
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
A NOTE ON SOURCES
The principal sources for this book are newspapers, journals, published letters, diaries and memoirs. Since almost all quotations are already identified by their source and date in the text, it seemed superfluous to identify them again by page numbers in chapter notes.
PRIMARY PUBLISHED SOURCES
Albermarle, 3rd Earl of, Fifty Years of my Life, 2 vols. (London, 1876)
Argyll, Duke of, ed., Intimate Society Letters of the Eighteenth Century, 2 vols. (London, 1910)
Aspinall, A., ed., Letters of the Princess Charlotte, 1811–1817, (London, 1949)
Aspinall, A., ed., The Correspondence of George, Prince of Wales, 1770–1812, 8 vols. (London, 1963–71)
Aspinall, A., ed., The Letters of King George IV, 1812–1830, 3 vols. (Cambridge, 1938)
Bauer, Caroline, Memoirs of Caroline Bauer, Trans. (London, 1884)
Benson, A. C. and Esher, Viscount, ed., The Letters of Queen Victoria, 1837–61, 3 vols. (London, 1908)
The Book, or the Proceedings and correspondence upon the Subject of the Inquiry into the Conduct of the Princess of Wales (London, 1813)
Brougham, Henry, The Life and Times of Henry Lord Brougham written by himself, 3 vols. (London, 1871)
Bury, Lady Charlotte, The Diary of a Lady in Waiting, ed. A.F. Steuart, 2 vols. (London, 1907)
Fairburn, J., ed., An Inquirey, or Delicate Investigation, into the Conduct of Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales 4th ed. (London, 1820)
Glenbervie, Lord, The Diaries of Sylvester Douglas, Lord Glenbervie, ed. Francis Bickley, 2 vols (London 1928)
Knight, Cornelia, Autobiography, 2 vols. (London, 1861)
Lewis, Lady Theresa, ed., Extracts of the Journals and Correspondence of Miss Berry from the year 1783 to 1852 (London, 1865)
Londonderry, 3rd Marquess of, ed., Memoirs and Correspondence of Viscount Castlereagh, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry, 12 vols. (London, 1853)
Malmesbury, 3rd Earl of, ed., Diaries and Correspondence of James Harris, First Earl of Malmesbury, 4 vols. (London, 1844)
Minto, Countess of, ed., Life and Letters of Sir Gilbert Elliot, 1st Earl of Minto, 3 vols. (London, 1874)
Murray, the Hon. Amelia, Recollections, 1803–1837, (London, 1868)
Quennell, Peter, and Powell, Dilys, ed., The Private Letters of Princess Lieven to Prince Metternich (London, 1948)
Robinson, Lionel G., ed., Letters of Dorothea Princess Lieven during her Residence in London, 1812–1834, 2 vols. (London, 1902)
Stockmar, Baron E. von, Denkwurdigkeiten aus den Papieren des Frieherrn Christian Friedrich von Stockmar (Brunswick, 1872)
Temperley, Harold, ed., The Unpublished Diary and Political Sketches of Princess Lieven together with some of Her Letters (London, 1925)
Wellington, 2nd Duke of, ed., Supplementary Despatches, correspondence, and Memoranda of Arthur Duke of Wellington [1797–1819], 15 vols. (1858–65)
NEWSPAPERS AND JOURNALS
The Morning Chronicle
The Times
The Gentleman’s Magazine
SECONDARY SOURCES
Adolphus, J. H., The Trial of Her Majesty, Queen Caroline (London, 1820)
Aspinall, A., Lord Brougham and the Whig Party (Manchester, 1927)
