Queen of Hearts V1.0
Tuesday, August 28th, 2007Looking at the available (albeit, highly circumstantial) evidence, I have very little doubt that the Royal Family (or their agents) were responsible for the death of the Princess of Wales… in 1821.
Let me explain. In 1795 Duchess Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel married Prince George, the future King George IV. This was despite the fact that he was already (kinda, sorta) married to another lady, and he considered Caroline to be ugly, smelly and promiscuous (which, by all contemporary accounts, she was).
The inevitable breakdown occured soon after the couple were betrothed, with the now Princess of Wales maintaining an entirely seperate life and set of lovers. Despite conducting these affairs relatively indiscretely, she was forgiven by an adoring public who considered her husband to be at fault for the failure of their marriage.
Following the so-called ‘Delicate Investigation’ into her raucous lifestyle by the Royal Family, Princess Caroline was eventually hounded out of the country. She rampaged round Europe, taking many lovers and running up large debts.
This all changed in 1820 when Caroline’s estranged husband became King. Despite monetary offers and defeated acts of Parliament to keep her away, Caroline, riding a wave of popular support, attempted to turn up to Westminster Abbey for the Coronation. Unfortunately for her, the Princess of Wales’ entry was repeatedly barred. That very same night, Caroline fell ill, vomiting with an erratic pulse. She died, three weeks later, at the age of 52, maintaining to the end that she had been posioned. The Princess was buried in her native Brunswick, with “Here lies Caroline, the Injured Queen of England” inscribed on her tomb.
Now, I remain hugely sceptical that, despite their many failings, the current Royal Family had anything to do with the untimely death of the latest unfortunate to hold the title ‘Princess of Wales’. However, if at any point in the future one of the many unfeasible conspiracy theories turns out to be true, then, it seems, there won’t be any lack of historical precedent…