Because of his exalted position, the Prime Minister was comfortable with the high level of scrutiny that came with his duties as head of the Queen’s government. What amused him was the fact that he had become an arbiter of fashion at Court. His careless usage of his wig, for instance, caused women to display tendrils of their real hair that emerged from under their white powered hair pieces and cascaded down their necks, even to their shoulders!

At the most recent meeting of the Privy Council, he arrived wearing a black cape that was embroidered with black beads and sequins, trimmed in black fur (probably rabbit) that extended almost to his feet. His tailor was immediately barraged with inquiries from the fashion-conscious courtiers. Within a few weeks, dozens of men and women were dashing about the palace and the capital with their own capes. At first, they were all black, but then other colors, in fact every imaginable color began to be seen on the backs of the wealthiest members of society.