Bowlderized version: I don't have the time to check it, either, but I think the identity of Fritz' envisioned bride-to-be made the cut, since anything to do with English matters was of interest to an English translation readership.
Caroline and Henrietta Howard (later Lady Suffolk) (& G2): the entire relationship is its own kind of odd. Like I said, Henrietta mainly wanted a job that would protect her against her husband. And to be fair, Caroline did that whenever Charles Howard tried to re-insert himself in his wife's life (with an eye to the money she now earned). And when George Augustus became Prince of Wales, some nobles thought cultivating his mistress was a good idea (which also was financially rewarding and got you lots of presents and invites), since usually the mistress has more influence than the wife - only not in this case. (Sir Robert Walpole, otoh, from the get go had the right instinct, cultivated Caroline instead and became PM.) On the downside, G2 had two main subjects, German genealogy and military tales, especially but not only his glorious six months as Young Hannover Brave. And droned on about them since he couldn't think of anything else to talk about with his mistress, other than sex. And made no secret of prefering his wife. As soon as Charles Howard finally had died, Henrietta declared she had enough, retired as mistress and married a nice guy from the gentry. (She was over 40 at this point and half deaf, but still pretty and clever, and had accumulated a nice funding, so that worked out well.) Caroline, who had treasured the time G2 spent with his mistress as her prefered reading hours, was most put off and wrote a tart letter Lady Suffolk (as she was then) going on about how at their age, Henrietta should be past behaving like the heroine of a novel. But Lady Suffolk ignored this.
Caroline had another reason than her suddenly cut short leisure time, which was that she knew G2 wasn't in love with Henrietta Howard, whereas now that he was sans mistress there was the chance he'd come across someone he actually would care for. And sure enough, on his next visit to Hannover, he did, one Countess Wallmoden, who even got pregnant and had a kid by him and became his next official mistress. Whom he described en detail in his letters to Caroline (well enough she could paint the lady's portrait, as she snarked to Hervey), because Caroline was his best friend in addition to his wife and of course he had to tell her about his exciting new mistress, there were no secrets between them. That was G2 for you.
(He did care about Wallmoden more than about Suffolk and after Caroline's death had her come from Hannover to Britain, but she never was a true rival in terms of his affections, either. Like I mentioned in the write up, G2 said about Caroline long after her death he never met a woman fit to buckle her shoe, and he arranged for his funeral so that their dust would mingle because he wanted to be with Caroline always.)
Caroline, who had treasured the time G2 spent with his mistress as her prefered reading hours, was most put off and wrote a tart letter Lady Suffolk (as she was then) going on about how at their age, Henrietta should be past behaving like the heroine of a novel. But Lady Suffolk ignored this.
This is fantastically hilarious and rather makes me like Caroline even more.
(There's a joke about physicists that goes a little like that -- the punchline being that the physicist likes to have both a wife and a mistress because the wife thinks the physicist is with the mistress and the mistress thinks the physicist is with the wife, and meanwhile the physicist can sneak off and do physics...)
Whom he described en detail in his letters to Caroline (well enough she could paint the lady's portrait, as she snarked to Hervey), because Caroline was his best friend in addition to his wife and of course he had to tell her about his exciting new mistress, there were no secrets between them. That was G2 for you.
OMG! G2, on the other hand... *facepalm* On the other hand, I suppose Caroline's practical side was probably at least a little reassured by knowing G2 thought of her as a best friend. I guess. And at least she had more time to read :P (That being said, it is hilarious. G2!)
(There's a joke about physicists that goes a little like that -- the punchline being that the physicist likes to have both a wife and a mistress because the wife thinks the physicist is with the mistress and the mistress thinks the physicist is with the wife, and meanwhile the physicist can sneak off and do physics...)
Lol, I've heard this joke about engineers, and I've always loved it. The architect prefers a wife for the stability she represents, the artist a mistress for the passion, and the engineer a wife and a mistress so he can go to the office and get some work done.
And at least she had more time to read :P
Win-win-win for everyone except the person who's currently having to listen to G2 talk. :P
Bowlderized version: I don't have the time to check it, either, but I think the identity of Fritz' envisioned bride-to-be made the cut, since anything to do with English matters was of interest to an English translation readership.
Indeed, it did. It's Amelia all the way!
On the downside, G2 had two main subjects, German genealogy and military tales, especially but not only his glorious six months as Young Hannover Brave.
