THE CONDUCT OF PRINCESS CAROLINE

A ‘delicate investigation’,
So-called, confirmed the reputation
Of the Princess as a woman of “rash
“And imprudent conduct”, bold and slapdash.
Yet her character was deemed “kind-hearted
“And generous”. What had the King started?
For when George had given his permission
For an investigative Commission –
With some reluctance, it has to be said –
He must surely have taken it as read
That the end result would be conclusive.

Not so. Some witnesses were abusive:
Many there were prepared to dish the dirt.
Caroline confessed to being a flirt.
She relished the company of young men,
Entertaining them in her chamber. Then
(Horror of horrors) she’d squat on the floor,
Quaffing beer and eating onions galore!

Others dismissed these stories as nonsense:
Caroline, a model of innocence,
Sobriety and tact. Their evidence
Contradicted more hostile witnesses.
This was the most moral of Princesses.

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