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Duchess. ‘Papa keeps him in his gilded cage and Mamma has tied his reins very firmly to her apron strings.’
    ‘All’s very well while he’s a minor. Your Highnesses forget he will soon be eighteen. Then we shall see changes.’
    ‘Changes!’ mused the Duchess. ‘He has shown very clearly the way he will go. Ladies, short and tall, fair and dark will lead him by the hand. And, Mr Fox, is it not charming of him to prefer beautiful English women … not like his ancestors who like ugly German ones.’
    ‘He is behaving … naturally,’ said Charles James. ‘Of course he is up in arms against his father.’
    ‘Which does not surprise me,’ put in Cumberland.
    ‘It would surprise me if it were otherwise,’ said the Duchess. ‘The King has treated our Prince like a naughty child in the past and is continuing to do so … in spite of the fact that he has shown the world so clearly that he is in possession of his manhood. I don’t know the number of seductions to date …’ She glanced at the Duke. ‘Perhaps you do, my darling. But they are too many for a boy. Our Prince is a man.’
    ‘The last one is a rather amusing story,’ said the Duke. ‘Itconcerns a certain married lady of the Palace. Yes, His Highness is finding married ladies very much to his taste.’
    ‘Preferring experience to innocence,’ added the Duchess. ‘Wise young man.’
    ‘There very nearly was a mighty scandal over this affair,’ said the Duke.
    ‘There very nearly always is a mighty scandal. Don’t look so disappointed, Mr Fox. We’ll have our mighty scandal pretty soon, I promise you.’
    ‘It’ll come,’ agreed Fox. ‘And then he must have someone to turn to … someone to help him.’
    ‘He’ll get his reproaches from the Queen and a lecture from the King, who’ll tell him he wishes he could use the cane on him as he did when he was a bad boy.’
    ‘Alas for the dignity of the Prince of Wales!’
    ‘You’ve heard what happened, eh?’ asked the Duke, and when Mr Fox and the Duchess declared they had not he proceeded to tell them.
    ‘The Prince’s affaire with the lady was proceeding according to the usual pattern. The lady was living on amicable terms with her husband who – unlike some husbands – had no notion of the honour His Royal Highness was doing him by way of his wife. Indeed, he was that kind of a fool of a man who might have resented the honour, so the Prince and his lady refrained from informing him. One day the husband told his wife that he would be away for the night on Palace business, which made an excellent opportunity for the lovers. Alas, the inconsiderate man completed his business that evening and returned at midnight. He was heard knocking at the locked door of his apartments by the Prince who by chance happened to be sharing the connubial bed with the lady.’
    The Duchess burst out laughing and cried in delight: ‘ In flagrante delicto, I’ll be bound. Our future king is such a lusty young dog.’
    ‘Exactly,’ went on the Duke. ‘But what could he do? Escape was impossible even if he could have scrambled into his breeches in time. Fortunately for the Prince he has loyal attendants, and being of an open nature is apt to confide in them during the various stages of his love affairs. Consequently, one of hisgentlemen was aware of the husband locked out and the lover locked in, and knowing precisely what the husband would find if he burst in, took upon himself the duty of releasing his young master from a very embarrassing situation.’
    ‘A good servant,’ said the Duchess. ‘What was his name?’
    ‘Cholmondeley. You know Cholmondeley.’ The Duchess nodded and the Duke went on: ‘Cholmondeley went to the husband, told him that the Prince was in some difficulty and he had been asked to summon him to the Prince’s apartments immediately on his return that he might be made aware of the Prince’s dilemma. Having conducted the fellow to the Prince’s apartments Cholmondeley then