On Nelson's humour. He did appear to be an appreciative audience for others' jokes. Jeaffreson in his excellent biog of 'Emma Hamilton and the Queen of Naples' relates that Nelson used to 'scream with laughter' for hours on end at Sir William Hamilton's stories. Mimicking was a popular brand of humour at the time, Emma was apparently a dab hand at it, whilst Nelson and George Matcham enjoyed joshing each other while 'talking like Irishmen.'
Nelson certainly seemed to have a hard time with the King. He was rumped at least once in the weeks between returning with the Hamiltons from Europe in November 1800 and sailing on the Baltic expedition in January 1801. This is referred to by both Collingwood, and less famously by Bess Foster who relates Nelson arriving from a levee in a foul temper, whispering loudly to Emma that the weather outside was as cold as the atmosphere at St. James'. She also recalls that he complained bitterly at table about his reception at court, whilst Emma tried hard to shush him in front of the company.
I've never been clear why the king took such a dislike to Nelson. Did the King ever mention a reason for it? Nelson's friendship with Prince William Henry in the West Indies, at the time the young man was behaving a little wildly, has been cited, as well as wearing his foreign decorations (without permission - which he had asked for - or just bad form at court.) Then there was Emma of course, who seemed to get the blame for everything. Another possibility, which Nelson's circle would give credence to, was jealousy. Certainly by 1802 the press were comparing the King's popularity among the general public unfavourably to that of Nelson.
And King George was as mad as a hatter and thoroughly unpredictable. By early 1801, he had suffered a major re-occurence of his 'illness,' serious enough to delay the change of Government from Pitt to Addington for some weeks, and speculation was rife that he had gone mad again.
Even after Trafalgar and Nelson's death, the coldness persisted. Earl William Nelson, returning his brother's ribbon of the Bath, reported a distinctly cool reception from the King, and a terse comment that Nelson had got the death he wished for.
Nelson did seem to receive a warmer welcome from Queen Charlotte, who was reported as offering him a kinder reception, and all the King's sons were Nelson partisans. Thinking about the relationships in the Royal Family at the time, that in itself might have been enough to get up the king's nose.
|