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Francis Hastings, the 10th Duke of Huntingdon, was something of a dandy.
Actually, we have no idea if that’s true or not, but Wikipedia tells us that Hastings (d. 1789) was responsible for committing an act of journalism so inept that Chris Mortensen would be proud. Here’s how it went down:
In 1762, Queen Charlotte was about ready to give birth, and King George III desperately wanted a boy to keep his family in charge of the lymies limeys and whatnot. The king offers a reward for the first person to notify him that the royal birth had occurred — 500 pounds if it was a girl and 1,000 pounds if it was a boy.
When the event finally happened, Hastings gained notoriety for rushing in to tell the king that his wife had borne a daughter. The king later found out that the child was actually a boy (in Hastings’ defense, the kid had a really tiny wang).
Huntingdon did not receive the reward money, either. D’oh.
Francis Hastings, 10th Earl of Huntingdon [Wikipedia]
2 Comments
January 8, 2008 at 1:18 pm
FYI it’s “limies” not “lymies”–I know because one of the Ellis home’s bestest friends is named Limey Dave.
As you were.
January 8, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Duly noted.