Bridge, F. R. and Bullen, R., The Great Powers and the European State System, 1815–1914 (New York, 1980)
Bury, J. P. T., Napoleon III and the Second Empire (London, 1964)
Corti, E. C., Leopold I of Belgium, trans. J. McCabe (London, 1923)
Creston, Dormer, The Regent and his Daughter (London, 1932)
Fulford, Roger, Royal Dukes, (London, 1933)
Fulford, Roger, George the Fourth, (London, 1935)
Fulford, Roger, The Trial of Queen Caroline (London, 1967)
Gash, N., Lord Liverpool (London, 1984)
Green, Thomas, Memoirs of Her Late Royal Highness, Charlotte Augusta of Wales And Saxe-Coburg (London, 1818)
Gronow, Captain R. H., Reminiscences (London, 1861–6)
Hamilton, Lady Anne, Secret History of the Court of England, from the accession of George III to the death of George IV, 2 vols. (London, 1832)
Hawes, Francis, Henry Brougham, (London, 1957)
Hibbert, Christopher, George IV, Regent and King, 1811–1830 (London, 1973)
Hinde, W., George Canning (London, 1973)
Holden, A., Uncle Leopold (London, 1936)
Holme, Thea, Prinny’s Daughter (London, 1976)
Huish, Robert, Memoir of the Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Coburg (London, 1818)
Jones, Mrs Herbert, The Princess Charlotte of Wales (London, 1885)
Juste, T., Memoirs of Leopold I, King of the Belgians, Trans. R. Black, 2 vols. (London, 1868)
Lucas-Dubreton, J., Louis-Philippe (Paris, 1938)
Plowden, Alison, Caroline and Charlotte (London,1989)
Renier, G. G., The Ill-fated Princess (London, 1932)
Richardson, Joanna, The Disastrous Marriage (London, 1960)
Smith, E. A., A Queen on Trial (London, 1993)
Smith, E. A., Lord Grey, 1764-1845 (London, 1990)
Staniland, K., In Royal Fashions (London, 1997)
Stuart, D. M., Daughter of England (London, 1951)
Weigall, Lady Rose, A Brief Memoir of the Princess Charlotte of Wales (London, 1874)
JACKET AND PLATES
Jacket: Engraved by W. T. Fry after a drawing by George Dawe (Museum of London)
Plates: The Prince Regent, Sir William Beechey (Royal Collection)
Caroline of Brunswick (Royal Collection)
Princess Charlotte by Sir Thomas Lawrence (Royal Collection)
Claremont House by Caleb R. Stanley (Royal Collection)
Cornelia Knight by Angelica Kauffmann (City of Manchester Art Gallery)
Mercer Elphinstone by John Hoppner (Marquess of Lansdowne)
Crimson Drawing Room by W. H. Pyre (Royal Residences, 1819)
Charlotte by George Dawe (National Portrait Gallery)
Charlotte by Richard Woodman (National Portrait Gallery)
Leopold (Royal Collection)
Henry Brougham by J. Lonsdale (National Portrait Gallery)
Hortense by Anne-Louis Girodet-Trioson (Rijkmuseum)
Madame Récamier by Jacque-Louis David (Louvre)
‘A German Present’ by Williams
The Heriditary Prince of Orange by J. B. Van der Hulst (Foundation of the Historical Collections of the House of Orange-Nassau)
Leopold by Sir Thomas Lawrence (Imperial Library of Vienna)
Leopold in Garter Robes by Sir Thomas Lawrence (Royal Collection)
‘To Be, or, Not to Be’ by Lewis Marks
‘A Brighton Hot Bath’ by George Cruickshank
Every effort has been made to acknowledge correctly the source and/or copyright holder of each picture, and the publisher apologises for any unintentional errors or omissions, which will be corrected in future editions.
