George Iv and Caroline of Brunswick: The Royal Marriage From Hell

George Augustus Frederick, Prince of Wales, was heir to the throne of Great Britain. He was despised for his playboy ways, so different to his more austere, down-to-earth, hard-working father, at a time of great hardship for his country. His life was to be mired in scandal, his marriage was to be a fiasco, and he was to become one of the most unpopular Monarchs in British history.

As a young man he had been noted for his intelligence and razor-sharp wit. His repartee, it was said, could be something to behold, whether drunk or sober. Unfortunately, even in his early twenties he was more often to be found drunk. Even so, for a while at least, he was admired for his good taste and love of fine things. A pretty young man, quite feminine in his features, his dissolute lifestyle was to take a rapid and heavy toll.

George lived extravagantly and considered himself to be what we know today as a style icon. One of his closest companions was the dandy, Beau Brummel. On turning 21, he received an annual income from his father of £50,000 (£4,786,000 in today’s money) and a £60,000 (5,744,000) grant from Parliament. It was not enough to cover his outgoings as he commissioned the building of Brighton Pavilion, reconstructed Windsor Castle, purchased Carlton House, held lavish parties, and lived in magnificent splendour. To the people, however, he was simply seen as a lazy, self-indulgent, spendthrift, who squandered the nation’s money while they starved. This was not how he perceived himself. As far as he was concerned he was the height of style, the man who led the fashion for his age, someone to be aspired to. Yet he would be regularly jeered and abused as he rode his carriage through the streets of London. If there were finer qualities to his character then he was unable to convey them to his people. He was a hate figure, and he could not understand why.

In 1783, he met and became besotted with Maria Fitzherbert, a twice married Roman Catholic, six years his senior. They soon became lovers and married on 15 December, 1786. The marriage was illegal, however. He was barred from marrying a Catholic by the Act of Settlement of 1701, and was obliged to obtain the permission of his father, the King (with whom he was not on speaking terms) to marry by the Royal Marriages Act of 1772.