[1] With his younger brother marrying and producing an heir, George decides not to “marry a foreign noble bride” instead preferring to have his secret wife, Maria Fitzherbert, by his side, his large debt doesnt begin to be paid off until he becomes Prince Regent in 1811.
[2] Upon the death of her father-in-law, George III in 1820, Maria was given the royal title of Marchioness of Brighton, as well as possession of Brighton Pavilion.
Upon the death of her husband, his nephew allowed her to keep her title and land, as well as being able to be referred to as widowed, she was however not allowed the pension of dowager Queen or dowager Princess of Wales.
[3] George V, known privately as the “Honeymoon Prince” being born nine months after his parents wedding and would be their only child as their marriage was not a happy one and the couple officially separated after three years, although Frederica had retired to Oatlands, after George’s birth.
Full name, George Frederick William, he was christened by John Moore, Archbishop of Canterbury in his parents London residence of Dover House. His godparents were his paternal grandfather, King George III, his paternal grandmother, Queen Charlotte, his paternal uncle, George, Prince of Wales, maternal grandfather,
Frederick William II of Prussia (William, Duke of Clarence and St Andrew, stood proxy), maternal aunt,
Frederica Louisa Wilhelmina of Prussia (his paternal aunt, Princess Augusta Sophia, stood proxy) and her husband, William of Orange, later King
William I of the Netherlands, (
William Pitt the Younger, Prime minister, stood proxy.)
George III was delighted at the birth of his first legitimate grandchild and doted on his grandson.
George would grow up in his own household situated within Gunnersbury House in Hounslow, arranged by his grandfather and uncles, brought from Colonel Ironside, who sold it in 1792, the house had previously been owned by Princess Amelia, favourite daughter of George II.
Here George would have his uncle, Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, the only living son of George III, who didn’t pursue an army or navy career, serve as Governor, and Augustus’s liberal views were influential on the young Prince.
A year after his birth his father went back to his military duties, seeing too much of his wife in his son.
Some spoke about him joking the military, however in 1808, 16 year old George was the only legitimate grandchild and heir after his uncle and dad. Instead they began discussing potential brides[4].
At the age of 28, in 1820, Prince George would receive news of his grandfathers death and upon his uncle, becoming George IV, Prince George was given the titles of Duke of Cornwall and Rothsay, Earl of Chester and Carrick and Baron of Renfrew. These were all titles usually share by Prince of Wales, and were given as a sign of him being second in line to the throne.
When his father died in 1827, as well as succeeding to the Dukedom of York and Albany, George IV also created him as gave him the official heir title of Prince of Wales.
He would hold all these titles for three years until his uncles own death in 1830, at 38 year old, he became George V.
[4] Potential Brides:
-
Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen (1792- 1849), OTL wife of King
William IV of the United Kingdom.
-
Ida of of Saxe-Meiningen (1794-1852)
- Princess and Landgravine Marie of Hesse-Kassel (1796-1880)
-
Princess Frederica of Prussia (1796-1850) daughter of Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of Duke of Cumberland.
-
Princess Ida of Waldeck and Pyrmont (26 September 1796 – 12 April 1869)
-
Charlotte Louise of Saxe-Hildburghausen (1794-1825)
-
Princess Caroline of Denmark (1793–1881) Bit of an issue when Denmark allied with Napoleonic France, but her paternal grandmother was
Caroline Matilda of Great Britain.
With countless potential brides wishing to marry the young prince, it became a hot topic amongst the royals and members of Parliament. Some members wished for a home grown duchess to be chosen as bride, but this was shot down with the royalist stating that it needed to be a high nobility.
His mother had hoped for another Prussian match, but George IV wanted a descendant of the Hanovian family.
[5] Through her father, she was a great-granddaughter of George II of Great Britain, her grandmother being George II's daughter Mary.
Her older sister, Marie, was proposed as a potential bride, however when
William I, Elector of Hesse, brought his family and nieces over to Britain for a visit, Prince George found Augusta a much more perfect match than her sister.
They married in September 1817, a month after her sisters own marriage.
The pair would have a happy marriage, last 61 years, she would outlive George by 11 years.