The Mordaunt Divorce Case and the Prince of Wales
Author:
Hi, I m Joanne Hayle. I am fascinated by British royal family history and write books and articles about them and European royalty.
Edward, Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra of Denmark s wedding at St. George s Chapel, Windsor. 10th March 1863.
A Cause for Royal Disapproval
Divorce in an English civil court had been possible since 1858 at the Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes. Until then divorce had been a matter for the ecclesiastical courts. The cost was exorbitant and the divorce rate was a few hundred cases per year at most by 1870. Divorcees were not accepted by polite society. Petitioners and respondents knew unquestionably that royal family members would not grace an event hosted or attended by them. The monarch was the head of the Church of England which opposed divorce so it was imperative not to be seen to condone it or tolerate the people connected to it. It was more acceptable among the Victorian e