Life and Times of Her Majesty Caroline Matilda, Vol. 2 (of 3): Queen of Denmark and Norway, and Sister of H. M. George III. of EnglandWraxall, Lascelles, Sir
History
Life and Times of Her Majesty Caroline Matilda, Vol. 2 (of 3): Queen of Denmark and Norway, and Sister of H. M. George III. of England
Wraxall, Lascelles, Sir
Caroline Mathilde, Queen, consort of Christian VII, King of Denmark, 1751-1775; Denmark -- History -- Christian VII, 1766-1808
As this suspicion, which is the chief foundation of the charge, is thus
removed, and the rest consists entirely of suppositions, I hope to be
able to deal more shortly with the latter.
The arrangement of the apartments for Struensee in Christiansborg
Palace was not done by the queen's commands, and the reason why the
queen's apartment was converted into a sleeping cabinet was solely not
to incommode the king at the period when the queen was suckling the
prince herself. Her Majesty declares that she requested the king's
permission to do so at Frederiksberg.
What incorrect conclusions witnesses 4 and 7 draw from the queen's
anger with them is proved by the evidence of Frau Schiötte, who
states that this happened in the summer before they warned the queen,
consequently in the year 1769, and hence long before the epoch we are
now discussing.
The statement of witnesses 4 and 6, that the queen passed off
Struensee for the king is equally incorrect, for the king might have
been present without their observing him.
If, as some witnesses state, they saw her Majesty undressed, when she
was perhaps bathing or changing her clothes; if she undressed herself
without the help of her maids (which was not the case, according to
witness 6, however, during the last year), and of which the queen's
pregnancy was the cause,--all this is no crime, so long as no one can
say that Struensee or other men were present. On the contrary, all
the witnesses are agreed that the queen always required very little
attendance. Equally little should we feel surprised that Struensee was
at times alone with the queen, or sat by her side, if he waited upon
her, either by the king's command, or for other reasons. According to
the evidence of maid Gabel the chamber-people remained at such times in
the room where they happened to be, and from the answer of maid Boye
to question 21, and the declaration of Frau Blechinberg, it must be
assumed that one of them slept before the queen's sleeping cabinet. If
her Majesty jested with her servants about love, her sentiments ought
not to be judged from this, for in such a way even a Cato would come
short. That she intended to go away with Struensee is a fable that
contradicts itself, as it was not apprehended at the time when the
sailors proceeded to Hirschholm, for then, as the witnesses say, the
queen was perfectly indifferent; but in the days when the ox was given
away at Frederiksberg, when there was nothing at all to be alarmed
about.
As a physician, Struensee could be present at the queen's accouchement
equally well as Berger, and the statement that the queen looked at him,
and gazed on his portrait after delivery, is founded partly on the
presumptions of the witnesses, partly on untrustworthy statements, as
maid Boye saw that Struensee handed the queen an almanack, at which she
looked, although maid Boye fancies that there was a portrait in it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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