Dark Lady by Charles Higham

Author:Charles Higham [Charles Higham]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ebury Publishing
Published: 2007-03-08T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

ONE OF JENNIE’S closest friends was Georgiana Charlotte, daughter of the 1st Earl Howe, and wife of the 8th Duke of Beaufort. One of her sons was Lord Arthur Somerset, equerry to the Prince of Wales; Jennie saw him with Georgiana often, at Badminton, the Beaufort family home, or at the races. His homosexuality was known to all society, including Jennie, who had no homophobic prejudices.

The cause célèbre that became known as the Cleveland Street Affair began in July of 1889, when a fifteen-year-old clerk in the London Central Post Office was found to have stolen fourteen shillings. Under questioning, he denied the theft but said he had been paid it by a client at a male brothel at 19 Cleveland Street off the Tottenham Court Road.

Another male prostitute was questioned, and named Lord Arthur Somerset as that paying customer; more evidence showed that the bordello’s clients included the Duke of Clarence, eldest son of the Prince of Wales and potential heir to the throne (though in fact he was to pre-decease his father).

The brothel-keeper fled to France and thence to California and wasn’t apprehended. As soon as royalty was mentioned, government department after department passed the matter from office to office; not a soul wanted to handle so inflammatory a matter. Police questioned Lord Arthur twice and told him to say nothing; Jennie, Randolph and their circle were required to remain silent. In order to disguise the truth, Lord Arthur, instead of being put under arrest, was allowed to leave the country; he even returned for some racing events to silence wagging tongues. He went on consorting for appearance’s sake with the Prince of Wales, who refused to believe him capable of such vileness.

The hoodwinked prince invited Lord Arthur to join him at Bad Gastein to take the waters; meanwhile Henry Labouchère, provided with leaked information, took up the matter and called for Lord Arthur’s arrest. It is clear that to protect Lord Arthur, Jennie arranged for Kinsky to help him in exile. There is no evidence he had even met Kinsky, and who else than Jennie would know where Kinsky was at the time, or would be in a position to ask for help for a homosexual on the run?

The two men met in Budapest, where Kinsky was staying briefly, between diplomatic assignments. Kinsky decently offered to buy horses from the Somerset stables in London to pay for Lord Arthur’s exile, but Somerset said he dared not go to England to make the arrangements. Then Kinsky made a most generous suggestion: he would arrange for Lord Arthur to manage a cousin’s magnificent estates in Austria, with free board and lodging and the command of a large staff; the appointment would run for twelve months, while the cousin was travelling abroad. With incredible folly, Lord Arthur turned him down, saying he had no idea how to run a large property. Somerset’s sister was appalled, writing in her diary that she was sure Count Kinsky had behaved like the angel he was, and she berated Lord Arthur for his ingratitude.

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