Afternoons were Bertie’s favourite time for adultery. While husbands were out at work, the Prince sallied forth to pay calls on their wives, lingering for up to 90 minutes. Servants were instructed that no one else should be admitted into the drawing room. Then Bertie would make an abrupt lunge, followed by a kiss smelling of tobacco and a hasty grope. With his favourites, he patiently negotiated the barriers of crinolines and stays to achieve his ultimate desire. Few turned him down: within his social set, it was almost impossible for a woman to resist advances from the Prince of...