Was William Austen's mother, the wife of King George IV?


After the marriage of Prince George IV and Mrs Fitzherbert was declared illegal
by the Court of Privileges, George married his first cousin, Princess Caroline,
of Brunswick, the daughter of George III's sister, Augusta.

"She was unattractive, coarse in her behaviour, and dirty in her person. She was
certainly vivacious, but possessed most of the defects and few of the charms of
vivacity. Furthermore she was often high-handed, sharp-tongued and insensitive,
and her whims and foibles were of the kind that could nothing but irritate her
husband.

"From the start, the marriage was a complete disaster. It was unnecessary and
unkind to attach Lady Jersey, who was well known to be the Prince's current
mistress, to Caroline's suite on arrival, but it made little difference to the
immediate feelings towards each other that the bride and bridegroom exhibited."

The wedding took place on 8 April 1795, and for a few months the couple
tolerated each other's company, and a girl, Charlotte, was born in January 1796.
but before long the Prince's dislike turned to hatred, and Caroline moved out of
Carlton House. .. Mrs Fitzherbert was back again, having triumphed over wife and
mistress.

King George made Caroline, Ranger of Blackheath, and she eventually settled
there in Montague House, where her behaviour gave rise to such scandal that in
1806 the Government was forced to set up a Commission of Enquiry. The delicate
Investigation, as it was called, cleared the Princess of being the mother of the
child, William Austen, whom she had adopted, but although proof positive was
lacking there could be little doubt of her adulterous behaviour".

From Sovereign Legacy: An Historical Guide to the British Monarchy, William
Seymour, Sidgwick & Jackson, London, 1979

Noah AUSTEN hung at Newdegate Prison on 24 March 1863 for the murder of Mr ALLEN

Austen machine gun