(The Royal carriages arrive at the Royal Opera House. A crowd of commoners has assembled; they cheer for the Royal Family as they arrive. GEORGE III and the PRINCE OF WALES are helped out of the carriage as they continue to talk.)
KING GEORGE III
And here is another thing I neglected to mention: Your Royal Highness again neglects the Windsor uniform.
PRINCE OF WALES
Forgive me, I suppose I forgot that, too. But is this jacket not better suited for the theatre?
GEORGE III
Lavish as it is, sir, I think not. You are shamefully overdressed.
PRINCE OF WALES
Can one be overdressed for an opera, Your Majesty?
KING GEORGE III
For a matinee, sir, one can be, and you certainly are. If you had worn the Windsor uniform as you were instructed to, then you might look more like a respectable prince and less like a macaroni.
PRINCE OF WALES
'Tis cut from French velvet.
GEORGE III
We were at war with the French. Wear something English for once, hey hey. I daresay the French economy would collapse without your many purchases.
(The crowd cheers as KING GEORGE III smiles and waves at them, as does the rest of the Royal Family. The PRINCE OF WALES tries to hide his bad mood by smiling a little and waving halfheartedly. As they slowly walk toward the entrance, LADY LINDSAY, MRS. FITZHERBERT, and her uncle HENRY ERRINGTON push through the crowd to catch a glimpse of the Royal Family.)
LADY LINDSAY
Do you see them, Maria? There is our very own King George III, and Queen Charlotte, and most of the royal children.
MRS. FITZHERBERT
Why is the tall one wearing a red coat when all the others are dressed in blue?
LADY LINDSAY
Ah, you mean the Prince of Wales, heir to the throne. I am an acquaintance of his; most people are. His Royal Highness is quite fashionable, and just as charming. Ah, there is the Princess Royal, and the other princesses! How handsome they look, how simple and delicate...
ERRINGTON
I say, I have heard enough of this royal talk. I have come to see an opera with my niece, not attend court.
(MRS. FITZHERBERT's gaze lingers a little on the PRINCE OF WALES, who does not see her. Cut to SCENE X).
YOU ARE READING
The Drunken Feathers
Fiction HistoriqueIn 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...
