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

The public investigation into Caroline’s private life had been a fiasco for the Government. She later joked that she had committed adultery just once, ” with the husband of Mrs Fitzherbert, the King.” The entire affair had been no joke for the Monarchy, however. During her trial hundreds of petitions had been organised in her defence gathering over a million signatures. She had become the darling of the opposition telling the crowds that flocked around her on her every public appearance that, ” You will find in me a sincere friend to your liberties, and a zealous advocate of your rights.” Despite these fine words, Caroline agreed to accept Parliaments increased offer of £50,000 to return abroad but only if she was permitted to attend the Coronation, they refused.

On 19 July, 1821, the Prince Regent was crowned King George IV at Westminster Abbey. Caroline turned up as she said she would. Advancing on the Abbey she was denied entrance at bayonet point. The Lord Chamberlain then had the doors closed and locked from within.  Caroline became hysterical and began banging on the doors with her fists and screaming obscenities. The watching crowd were appalled at her behaviour and use of profane language on such a solemn occasion. For the first time she began to lose popular support. Later that same night she fell seriously ill. Over the next three weeks her condition deteriorated. On 7 August, aged 53, she died. She was buried in Brunswick, the inscription on her tomb she insisted should read, ” Here lies Caroline, the Injured Queen of England.” The exact cause of her death remains unknown but rumours persist to this day that she was poisoned.

Following Caroline’s death, George IV’s own health went into steep decline. His devotion to the table saw his weight balloon out of control, and his heavy drinking had led to mental decay and premature decrepitude. He found breathing difficult and would often spend days on end without rising from his bed. He was so obese that he rarely appeared in public, unable to bear the ridicule, preferring instead to live in seclusion at Windsor Castle.

During his reign the prestige of the Monarchy reached its lowest ebb. The scandal of his marriage to Caroline dogged him for decades, and few people had a good word for him. Even the ultra-conservative Duke of Wellington felt moved to describe him as, ” the worst man I ever fell in with in my entire life, the most selfish, the most false, the most ill-natured, and the most entirely without one redeeming quality.”

George IV died on 26 June, 1830, aged 67. He was little mourned.