Diana was beautiful, but it was not her beauty which he found so delightful to contemplate as the anger he would see on the faces of his parents.

Serve them right! They deserved all the trouble he could bring to them. They had never treated him fairly.

He called to his man ... the one he was taking with him to Windsor. A trusted servant. He would take no one else.

The door opened. The Prince stared, then he stammered: ‘W ... what do you want?’

‘To save Your Highness from disaster,’ said Sir Robert Walpole.


* * *

They sat facing each other and there was no longer need for speech.

He could not go. He was a prisoner although discreetly guarded.

‘It would be unwise,’ said Sir Robert, ‘for this to be publicly known. We will keep it as quiet as possible.’

He had argued at first. He would make his own decisions. But the marriage of the Prince of Wales was a decision for the King and his council, not for the Prince himself.

‘I shall choose when and whom I marry,’ the Prince had said defiantly.

But Walpole had only smiled benevolently. One did not take any notice of childish observations.

But the Prince was a prisoner. He would not go to Windsor. And now Walpole was on his guard and would take precautions against such a contingency ever arising again.

Frederick felt defeated and his hatred was doubled. Not so much for Walpole as for his parents.


* * *

In Windsor Lodge the Duchess waited. Lady Di waited with her.

‘Grandmother,’ said Lady Di at length, ‘I don’t believe he is coming.’

‘Spineless idiot,’ cried the Duchess. ‘He is his cockerel of a father all over again.’

‘He may have been prevented.’

‘He’s been talking too much. I’ll warrant. God damn these Germans.’

In spite of her fury the Duchess was a pathetic sight as she sat slumped forward in her chair.

If only Marl were here, she was thinking. We’d send the guards. We’d bring him here by force. We’d make him marry her.

But that was nonsense. Even Marl couldn’t do that if he were here and at the height of his glory.

And he is gone, gone, she thought, gone with the glory, and taken with him my only reason for being alive.

Walpole in Danger


THE King was happy because he was going to Hanover.