George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV of the United Kingdom (1762-1830), King of Great Britain and Ire-land; previously prince regent (1811-20) during the in-sanity of his father George III. He is quoted as saying that he had become “rather too fond of women and wine” before the age of 17. After a succession of mistresses, he met Maria Fitzherbert, a beautiful Catholic widow, whom he secretly married in 1785. This marriage was invalid, lacking the king’s consent, and George married Princess Caroline of Brunswick in 1795 (in return for a settlement of his debts). They separated the following year. On his accession to the throne in 1820 he attempted to divorce Caroline, but as public sympathy was firmly with her he abandoned his project for fear of civil unrest.
“This delightful, blissful, wise, pleasurable, honourable, virtuous, true and immortal Prince was a violator of his word, a libertine over head and ears in debt and disgrace, a despiser of domestic ties, the companion of gamblers and demireps, a man who has just closed half a century without one single claim on the gratitude of his country or the respect of posterity. Leigh Hunt on the Prince Regent, the Examiner 22 March 1812. For writing this piece Hunt was imprisoned for two years.”