INDEX
Adelaide, Queen, see Clarence, Duchess of
Albert, Prince, 1, 2, 3, 4
Alexander, Tsar, 1, 2, 3 4, 5
Anglesey, Marquess of, 1
Anne, Grand Duchess, 1, 2
Anne, Queen, 1
Ashbrook, Lady, 1
August, see von Preussen, Prince August
Austin, Jane, 1, 2, 3, 4
Austin, Mrs, 1, 2
Austin, William, 1, 2, 3, 4 5, 6
Baillie, Dr Matthew, 1, 2, 3, 4
Barnard, Annie, 1
Bathurst, Lord, 1, 2, 3
Bauer, Caroline, 1
Bauer, Karl, 1
Bauer, Mrs, 1
Baylis, Lilian, 1
Bedford, Duchess of, 1
Berry, Mary, 1
Bessborough, Lady, 1
Bill of Pains and Penalties, 1
‘Bish-UP’, see Fisher, Rt Rev. Dr John
Bismarck, Chancellor, 1
Black Brunswickers, 1, 2
Blücher, Field Marshal, 1, 2, 3, 4
Boehm, Mr and Mrs, 1, 2
Book, The, 1
Brabant, Duchess of, 1
Brabant, Duke of, 1
Brighton Pavilion, 1
Brougham, Henry (later Lord), and Caroline 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; and Charlotte 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Brunswick, Duchess of, 1, 2
Brunswick, Duke of (Charlotte’s grandfather), 1, 2
Brunswick, Duke of (Charlotte’s uncle), 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Burney, Fanny, 1
Bury, Lady Charlotte, 1
Byron, Lord, 1, 2
Cambridge, Duchess of, 1
Cambridge, Duke of, 1, 2, 3
Camelford, Lord, 1
Camelford House, 1, 2
Campbell, Lady Albinia, 1
Campbell, Lady Charlotte, 1, 2, 3
Campbell, Mrs, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Campbell, Thomas, 1
Canning, George, 1, 2, 3, 4
Cantebury, Archbishop of, 1, 2, 3
Carlotta, Empress, 1, 2
Carlton House, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Caroline of Brunswick, and Brougham 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; and Charlotte 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17;
and Douglases 1;
and George III 1, 2;
and Hesse 1, 2, 3, 4;
and Orange 1, 2;
and ‘Willikin’ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5;
appearance 1, 2, 3, 4;
as Queen 1;
death 1;
politics 1;
popularity 1, 2, 3, 4;
Prince Regent marriage 1, 2;
Prince Regent divorce attemp
ts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7;
staff 1, 2
Castlereagh, Lady, 1, 2
Castlereagh, Lord, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Catherine, Grand Duchess, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Catholicism, 1, 2, 3, 4
Charles, Prince, 1
Charles X, King, 1
Charlotte, Queen, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; and Caroline 1, 2, 3;
and Charlotte 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Charlotte Augusta, Princess, appearance 1, 2, 3; childhood 1, 2, 3;
death 1, 2;
first engagement, see Orange, Hereditary Prince of;
friends, see Catherine, Grand Duchess;
Devonshire, Duke of;
Elphinstone, Hon. Margaret Mercer;
Knight, Cornelia;
health 1, 2, 3, 4, 5;
income 1;
marriage, see Leopold;
parents, see Caroline of Brunswick;
Prince Regent;
politics 1;
popularity 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10;
pregnancy and birth 1, 2, 3;
relatives, see Charlotte, Queen; Mary, Princess; Gloucester, Duke of; York, Duchess of; York, Duke of; staff, see de Clifford, Lady; Fisher, Rt Rev. Dr John; Leeds, Duchess of; Nott, Rev. Dr George; Osborne, Lady Catherine; suitors, see FitzClarence, Captain George; Hesse, Lieutenant Charles; von Preussen, Prince August
Charlotte of Belgium, see Carlotta
‘Chevalier, the’, see Knight, Cornelia
Claremont House, 1, 2, 3
Clarence, Duchess of, 1, 2
Clarence, Duke of, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Coco, 1, 2, 3
Codrington, Admiral, 1
Collins, Mr, 1
Congress of Vienna, 1, 2
Connaught House, 1
Cons, Emma, 1
Constantine, Grand Duke, 1
Corn Law, 1
Cranbourne Lodge, 1
Croft, Sir Richard, 1, 2, 3, 4
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