AN UNHAPPY ROYAL FAMILY

Western Star, Issue 987, 3 October 1885, Page 1 (Supplement)

AN UNHAPPY ROYAL FAMILY

■; ||fc : /; i ■ ■ ' i. ‘ I do. not believe there is a more unhappy family in the kingdom than that of ourgood King (George III.). They have lately passed whole hours together iix tears, and after that they do not melt.for half a day, but each remain?;alone, separately brooding over their misfortunes. The ill-success and disgraces of the Duke of York, the wounds and ill-heaith <of the Princes Ernest and Adolphus, the bad conduct 'of the Princes Edward and Augustas, and the strange caprices and obstinacy of the Prince of Wales—-all these causes are perpetually preying upon them, and make them miserable. The Queen appears to feel and to suffer the least; the Zing sometimes bursts into tears, rises up and walks about "the room, then kisses his daughters, and thanks God for having given them to him to comfort him, by which- the Princesses are variously agitated, and sometimes so much so as to go into fits. . . . Lady Elgin also told me that these poor Princesses woyeUn a terrible state with respect to their '.finances. The three eldest have had each for some time past an afioWaneei of £2OOO a year, out of which are obliged to furnish themselves, with everything—clothes, eerra&tpiwages, and even jevrels—for neither the Zing nor the Queen has ever giV'en them any. The two eldest are vetji prudent, and contrive to live tolerably with their allowances; but Princess Elizabeth is a bad economist, and, as she says herself, must go to goal very, soon, X saw Duval, the Eng’s yesterday, and asked him if the Zing had lately given his daughters diamonds. He told me His Majesty! had- never made them any presents- of that sort, but that the Princesses had bought of him all they had, and that upon the whole they paid veiy well —“ That is,” said he, “ X really believe they pay me whenever they hare any money.” He added that he had ifceiiuently been ordered to attend At fcha Queen’s' house with diamoadk and that he bad sometimes carried thewj jewels to the amount of more than £20,000; that he always hoped, when he displayed them, and when the Princesses expressed their pleasure, at. seeing • such beautiful things, that their Majesties would have made them presents. “But no, my dear. siis said he, “no such thing; the poor Princesses never got evena spark that they did not me pay for.”— The Bruges Papers,