The Prince's Mistress, Perdita

Mary Robinson, nicknamed 'Perdita' by the Prince of Wales after her role on the London stage, was a woman in whom showmanship and reckless behaviour contrasted with romantic sensibility and radical thinking. Born in Bristol in 1758, she moved to London with her family at a young age and was trained by Garrick for the theatre. After a royal command performance as Perdita in 'The Winter's Tale', she was hotly pursued by George, the 17-year-old Prince of Wales, and she became his first mistress. He