LOLOL forever. I mean. My 10 weeks as a member of the Classics faculty at UCLA is emphasized in any summary of my career all out of proportion to its duration. :P
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Re: The First Iron Lady: A life of Caroline of Ansbach - I: Cinderella
Date: 2021-07-29 01:25 pm (UTC)Caroline and Henrietta Howard (later Lady Suffolk) (& G2): the entire relationship is its own kind of odd. Like I said, Henrietta mainly wanted a job that would protect her against her husband. And to be fair, Caroline did that whenever Charles Howard tried to re-insert himself in his wife's life (with an eye to the money she now earned). And when George Augustus became Prince of Wales, some nobles thought cultivating his mistress was a good idea (which also was financially rewarding and got you lots of presents and invites), since usually the mistress has more influence than the wife - only not in this case. (Sir Robert Walpole, otoh, from the get go had the right instinct, cultivated Caroline instead and became PM.) On the downside, G2 had two main subjects, German genealogy and military tales, especially but not only his glorious six months as Young Hannover Brave. And droned on about them since he couldn't think of anything else to talk about with his mistress, other than sex. And made no secret of prefering his wife. As soon as Charles Howard finally had died, Henrietta declared she had enough, retired as mistress and married a nice guy from the gentry. (She was over 40 at this point and half deaf, but still pretty and clever, and had accumulated a nice funding, so that worked out well.) Caroline, who had treasured the time G2 spent with his mistress as her prefered reading hours, was most put off and wrote a tart letter Lady Suffolk (as she was then) going on about how at their age, Henrietta should be past behaving like the heroine of a novel. But Lady Suffolk ignored this.
Caroline had another reason than her suddenly cut short leisure time, which was that she knew G2 wasn't in love with Henrietta Howard, whereas now that he was sans mistress there was the chance he'd come across someone he actually would care for. And sure enough, on his next visit to Hannover, he did, one Countess Wallmoden, who even got pregnant and had a kid by him and became his next official mistress. Whom he described en detail in his letters to Caroline (well enough she could paint the lady's portrait, as she snarked to Hervey), because Caroline was his best friend in addition to his wife and of course he had to tell her about his exciting new mistress, there were no secrets between them. That was G2 for you.
(He did care about Wallmoden more than about Suffolk and after Caroline's death had her come from Hannover to Britain, but she never was a true rival in terms of his affections, either. Like I mentioned in the write up, G2 said about Caroline long after her death he never met a woman fit to buckle her shoe, and he arranged for his funeral so that their dust would mingle because he wanted to be with Caroline always.)
Re: The First Iron Lady: A life of Caroline of Ansbach - I: Cinderella
Date: 2021-07-31 05:31 am (UTC)This is fantastically hilarious and rather makes me like Caroline even more.
(There's a joke about physicists that goes a little like that -- the punchline being that the physicist likes to have both a wife and a mistress because the wife thinks the physicist is with the mistress and the mistress thinks the physicist is with the wife, and meanwhile the physicist can sneak off and do physics...)
Whom he described en detail in his letters to Caroline (well enough she could paint the lady's portrait, as she snarked to Hervey), because Caroline was his best friend in addition to his wife and of course he had to tell her about his exciting new mistress, there were no secrets between them. That was G2 for you.
OMG! G2, on the other hand... *facepalm* On the other hand, I suppose Caroline's practical side was probably at least a little reassured by knowing G2 thought of her as a best friend. I guess. And at least she had more time to read :P (That being said, it is hilarious. G2!)
Re: The First Iron Lady: A life of Caroline of Ansbach - I: Cinderella
Date: 2021-07-31 02:07 pm (UTC)Lol, I've heard this joke about engineers, and I've always loved it. The architect prefers a wife for the stability she represents, the artist a mistress for the passion, and the engineer a wife and a mistress so he can go to the office and get some work done.
And at least she had more time to read :P
Win-win-win for everyone except the person who's currently having to listen to G2 talk. :P
Re: The First Iron Lady: A life of Caroline of Ansbach - I: Cinderella
Date: 2021-07-31 01:59 pm (UTC)Indeed, it did. It's Amelia all the way!
On the downside, G2 had two main subjects, German genealogy and military tales, especially but not only his glorious six months as Young Hannover Brave.
LOLOL forever. I mean. My 10 weeks as a member of the Classics faculty at UCLA is emphasized in any summary of my career all out of proportion to its duration. :P