Charity Covers a Multitude of Sins

This print shows the Prince of Wales bowing low as if responding to an introduction before an unidentified but distinguished-looking woman at a celebratory supper at Carlton House on February 3rd, 1795. But mysteriously hidden beneath the woman's robe or gown is another younger woman (also unidentified) whose face and hand are just visible, but who seems to be included in the Prince's welcome.

The St James's Chronicle reported on the event as follows.

Last night [February 3rd] the Prince of Wales gave a grand Concert and Supper at Carlton-House to their Majesties, the House of Orange, the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of York, Dukes of Clarence and Gloucester, and a select party of the Noblesse of both sexes. . . . The Concert was led by Saloman. The Musick consisted chiefly of Haydn's Symphonies, and a Concerto, played by Viotti. . . . The Royal Visitors entertained themselves in different card parties. . . . At eleven, they retired to supper, preceded by the Prince bearing a Wax Candle before his Majesty. The Royal Family supped in a room apart by themselves, the Nobility, etc. in another. All the Officers of the Household attended in their respective stations. . . . Amongst the ladies present were the Marchioness of Salisbury, the Marchioness of Weymouth, Lady Jersey etc. . . . Their Majesties, and the other Royal Visitants withdrew about one o'clock; but the Marquis of Townsend, Earl of Cholmomdeley and a few others of that sedentary description, remained til; five this morning.

The Chronicle account provides a vivid sense of the late hours, the exclusive privilege, and luxury of the event, but it does not mention anything resembling what we see in Gillray's print. What, then, are we to make of it?

A little context may be helpful. In February of 1795, the Prince was already engaged to his future wife, Caroline of Brunswick, though they had never met face to face. From the Prince's point of view, the marriage was simply a means to an end. If he married to please his parents, his substantial debts would be paid. In fact since 1785 he had already been married to the Catholic widow, Mrs. Maria Fitzherbert, but the widely suspected but unacknowledged marriage was not recognized by British law and was consequently not a legal impediment to his engagement. Meanwhile since 1794, the Prince had been carrying on a not-so-secret affair with one of the attendees at the event, the Countess of Jersey. A seasoned veteran of aristocratic affairs, Lady Jersey was rumored to have actively promoted the match between the Prince and Princess Caroline because she rightly saw her as less of a threat to her own relationship with the Prince than Mrs. Fitzherbert. Indeed, the Prince was so completely under her sway that he appointed Lady Jersey as Lady of the Bedchamber for his future wife so that Lady Jersey would have a virtual front row seat to the Prince's relations (or lack thereof) with Princess Caroline.

All of this was certainly well-known among the men about town, the Townsends and Cholmondeleys of the Prince's set, and much of it is alluded to in Gillray's recent print, The Lover's Dream. So it is not much of a stretch to imagine a witticism which would have applauded the "charity" of Lady Jersey in arranging for the delivery of the Prince's young wife, successfully covering "a multitude of [her] sins." And that is what, I would argue, we are seeing here: not a literal delivery of a young woman to the Prince in sight of his royal parents at dinner, but the visual embodiment of the bon mot.

But that would suggest that the "dignified and handsome" lady in the British museum description of the print is, in fact, Lady Jersey. And indeed if you compare the portrait of Lady Jersey in The Lover's Dream with the woman in Charity Covers a Multitude of Sins there are enough resemblances in the treatment of her face, her headdress, and her necklace to make that the most likely explanation of an otherwise inexplicable scene.

Sources and Reading

• Commentary from the British Museum on Charity Covers a Multitude of Sins
• "George IV of the United Kingdom," Wikipedia
• "Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey," Wikipedia
• "Caroline of Brunswick," Wikipedia
• Thomas Wright and R.H. Evans, Historical and Descriptive Account of the Caricatures of James Gillray

Comments & Corrections

NOTE: Comments and/or corrections are always appreciated. To make that easier, I have included a form below that you can use. I promise never to share any of the info provided without your express permission.

First Name:	Last Name:
Email Address:
Comments/Corrections: