"I was afterwards carried through several rooms of the palace into one where, _unexpectedly_, I found her Danish Majesty alone, and the doors on each side of that apartment stood wide open. But, as the Queen was supposed to be within a few hours of her lying-in, I did not judge it proper to make any difficulty with regard to that circumstance, and therefore delivered the King's letter, accompanied with the expressions contained in my instructions. It had occurred to me from the beginning that to retire in the midst of the audience from the King, or to refuse that of her Majesty _in the apparent situation of her health_, might be interpreted as disrespectful to one or other of their Danish Majesties.... When I spoke upon this matter to Mr. Osten, he was so far from vindicating the innovation that he assured me in positive terms that none such had been intended, and that the door of the King's room being open must have been owing to accident. I have since had good reason to believe that Mr. Osten was either misinformed in this affair, or not sincere in what he advanced.... About a fortnight ago Baron Hamilton was sent by the King of Sweden upon his accession with a compliment to this court, and the audiences granted to him upon this occasion were _with open doors_.... The affair now came to a crisis, and, as I was sensible how much my court was averse from a dispute of this nature, I not only said all in my power to Count Osten, but, in order to prevent any harsh step being taken, I offered to wait upon Count Struensee at Hirschholm, to lay before him in the most dispassionate manner the forms observed by all the great courts of Europe upon this head, and the impropriety, not to say impracticability, of excluding all private audiences whatever, which was evidently the object of the intended regulation. Count Osten was waiting to see the event of a representation in writing he had just made to the same effect, but if that should fail he accepted my offer of visiting the Cabinet Minister. "This happened on Wednesday last, prior to our going to pay our court at Hirschholm, and I cannot tell your Lordship how much I was surprised at Count Osten's acquainting me the same evening that his endeavours were unsuccessful, and my intended conference needless, as it had been declared to him _positively_ that the King of Denmark would abide by the resolution of granting hereafter no audiences to foreign ministers with shut doors."[172] [172] Keith's despatch, Copenhagen, July 29, 1771.