Lord Alvanley, William Ardeme (1789 – 1849) was the 2nd Baron Alvanley. His father was Attorney General for Great Britain and was named 1st Baron Alvanley. He was a popular member of Prinny’s set who was known for his wit. He was a friend of Beau Brummel and rivaled him in his dress. He was a fine host who was known to serve apricot tart at every meal. He was a popular member of White’s and Waiter’s Club and a host of the ball where Brummel famously insulted Prinny (“Alvanley, who’s your fat friend?”) Prinny gave Beau the cut direct which ended his reign over London society. Alvanley was one of the few who sent funds to Beau after he went into exile. In later years, Alvanley bankrupted himself with his extravagance. His estates were sold for debt and he was forced to survive on an officer’s half-pay. He never married or fathered children. His title was inherited by his brother when he died in 1849.
Prinny’s Set: Lord Alvanley
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Prinny’s Set: Charles Howard, the 11th Duke of Norfolk
Charles Howard, the 11th Duke of Norfolk (1746 – 1815), was a friend of the Prince Regent. The Dukedom also carried with it the hereditary office Earl Marshal of England but he was better known as the Drunken Duke. He was also the Dirty Duke who so hated bathing that his servants waited until he was passed out drunk before attempting to wash him. He was the lord of Arundel Castle which he reconstructed in 1815 for £600,000.
Norfolk could eat several pounds of steak at one meal. He was the leader of the Beef-steak Society which was established to honor English cuisine above French. The 24 members of the exclusive Society could bring a friend to the Saturday evening meeting in Covent Garden then, later, Bedford Coffee House. Prinny was admitted as a 25th member.
Tomorrow, More of Prinny’s Set. Rita Bay
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The Sad Story of a Princess
Princess Charlotte, the only child of Prince George (George IV – Prinny) and Princess Caroline, was born in 1796. Until her death in childbirth in 1817 at 21 years old, she was the heir to the British throne. Her father arranged for her to be raised with only occasional visits from her mother whom he hated. Since Prinny was did not pay close attention to her upbringing, the servants allowed the child additional visits with her mother. She was reported to be happy and something of a tomboy, if isolated and not very studious. She was moved from Carleton House so her father could conduct his affairs unencumbered.
In her teens, Charlotte was considered undignified. Without her overbearing father’s knowledge, she pursued attachments that were inappropriate. She defied her father’s ultimatum that she would marry his choice, the heir to the Prince of Orange. She held out for marriage to Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, a lieutenant-general in the Russian cavalry who was ineligible as a husband. Charlotte ran away to her mother’s home to end her engagement to the Prince of Orange. Her father confined her but she had the English people, some politicians, and her family members to support her. Her mother left the country, never to return until after Charlotte’s death.
Prinny relented and their marriage took place in 1815. The couple was very happy and her pregnancy following a miscarriage was welcomed by the British people. After a normal pregnancy, Charlotte went into labor for three days before delivering a large, stillborn male. During the evening, Charlotte started complaining of cramping, she died shortly after. Leo was devastated. Her physician committed suicide. The public went into deep mourning for the popular Princess who would have been their queen. Worse yet, she was the only legitimate grandchild of the King George III who had 15 children. Eventually, King George’s fourth son, Edward, married and fathered Queen Victoria.
Tomorrow, Prinny’s Friends Rita Bay
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The Trials & Tribulations of Princess Caroline
Prince George of Britain was reluctant to marry to father heirs to the British throne, especially since he was sort of married to Maria Herbert. But his debts were high and his family and Parliament were determined. Following negotiations, the King and government agreed to settle his debts and increase his allowance when he married his first cousin, Princess Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.
In 1795 the two married and the marriage was off to a rocky start from their wedding day and night. Prinny who demanded brandy at their first meeting claimed that he had barely managed to consummate the marriage. Caroline who was disillusioned that the soft and flabby Prince looked nothing like his portrait claimed that the he was so drunk that he collapsed and spent the night beside the fireplace. Prinny was disgusted by his wife’s poor manners and hygiene. Caroline who was 27 when they married evidently did not see a need to change clothes or wash often. Regardless, nine months later Princess Caroline delivered a baby, Princess Charlotte. The royal couple, however, separated permanently after the child’s birth.
Caroline in her new home flaunted her unconventional and ribald tastes. She spoke her mind to everyone and surrounded herself with people of questionable morality. Eventually she was no longer accepted in polite society, especially after she was suspected of bearing a bastard son. Prinny limited her access to her daughter to once a week under supervision. After George became Regent in 1814, for an annuity of £35,000 she left England for the Continent. On her trek through Germany,Switzerland, and Italy, her risque behavior and youthful dress (despite being middle-aged and obese) was reported by English spies. Worst of all, she began an extended affair with Bartolomeo Pergami, a handsome ex-soldier who was her chamberlain.
On the death of George III, Caroline returned to England (minus Pergami) to claim her rights as Queen. King George IV (Prinny) was determined to divorce her. He was so unpopular that the people supported Caroline and the bill of divorce had to be withdrawn. Prinny did, however, manage to keep her from attending his coronation. Caroline was turned away at every door to Westminster Abbey. She returned home that night, became ill, and died three weeks later. She was 53. She was returned to her homeland for burial. Tomorrow, A Princess’s Sad Story RitaBay
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Prinny’s Secret Wife
Maria Anne Smythe was born in 1756. She was 18 at her first marriage which lasted only three months. She was left destitute because her husband who was sixteen years her senior had not signed his new will and his family failed to provide for her. Her second husband, Thomas Fitzherbert, lasted three years, but Maria had learned and there was both money and a home in Mayfair, London. The twice-widowed beauty entered London society where she caught the eye of Prince George, the heir to the British throne.
