Member of Parliament, military man, and diplomat Lord Anglesey was scandalous enough to get a divorce and hearty enough to survive the amputation of his leg.
The loss of a limb didn’t stop him from prolific baby making with his new wife, Lady Charlotte Cadogan (also a divorcee) nor did it stop his sense of humour. According to his aide-de-camp, Thomas Wildman, during the amputation Paget smiled and said, “I have had a pretty long run. I have been a beau these 47 years and it would not be fair to cut the young men out any longer.”
The eldest son of the Earl of Uxbridge, Henry established himself first in Parliament and then in the military with the rise of the French Revolution. Because he was having an affaire de coeur with Lord Wellesley’s Lady Charlotte and would later divorce his first wife, Lady Caroline Villiers, to marry Lady Charlotte, he made instant enemies with Wellington (Wellesley’s brother). This grudge would continue into the night when the final shots of war hit his leg necessitating amputation.
To read more about his military career, go here.
Learn more about Anglesey’s column here.
