“When the procession returned his Royal Highness led his bride; and coming into the drawing-room, their Royal Highnesses kneeled down and received their Majesties’ blessing. “At half-an-hour after ten their Majesties sat down to supper in _ambigu_, the Prince and the Duke being on the King’s right hand, and the Princess of Wales and the four Princesses on the Queen’s left. “Their Majesties retiring to the apartments of the Prince of Wales, the bride was conducted to her bedchamber, the bridegroom to his dressing-room, where the Duke undressed him, and his Majesty did his Royal Highness the honour to put on his shirt. “The bride was undressed by the Princesses, and being in bed in a rich undress, his Majesty came into the room, the Prince following soon after in a night-gown of silver stuff, and cap of the finest lace. “The quality were admitted to see the bride and bridegroom sitting up in bed surrounded by all the Royal Family.” That must have been an engaging sight which the little King came upon, when due intimation had been conveyed to his royal ears that the bride had been undressed, and re-dressed by her royal maids; the spectacle of a pretty Princess, in very becoming night attire, sitting up in bed and blushingly awaiting her bridegroom, must have been a taking sight indeed. It seems to have been the custom in those days for a Royal bride and bridegroom to have held a formal reception in their bedroom, while sitting up in bed, before finally saying good-night. As a matter of fact, this was not an English tradition at all, but a ceremony borrowed from Versailles, where it might have been better understood. On the occasion of the previous marriage in the family when the Princess Royal had wedded the Prince of Orange, the latter, never a favourite with the Queen--as has been stated already--did not make much of a show sitting up in bed without his peruke and gorgeous wedding-clothes, which had certainly toned down his deformities and want of good looks. Commenting on the following day upon the sight of this royal couple, the Queen cried:-- “Ah! mon Dieu! quand je voiois entrer ce monstre pour coucher avec ma fille, j’ai pensé m’évanouir. Je chancelois auparavant mais ce coup là m’a assommée.” The Princess, however, did not share this view, and in her way really appeared to be fond of her husband, and was dutiful to him according to her lights. It may be well to mention that the four bridesmaids referred to in the foregoing account were: Lady Caroline Lennox, daughter of the Duke of Richmond; Lady Caroline Fitzroy, daughter of the Duke of Grafton; Lady Caroline Cavendish, daughter of the Duke of Devonshire. It will be seen that all these ladies bore the name of the Queen, the fourth, Lady Sophia Fermor, daughter of the Earl of Pomfret, bore the name of the King’s mother, whom he had always regarded as Queen of England.