History of King Charles the Second of EnglandAbbott, Jacob
History
History of King Charles the Second of England
Abbott, Jacob
Charles II, King of England, 1630-1685
When the carriages met in the forest, they stopped, and the
distinguished personages contained in them alighted. Queen Henrietta
introduced her son to the queen regent and to Louis, the French king,
and also to other personages of distinction who were in their train.
Among them was Anne Maria. The queen regent took Henrietta and the
prince into the carriage with her and the young king, and they proceeded
thus together back to the palace. Prince Charles was somewhat
embarrassed in making all these new acquaintances, in circumstances,
too, of so much ceremony and parade, and the more so, as his knowledge
of the French language was imperfect. He could understand it when
spoken, but could not speak it well himself, and he appeared,
accordingly, somewhat awkward and confused. He seemed particularly at
a loss in his intercourse with Anne Maria. She was a little older than
himself, and, being perfectly at home, both in the ceremonies of the
occasion and in the language of the company, she felt entirely at her
ease herself; and yet, from her natural temperament and character, she
assumed such an air and bearing as would tend to prevent the prince
from being so. In a word, it happened then as it has often happened
since on similar occasions, that the beau was afraid of the belle.
The party returned to the palace. On alighting, the little king gave
his hand to his aunt, the Queen of England, while Prince Charles gave
his to the queen regent, and thus the two matrons were gallanted into
the hall. The prince had a seat assigned him on the following day in
the queen regent's drawing room, and was thus regularly instated as
an inmate of the royal household. He remained here several days, and
at length the whole party returned to Paris.
Anne Maria, in after years, wrote reminiscences of her early life,
which were published after her death. In this journal she gives an
account of her introduction to the young prince, and of her first
acquaintance with him. It is expressed as follows:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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