This is one of those stories that floats around Victorianist circles, and I can't remember exactly where I heard it. I should also state that this is completely unproven, but I don't really give a crap if it never happened. The point of the story is that Lillie Langtry had the personality (and the relationship to the Prince of Wales) where this is at least a plausible occurence.
In case you don't know Lillie Langtry, she was a mid-to-late Victorian era society beauty who later became and actress and theatre producer. She was also, and perhaps most famously, the semi-official mistress of the Prince of Wales for three years in the late 1870s.
In the first year of their relationship, the obsessed prince showered her with gifts and even had a lavish house built so they could have a super swanky (and private) place to bang.
Apparently he complained to her once that "I've spent enough on you to build a battleship." She replied, "And you spent enough in me to float one."
EW EW EW EW EW
Also, AWESOME.
But mostly EW.
I love a lady to who sticks to her guns. He knows the arrangement. He can't guilt her into sex without presents. This is BUSINESS, yo.
They had an amicable split (Lillie was even friends with his wife, which is both terribly mature and also very weird) and he continued to praise her talents in the theatre for the rest of her career. Frankly, how could you NOT adore this totally lovable purveyor of filth?
