At one time Lord and Lady Clermont also resided in Berkeley Square, the latter of whom had once been a friend of both Marie Antoinette and Queen Charlotte, and both of whom were on intimate terms with George, Prince of Wales, and Mrs. Fitzherbert. The latest biographer of this injured woman noticed the fact:
"Lord and Lady Clermont," he said, "were aristocrats of the old school, courtly and dignified in their manners, and with a high sense of noblesse oblige. At their house in Berkeley Square they entertained with stately hospitality. They had the best chef and wines in London, and invitations to the Clermonts' dinners and assemblies were eagerly sought. The Prince of Wales often dined with them, and so did Mrs. Fitzherbert."
Meanwhile Wraxall notes that the Prince "enjoyed the privilege of sending at his pleasure to Lord Clermont of commanding a dinner, and naming the persons to be invited of both sexes — a permission of which his royal highness often availed himself."
OTHER FRIENDS
In spite of his intimacy with the Prince, Lord Clermont was always well received at St. James's. This is all the more remarkable as he was also on intimate terms with Charles James Fox, whom he used to see much of in Norfolk, where he possessed a country seat at which Fox used to visit for the shooting.
It was on one of these occasions that Lord Clermont made the extraordinary bet, for one hundred guineas with Fox and Lord Foley, that he would find a heifer which would eat twenty stone of turnips in twenty-four hours, a bet which he is said to have won.
It was at Lord Clermont's house during the Gordon Riots in 1780 that the Duchess of Devonshire sought shelter, sleeping during some nights on a sofa in the drawing room, as Devonshire House was not thought to be safe from the depredations of the mob and was garrisoned by soldiers.