One of my most intimate friends was the late Captain Hesse, generally
believed to be a son of the Duke of York, by a German lady of rank.
Though it is not my intention to disclose certain family secrets of
which I am in possession, I may, nevertheless, record some
circumstances connected with the life of my friend, which were familiar
to a large circle with whom I mixed. Hesse, in early youth, lived with
the Duke and Duchess of York; he was treated in such a manner by them
as to indicate an interest in him by their Royal Highnesses which could
scarcely be attributed to ordinary regard, and was gazetted a cornet in
the 18th Hussars at seventeen years of age. Shortly afterwards, he
went to Spain, and was present in all the battles in which his regiment
was engaged; receiving a severe wound in the wrist at the battle of
Vittoria. When this became known in England, a royal lady wrote to
Lord Wellington, requesting that he might be carefully attended to;
and, at the same time, a watch, with her portrait, was forwarded, which
was delivered to the wounded Hussar by Lord Wellington himself. When
he had sufficiently recovered, Hesse returned to England, and passed
much of his time at Oatlands, the residence of the Duchess of York; he
was also honoured with the confidence of the Princess Charlotte and her
mother, Queen Caroline.
Many delicate and important transactions were conducted through the
medium of Captain Hesse; in fact, it was perfectly well known that he
played a striking part in many scenes of domestic life which I do not
wish to reveal. I may, however, observe that the Prince Regent sent
the late Admiral Lord Keith to Hesse's lodgings, who demanded, in his
Royal Highness's name, the restitution of the watch and letters which
had been sent him when in Spain. After a considerable amount of
hesitation, the Admiral obtained what he wanted the following day;
whereupon Lord Keith assured him that the Prince Regent would never
forget so great a mark of confidence, and that the heir to the throne
would ever afterwards be his friend. I regret to say, from personal
knowledge, that, upon this occasion the Prince behaved most
ungratefully and unfeelingly; for, after having obtained all he wanted,
he positively refused to receive Hesse at Carlton House.
Hesse's life was full of singular incidents. He was a great friend of
the Queen of Naples, grandmother of the ex-Sovereign of the Two
Sicilies; in fact, so notorious was that liaison, that Hesse was
eventually expelled from Naples under an escort of gendarmes. He was
engaged in several affairs of honour, in which he always displayed the
utmost courage; and his romantic career terminated by his being killed
in a duel by Count L--, natural son of the first Napoleon. He died as
he had lived, beloved by his friends, and leaving behind him little but
his name and the kind thoughts of those who survived him.