Categotry Archives: History
By George! Just Who Is This Grand Duchess?
Just how much of a fat slob could George IV be, now that he is Regent? – Alice If the Prince was put out by the behavior of his socially inferior chums, it was nothing compared to what he experienced at the hands of his equals. And at a time when he should have been enjoying wide acclaim. The year was 1814, Napoleon had been defeated and packed off to Elba. British arms, and gold, had proved decisive in the […]
By George! What did Beau Say?
But let us turn for a moment to a question that my readers are sure to be wondering about. What did the Prince look like at this stage of the game? Funny you should ask. I’ll give you a hint. This little ditty was making the rounds during the time he assumed the Regency. Not a fatter fish than he flounders around the Polar sea. See his blubbers-at his gills What a world of drink he swills… Every fish of […]
By George! Let's Play King!
The first thing Prince George did on his appointment as Regent was to throw a party. But what does he do once the party is over? After the party, the Prince opened Carlton House to the public for three days. God only knows what he was thinking in doing so, The Public couldn’t wait to see what His Sorta Majesty had been pissing away taxpayer gold on for all those years. They got an eyeful. “There was not a spot […]
By George! It's Time to Party!
At long last Prince George had been made regent. (See last week’s post for details) Any guesses what he did first? And now that the long awaited Regency had finally begun, there was but one thing on the Prince’s mind. Napoleon? Don’t be silly. Reconciling the Whigs and Tories for the sake of better government? Oh puleeeeeeeeze! The Prince Regent wanted a party. The grandest party that ever was, ever had been or ever would be. Alas, it was pointed […]
By George! He Would Be King! Almost.
With so many unpleasant things happening in the royal family; Amelia’s death, the Duke of Cumberland’s scandal, you know something has to give, and it won’t be the Prince. The death of Princess Amelia, following so closely on the Duke of Cumberland scandal, had a very bad effect on the King. His relapse was so severe than many feared for his life. Even before the relapse, he was almost completely blind and deaf. No one held serious hopes that he […]
By George! Life Must Go On, For Some
In last weeks installment of Mr. Al’s in-depth examination of George IV, long-time soul mate, Mrs. Fitzherbert threw in the towel. Do you think the prince noticed? Several events in 1810 were soon to overshadow whatever pain the Prince might have experienced at the loss of Mrs. Fitzherbert. In May of that year, the Duke of Cumberland, “Alias, the Black Sheep” as his brother, the Duke of Kent referred to him, had involved himself in a nasty scandal. The Duke […]
By George! It's a Sad Goodbye
In my last installment I mentioned that the Prince proved his sensitivity to social conventions by having Mrs Fitzherbert present while he had his new girlfriend, Lady Hertford, over for dinner. My regular readers will not be surprised to learn that Mrs Fitzherbert found this intolerable. After the business with Lady Jersey, she had no desire to go through that again. With the greatest reluctance, she asked the Prince to keep his distance. Mrs. Fitzherbert’s attachment to the Prince would […]
By George! Prince George's Mating Dance
When we left off last week, George IV had found a new love. Any idea’s what kind of woman would turn his head at this late date? The Prince’s new love interest was Lady Hertford, daughter of Ninth Viscount Irvine. Lady Hertford was a Tory, as were most members of her family. This put off the Prince not a whit. He was willing to be flexible on that point Lady Hertford was, according to one historian, “a very rich, beautifully […]
By George! Taking Care of Caroline.
So Prince George lost his suit against Princess Caroline, who returned most of the way to the King’s good graces. Then to add injury to insult, Fox dies. Last week’s By George! Was pretty eventful. If you missed it, click here. The government that replaced the “Ministry of all the talents” was familiar to Caroline; The Duke of Portland became Prime Minister. George Canning, a man long suspected of being Caroline’s lover, became Foreign Secretary. Spencer Perceval became Chancellor of […]
By George! Maybe She's Guilty, Then Again….
Perceval assembled the evidence against Her Highness, and then laid out, in writing, a long, incisive defense. These were presented to a wary king who not feeling at all well. The King passed the ball to the cabinet. Whatever conclusions those worthy gentlemen arrived at would be the determining factor in whatever course of action His Majesty should choose to follow. His Majesty no doubt congratulated himself on dodging that particular bullet. When politicians get a piece of public business […]
By George! The Prince’s Ship Almost, Maybe, Comes In
Between her own behavior, the rumors running around, and the reaction of the crown, Princess Caroline had found herself in a lot of hot water. Let’s see how the Prince was doing. While the situation with his wife was not improving, the Prince’s political prospects had improved markedly. In 1805, the Addington government collapsed. This created opportunities for the Whigs that they were quick to take advantage of. The party’s fortunes further increased with the death of Pitt, at age […]
By George! Let’s Check Her Out.
It appeared Caroline’s goose was cooked, so far as the evidence of her faithlessness to George IV went. Just what did the commission investigating her find? The commission conducting the delicate investigation could not overlook the fact that nearly all the servants they had interviewed so far had worked for the Prince before taking up positions with Princess Caroline. When servants who had not been previously employed by the Prince were called to testify, They painted a very different picture. […]
By George! How Far Will the Princess Go?
Last week Mr Al hinted that Princess Caroline went too far in her amorous attentions, acting with no awareness of her position as the future queen. Just what happened, anyway? . . At one time, the Douglas’s lived near the Princess at Blackheath. A home they shared with Rear Admiral Sir Sydney Smith, whom Sir John served under while fighting Bonaparte in the Middle East. The Douglas’s were frequent guests to the Princesses home until she discovered, or so she […]
By George! What Is Caroline Up To?
From what Mr. Al said last week, I get the feeling Princess Caroline was… what did they call it then? A light skirt. In 1801, Princess Caroline moved to Montague House, in London. Even at 4,000 pounds a year, she managed to maintain a full staff and entertain on a regular basis. The Princess had her own ideas about entertaining, however. For example, after dinner, when guests would retire to the drawing room for musical entertainments, Princess Caroline would take […]
By George! The King Just Keeps on Going, and Going, and Going…
What could Mr. Al have been alluding to last week when he said the Prince had shocked the King? Let’s find out. Take it away, Mr. Al. . . As dismaying as it may have been for the King to know that the Prince’s private life was anything but, he most certainly expected the details of his own life to remain private. Imagine then, his shock upon discovering that his correspondence with the Prince on the subject of the Prince’s […]
