(At Carlton House, the PRINCE OF WALES sits at the head of his breakfast table entertaining about 20 Whig guests including FOX, SHERIDAN, the DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE, LORD LOUGHBOROUGH, LORD STORMONT, among others. The DUKE OF PORTLAND is notably absent.)
PRINCE OF WALES
Then the duke inquired as to the nature of the establishment, to which I replied that it was a nunnery, and that the ladies sitting in my lap were cloistered!
(The men laugh, FOX and SHERIDAN with some uneasiness and guilt.)
FOX
Tell us how the duke nearly fell down the stairs at Buckingham House.
PRINCE OF WALES
Ha, ha, yes! It was shortly after court, and...
(They all laugh until suddenly the PRINCE OF WALES is horror-stricken; he realizes he was supposed to attend court that morning.)
PRINCE OF WALES (cont.)
Court! I had court this morning at 9!
SHERIDAN
'Tis a quarter to 11 now.
PRINCE OF WALES
Stay as long as you like, but I must make haste to St. James' if I am to avoid another one of the king's dreadful lectures!
(The PRINCE OF WALES hastily stands from the table. Everyone else stands as he exits, leaving the Whigs dumbfounded. Cut to scene VIII.)
YOU ARE READING
The Drunken Feathers
Historical FictionIn this biographical series that begins in 1784, twenty-one-year-old George, Prince of Wales-- the eldest son of King George III and heir to the British throne-- spends his youth idly by keeping countless mistresses, drinking profusely, and making f...
