Queen Caroline never claimed credit for showing her husband the right course, and she had the rare good sense to see and acknowledge her own errors. Once she formed a design to shut up St. James's Park for some reason, and asked Sir Robert Walpole what it would cost to do it.
"Only a crown, madam," was the reply; whereupon she laughed good-naturedly, and at once abandoned her idea.
George II. had so much respect for his wife's ability, that when he made a visit to Hanover he appointed her regent during his absence. Frederick, Prince of Wales, was in the kingdom at the time; but, as he made no secret of hating both his parents, and favored the party opposed to them in politics, he was not to be trusted. Besides, he had a disgraceful way of finding fault with his father's management of public affairs, and talked loudly of what he would have done in similar circumstances. But he would certainly have governed less well than his mother did, for she gave universal satisfaction. She had the benefit of Sir Robert Walpole's counsel, and understood, as he did, not only how to let well enough alone, but the wisdom of not interfering with parliamentary government, and of keeping the nation at peace with its neighbors. Queen Caroline's mind was not entirely occupied with the affairs of the nation, for she kept up the brilliancy of her court, and was greatly interested in everybody connected with it. She took wicked delight in teasing Mrs. Howard, who was always precise, ladylike, and self-possessed to a degree that must have been provoking at times.
At an early period of the reign she was required to present the basin for the queen to wash her hands, and to do so kneeling. A page brought the pitcher and basin, and placed both upon a table; then it became the duty of the bed-chamber woman to pour water into the basin, place it before the queen, and remain on her knees, close by the stand, while her majesty performed her ablution. Mrs. Howard objected to so humble an office; but we will let Queen Caroline tell of it in her own words: "When I requested Mrs. Howard to bring me the basin, she proceeded to tell me, with her little fierce eyes, and cheeks as red as a beet, that positively she would not do it; to which I made no answer for a moment, then spoke calmly, as I would to a naughty child: 'Yes, my dear Howard, I am sure you will. I know you will. Go,—go; fie! for shame! Go, my good Howard; we will talk of this another time!' Mrs. Howard did come round, and I told her I knew we should be good friends again; but that of all my servants I had least expected such treatment of her."
A.D. 1728. Queen Caroline also describes a personal interview with Mr. Howard, who wanted to claim his wife, after having left her for several years. He said that he should not hesitate to drag his wife out of her majesty's coach if ever he met her in it. Caroline replied, "Do it if you dare;" though she added, when relating it afterwards, "I was horribly afraid of him all the time I was playing the bully, particularly as I knew him to be brutal, a little mad, and seldom quite sober; so I got as near to the door as possible, fearing that he might take it into his head to pitch me out of the window, which was wide open. Then I resumed my lofty air, and said: 'I would be glad to see any one who would dare to open my coach door and take out one of my servants,' though I knew perfectly well that he might do so if he chose, and nobody could prevent him. Then I told him positively, 'that I would neither force his wife to go to him if she did not wish, nor keep her if she did.' He said he would complain to the king. I told him 'the king had no control over my servants, and he might save himself the trouble, as I was sure the king would give him no answer, but that it was none of his business to concern himself with my family'; and after a good deal more conversation of this sort,—I standing close to the door all the while, to give me courage,—Mr. Howard and I bade each other good morning, and he withdrew."
A.D. 1731. Frederick, Prince of Wales, had joined his parents in England without their desire, and he gave them no pleasure. His vices increased with age to such a degree that his friends could only excuse him by declaring that his intellect was weak. Nevertheless, he won. popularity, and placed himself in course of time at the head of the opposition party. George II. had no more violent or powerful an enemy than this son. It was hoped that, if he could get a good wife, he would improve in his morals, so Sir Charles Hotham was sent to Berlin to negotiate two marriages. One was between the Prince of Wales and the eldest daughter of the King of Prussia; the other between the crown Prince of Prussia and Queen Caroline's second daughter.
Both matches fell through, and so much angry feeling arose that the two monarchs came near fighting a duel to settle the dispute. George was in Hanover at the time, and his royal brother-in-law, the King of Prussia, was at Saltzdahl, near Brunswick. General Sutton was selected to act as second for George, and Colonel Derscheim for Frederick. Meanwhile Borck, who had been ambassador from Prussia to the court of St. James, hastened to Saltzdahl, hoping to be able to put a stop to the disgraceful affair; but the king was in such a fury that he could not be open with him. He therefore pretended to approve of the duel, and offered to be the bearer of the challenge. After that important document had been duly prepared, the king became somewhat calmer, and then Borck ventured to reason with him.
"Sire," he said, "I allow that your majesty's quarrel is not to be terminated any other way than by a duel; but your majesty being just recovered from a most serious illness, and your health not being yet by any means reestablished, a relapse may occur on the day before or perhaps at the very hour of the important meeting; and in that case, what would the world say? How the King of England would boast? What scandalous constructions might be put on the circumstance! What an odious suspicion of your majesty's courage might ensue! Therefore I ask if you do not think it would be better to take no steps in the affair for a fortnight?"
Thus was the king talked into delay; the challenge was not sent, and so the ministers on both sides gained sufficient time to effect a reconciliation.
A.D. 1733. The English court was soon busy with another marriage,—that of Queen Caroline's eldest daughter, the Princess Anne. This young lady had reached the age of twenty-four, and it was thought high time for her to be married. When she was not more than sixteen Louis XV. proposed for her hand; but, being the representative of a Protestant family, she could not marry him, though she was so proud and ambitious that she was heard to say, "I would die to-morrow to be queen to-day." She never loved her brothers, because she felt that their birth had deprived her of ever ascending the throne, and she often declared that she wished they had never appeared in the world. As she could not become a queen, she decided to descend a step, and accept the hand of the Prince of Orange. She had never seen him, but she was satisfied to know that his was an exalted station. The king and queen opposed the royal suitor because he was lame, his neck was crooked, he was otherwise dreadfully deformed, and he was one of the ugliest men in Europe. George told his daughter this, and added that she must not be deceived by the pictures the ambassadors had brought of him, because, although he was repulsive looking enough in them, they were nevertheless flattering. "I do not care how ugly he may be," she declared. "If he were a Dutch baboon I would marry him." This obstinacy made the king very angry, and he replied with his strong German accent, "Nay, then, have your way, have your way; you will find baboon enough, I promise you."