Caroline was prevented from seeing her daughter on a day-to-day basis, and was eventually banished in
1799 to a private residence ('The Pagoda') in
Blackheath, where she allegedly had affairs with the politician
George Canning and the admiral
Sir Sidney Smith.
In
1806, it was rumoured that a child living with her was her son, in which case he would have a right of succession, if his father were the Prince of Wales. A secret investigation was set up, the "Delicate Investigation", but did not prove the allegation, although it showed that her conduct was improper. In
1814, the Princess left the country and went to live abroad, running up large debts throughout Europe and taking other lovers. During this period, the couple's daughter, who had married
Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, died after giving birth to her only child, a stillborn son. She was notified of the tragedy by a private letter from her grieving son-in-law.
Her estranged husband's accession to the Throne in
1820 brought Caroline back to Britain. She had declined monetary offers to stay away. When she arrived in England on
6 June, riots broke out in support of her. The King asked his ministers to get rid of her. The
Pains and Penalties Bill 1820 was introduced in Parliament in order to strip Caroline of the title of queen consort and dissolve her marriage. It was claimed that Caroline had been involved with a low-born man, Bartolomeo Pergami, on the continent. The bill passed the
House of Lords, but was not submitted to the
House of Commons as there was little prospect that the Commons would pass it. Caroline indicated that she had indeed committed adultery with one man - the husband of Mrs. Fitzherbert (referring to the King). Caroline was turned away from the coronation on
21 July 1821 at the doors of Westminster Abbey. Despite the King's best attempts, Caroline retained a very strong popularity amongst the masses, and therefore wielded considerable power in spite of his disliking her.
