Mr. Perceval feels it his duty to add that he holds himself in readiness at any moment to wait upon Your Royal Highness, and to receive any commands with which Your Royal Highness may be graciously pleased to honour him.
FÊTE AT CARLTON HOUSE (1811).
Source.—Diary of Lord Colchester, 1861. Vol. ii., p. 336.
[June] 19th.—Went to the fête at Carlton House. By previous inquiry I managed both going and coming without the smallest difficulty; I drove up Warwick Street to within a few paces of the small gate at which the chairs come out, and by walking that length I was in the house in a few moments. I went in at ten minutes past nine, and came away by the same road at about twenty minutes past four in the morning.
At the top of the hall steps I found Colonel Palmer and other aides-de-camp, waiting to receive the company. They took my ticket, and Lord Moira, who was close by, told me in which way I could best see the apartments before the company filled them; and he would have gone with me, but was in waiting at the head of the first steps to receive the royal family of France.
The great rooms lie all on the right side of the building; the smaller apartments on the left; and in them the Prince waited to receive the King of France, etc.
About ten they arrived; and the Prince, after seating the King of France in one of the small rooms, hung with fleur de lys furniture; and paying his compliments to him as King, released his French Majesty from all further ceremony, and conducted him as a private person with the rest of the French court, through the different apartments. Having done this once he left them to themselves, and for the rest of the evening walked about alone, in every direction, and into every room.
He passed me several times; and I think once made a slight acknowledgment of me by look. At other periods during the evening I had long and marked conversations with the Duke of York and Duke of Cumberland; also with the Duke of Clarence and Duke of Gloucester.
The Duchess of York and Princess Sophia of Gloucester also recognized and talked to me.
Lord Yarmouth, upon finding that I had no ticket for supping at the Regent’s table, gave me one, as a person who ought to be of that party (viz. one of that 200), from which, however, many of the highest rank were excluded.
At a quarter to two the card marked that we were to assemble in the gilt room; and so did 500 other persons who had nothing to do with the Regent’s party. This was the only thing ill managed, for with this enormous crowd, and waiting there one hour before the doors were opened to go down to supper, everybody was heartily tired; and the King of France, who (as Lord St. Helens says all kings do) must have been heartily tired of swinging from one foot to the other.