Theodore Majocchi

[2] George and Caroline had been estranged for many years, and had led separate lives since 1796 but divorce was illegal under English law unless one of the parties could prove adultery.

On 5 July, a bill was introduced into Parliament "to deprive Her Majesty Queen Caroline Amelia Elizabeth of the Title, Prerogatives, Rights, Privileges, and Exemptions of Queen Consort of this Realm; and to dissolve the Marriage between His Majesty and the said Caroline Amelia Elizabeth."

The bill charged that Caroline had committed adultery with Bartolomeo Pergami, the head servant of her household, and that consequently she had forfeited her rights to be queen consort.

The bill was effectively a public trial of the Queen, whereby the government could call witnesses against Caroline, who would be cross-examined by her legal advisors.

The prosecution's reliance on Italian witnesses of low birth led to anti-Italian prejudice in Britain.

The witnesses had to be protected from angry mobs,[4] and were depicted in popular prints and pamphlets as venal, corrupt and criminal.

[10] Under examination by the Solicitor General for England and Wales John Singleton Copley, Majocchi testified that Caroline and Pergami eat breakfast together, had adjoining bedrooms, and had kissed each other on the lips.

Majocchi implied that Caroline and Pergami had shared a bath. In this contemporary cartoon, Caroline is showered suggestively by a spray of bathwater from Pergami's crotch.