In this extract from Lytton Strachey's Victoria: Portrait of a Queen, it is implied that the duke and duchess of this ducal court (specifically Ernest III, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and his first wife, Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, the parents of Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria of England) were not faithful to each other, since the Duke was "a man of gallantry" - a polite or diplomatic way of saying that he enjoyed flirting with women - and it was believed that his wife "followed his example," that is, that she also flirted with men. Theirs was indeed a very turbulent and unsuccessful marriage, and they eventually divorced and married other people.