“Kings can do everything”: the amorous adventures of princes George and Edward
Royal mistress often played an important role in the history of different countries. Russian service Bi-bi-si talks about women and men who did not wear a crown, but left a noticeable trace in the life of Britain. The third part is about the two princes, famous for his adventures before his accession to the throne.
Part three: on both sides from Victoria, or the Playful Prince.
After the Stuarts, who in historical perspective stayed on the British throne not too long, the highest post in the Kingdom went to Hanover.
The fact that the first of them was thoroughly German, English to speak and never learned, and even his mistress moved to a new country, had no consequence at all, because he had a major advantage: he was a Protestant.
The first three kings of this dynasty — it’s funny that they all called Georgian, in the alcove cases were rather modest.
George I divorced his wife, accusing her of adultery and imprisoned ex-wife in one of the German castles. The Queen of Britain she did not, although her son became George II.
He, in turn, became famous when he was the last British king, who personally led his troops into battle. It was in göttingen battle in 1743, during the war of the Austrian succession.
The share of George III’s many conflicts, including the seven years ‘ war with France and the war for independence of North American colonies. In addition, in the last years of his life he suffered from mental illness, which as now believe, was one of the symptoms of porphyria.
Many of his brothers managed to marry not suitable women, so in his reign and was adopted the Law on Royal marriages, under which all descendants of George II could not marry without the consent of the monarch.
By the way, why Prince William asked permission of the Queen to marry Kate Middleton.
But after that in the Royal bedchamber again became fun.
George IV, Not the king, not quite a normal king
We can say that the future king George is not too lucky. When his father was officially recognized as insane, he seems to have been admitted to power, but the king did not and for nine years was content with the role of Prince Regent.
At that time the Royal power in Britain was already quite limited, and poor George had absolutely nothing to do but to invent new styles of clothing, playing cards and build extravagant buildings such as the Royal pavilion in Brighton.
Women, as you know, also accounted for most of the available Prince entertainment.
Secret wife for life
In 1784 22-year-old Prince was presented to the lady by the name of Mary Fitzherbert. She was, at first, six years older, and secondly, already twice a widow.
George completely lost his head and followed her until she agreed to marry him. It is not clear why would he do that, given that without the consent of the king, this marriage was not considered valid. And if consent was obtained, young George would fall out automatically from among the heirs, as Mary was Catholic, and after James II in Britain, a law was passed that no heir to the throne, nor the spouse cannot be Catholics.
Both sides knew that this “marriage” is not marriage, but lived in love and harmony until, until the Prince fell into a most unpleasant situation: he has accumulated a debt of 600 thousand pounds, which by today’s standards in excess of 35 million.
The king and Parliament agreed to pay his debts, but under one condition: he must cease to pretend to be married to his Mary, and to marry the woman who can give the country an heir.
To do was really nothing, and the Prince dutifully wrote Mary a letter saying that things were over between them, and married Caroline of Brunswick.
The love between them was not one child but they still was able to give birth, and then quickly broke up.
But forget Mary Prince Regent and then king, and could not, and asked to be buried with her portrait. Which was done.
Lady Jersey, or a sexy grandma
In the so-called “Regency period” in the higher British society was marked by two women who wore the title. The more famous and influential was Sarah childs, known for her love of chatter “silence”, but the attention and the bed of the Prince was rewarded with her mother — in-law Francis.
With George she met in 1793, when she was already 40 years old, and she was the mother of ten children and even a grandmother. The Prince was not the first adultery of a prolific noblewoman.
Less than a year after meeting, as she was able (temporarily) to take the place of Mary Fitzherbert. She has used all of his influence on the heir to the throne, to convince him to marry Carolina Brainswash.
King George III belonged to my lady Jersey without much sympathy, she was friends with Queen Charlotte, and the opinion of the king wasn’t interested. She’s an iron hand ran personal and secular Affairs of the Prince almost 10 years, and his “official” mistress, until she was dismissed from the occupied positions of lady Hertford.
By the way, all this time she remained officially married, and manners at that time were such that no one was surprised.
The adulteress, the prostitute, the heroine
Grace Elliot is the only mistress of George IV, whose life was much more interesting and fuller than his own.