The marriage of the Princess Mary with the Duke of Gloucester took place very soon after that of Princess Charlotte with Prince Leopold, in 1816.
The wish of the Princess Charlotte, after the rupture of the intended marriage with the Hereditary Prince of Orange, was to marry one of the Prussian Princes, and some months elapsed before she entirely gave up this plan, which was opposed on both sides of the water. * * *
An English lady, who happened to be standing very near the Prince of Orange soon after the news of Princess Charlotte’s death had reached him, assured me that his sighs and sobs were quite affecting.
At a party given by their present Majesties (William IV. and Queen Adelaide) I met the Prince of Orange, who came to solicit protection and assistance during the troubles of Belgium. He took no notice of me, and I have always heard he had been much prejudiced against me, for which I cannot account, as I did what I could with propriety in his favour, after Princess Charlotte had once given her consent; and, indeed, I thought she would have been happier in Holland than in England, as every motive must have engaged the King and Queen of that country to endeavour to gain her affection; and here unfortunately the heir-apparent is always an object of jealousy on the one hand, and of artful intrigues on the other.
The conduct of the Prince of Orange, however, since his marriage has not been such as to make one believe that she would have been happy with him. Providence has done the best for her, and, as it appears, for Princess Victoria.
I have lived to witness the termination of many things, and I humbly bend with resignation and gratitude to the Divine dispensations.
With respect to myself, all I can say is this. I cannot help regretting having left the Queen. My intentions were not bad, but in many respects I consulted my feelings more than my reason. My mind was then too active, perhaps now it is too indolent; but either I ought to have remained with the Queen, or I ought to have carried things with a higher hand to be really useful while I was with Princess Charlotte. I had no support from the good Duchess; nor, indeed, from any one. She had neither energy of character nor powerful connexions. I had the romantic desire that Princess Charlotte should think for herself, and think wisely. Was that to be expected from a girl of seventeen, and from one who had never had proper care taken of her since early childhood? She might have been great indeed. She had a heart and a mind capable of rendering her so. She had the most charitable disposition possible.