Fitzherbert, Maria Anne, 1756-1837; George IV, King of Great Britain, 1762-1830
We hear very little of his stay at Brighton during this year. The
_Morning Herald_ of July 24 tells us: 'The _Prince_, we are happy to
say, has derived much benefit from the air of Brighthelmstone, and the
exercise which he has taken in its environs. We have never seen his
_Royal Highness_ in better health, or more apparent spirits than in
his evening walks on the Steyne. His companions in these promenades,
exclusive of the gentlemen of his suite, are, in general, Mrs. F----,
with the Countess of Talbot, and Lady Stawell.'
In the same newspaper of August 6, we find under the heading
'BRIGHTHELMSTONE, Aug. 3. This scene feels, at present, a temporary
desertion from the general resort of the visitants to the races of
Lewes. The Prince has also left it this morning, on hearing of the
arrival of his brother, the Duke of York, from the Continent.
'The races above mentioned derived more celebrity from the brilliant
attendance with which they were honoured, than from the sport which
they afforded. The betting on the first day was so generally on the
side of _Marplot_ that eighty guineas to sixty, and immediately before
starting sixty to forty were offered and refused. Mr. Fox took the
odds that were offered against _Balloon_, to the amount of about five
hundred pounds, and Mr. Tetherington is said to have cleared upwards of
a thousand by the success of his horse _Marplot_.
'Amongst those present were the Prince, the Duke and Duchess
of Cumberland, the Princesse de Lamballe, who was particularly
distinguished through the day by the _enviable_ attentions of the Duke
of Queensberry. The Duchess of Rutland, the Countess of Talbot, Lord
and Lady Abergavenny, Mrs. Fitzherbert, Lord Clermont, Lord Grosvenor,
Sir John Lade, Sir Richard Heron, Mr. Fox, Mr. Wyndham, Mr. Pelham,
Col. Fitzpatrick, etc., added to the fashion of the group.
'After the first race, the Prince, with a select party, retired to
partake of an entertainment provided for them at the seat of Mr.
Wyndham, near Lewes.'
In 1788 the Prince went to Brighton for the season on July 1, and very
shortly, when driving with Mrs. Fitzherbert, they were both upset.
Neither could have been much hurt, for the _Morning Post_ of July 5
says that the Prince came to town the previous day, and that 'Mrs.
Fitzherbert is totally recovered from the effects of her accident.'
Still, this trivial event gave food to the caricaturist, 'The Prince's
Disaster, or a fall in Fitz.' They have been for a drive in an open
carriage, which has broken down. Mrs. F---- lies on the ground, and the
Prince is being thrown out.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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