The Prince fell madly in love when he first saw her at the opera house. He pursued her relentlessly, demanding that she receive invitations to parties and be seated next to him. She refused him until he attempted suicide. She agreed to marry him and in 1785 they were married at her home by the Prince’s chaplain. The marriage had two legal problems, however. Maria was a twice-widowed Catholic and they had failed to obtain permission to marry. The Royal Marriage Act of 1772 required prior approval by the King and Privy Council. The Act of Settlement would have removed George from the succession for marrying a Catholic.
They moved in highest circles of British society and appeared to be very happy. But heirs to the throne must beget more heirs to the throne and debts must be paid. George bargained to have £600,000 of his debt paid by the Crown and Parliament on the wedding day. In 1794 Maria received a letter informing her that their relationship was over. The following year George entered into disastrous marriage with his first cousin, Caroline of Brunswick. The following year, a few days after the birth of his daughter, Princess Charlotte, he wrote his will leaving everything to Maria – “the wife of my heart and soul.” Years later, they reconciled and were together until their final break when the George became Regent. After the final separation, Maria received £5000 annually until her death. She, of course, had letters and documents to prove their relationship.
Despite the break, on his deathbed George placed her get well card under his head. At his request, he was buried with her miniature around his neck. In his private papers, his family found all the letters that they had exchanged. It was rumored that Maria had at least two children by George who may have had a couple of dozen spread among his many mistresses. Maria moved to Brighton and lived there until her death in 1837 at 80.
Tomorrow, The Trials & Tribulations of Princess Caroline. Rita Bay
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The Chocolate & Roses Blog Hop
Congratulations to Camile Carson who won $5 in BookStrand Bucks. Rita
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Prinny: The Prince Regent
George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) the oldest son of George III served as Prince Regent during his father’s relapse int
o mental illness from 1811 until his accession. For most of his life he had a poor relationship with his father and mother. His relationship with his wife, Caroline of Brunswick, was even worse but more on that another day.
Prior to becoming Regent, his extravagant lifestyle offended his parents and the British people. It only got worse. A period encompassing several decades was named after him – The Regency. He was a patron of new forms of leisure, style and taste. He was instrumental in building the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, remodelled Buckingham Palace, rebuilt Windsor, and founded the National Gallery and King’s College in London.
He was called “the First Gentleman of England,” but his poor family relations, his dissolute lifestyle, his unsanctioned first marriage and extravagance angered the British people. He did not provide leadership during the Napoleonic Wars but relied on Lord Liverpool, the Prime Minister. His decisions were influenced by friends and sycophants. Parliament could only control his behavior through the purse strings. The pictures illustrate the weight gain that only increased over the years.
May 5th - 9th The Chocolate and Roses Blog Hop. On May 10th, Prinny’s Wives. Rita Bay
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The Mad King
King George III, King of Great Britain and Hanover, was born in 1738. Since his father was deceased, was heir to the British throne when his grandfather died in 1760. He was the first of the Hanover kings to be born in England and to speak English as his first language. He lived the longest (81) and reigned the longest of any British monarch until Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II.
In 1761 George married Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Two weeks later they were crowned king and queen of England at Westminster. Although they met on their wedding day, they were happily married. George never took a mistress, unlike the rest of his family. They had fifteen children. George bought Buckingham House for his family’s retreat.
His reign was marked by strife and war – the Seven Years’ War, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution followed by war with Napoleon. His personal life was a concern to the nation. There were various conflicts with his children, often involving profligate life styles. He was afflicted with recurrent mental health problems which developed into permanent dementia by 1810. His eldest son, George, Prince of Wales, served as Prince Regent until his father’s death in 1819.
Tomorrow, Prinny. Rita Bay
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The British Regency
This month we’re celebrating the British Regency – the period of my recently-released debut novel, His Obsession and the upcoming release of the sequel, His Desire, on May 24th. The British Regency era technically covers the period between 1811 and 1820. When King George III could no longer rule because of poor health, his son and heir George was named the Prince Regent. He assumed the British throne in 1820 on the death of his father. More often, the period is extended from 1795 until 1837 when King William IV (George’s younger brother and heir) died and a new era was ushered in with the accession of QueenVictoria.
The British Regency period was one of upheaval. The French Revolution resulted in the deposition and execution of the King of France. Thousands of the nobility and their associates and servants were imprisoned, guillotined, or exiled. The rise of a short-lived democratic rule which gave way to the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte as Emperor of France.
In Britain, the powdered wigs and panniers were replaced by short, curly hair and high-waisted and low-cut dresses influenced by French fashion. The change of clothing was even more marked for men. But more on clothing later. This was a period of excess led by the Prince Regent’s taste for the expensive. The plight of women working in mills and children laboring in the mines produced unrest among the British poor. Periodic riots had the some of the wealthy looking over their shoulders or across the Channel determined that their heads would not to be the next to roll while others campaigned for human rights. Tomorrow, Farmer George. Rita Bay
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