The Fat Adonis and the Injured Queen have Children

Part 1: Tumultuous Union


Many, at the initial few moments of the meeting between George Augustus, Prince of Wales and Caroline of Brunswick thought the two would never even make it to the alter, let alone the marriage bed. Caroline had been tricked into wearing an ugly, ill-fitting dress that made her somewhat larger frame look ludicrously large and unshapely and George was drunk. But, after a few minutes in their own company, something was extremely obvious to everyone in the room. They were attracted to each other.

Caroline of Brunswick was not the usual type that George Augustus was drawn to. She was too large, too loud and too much. He liked a woman he could talk at mostly, not to. But the muchness of Caroline, as he later referred to it in a letter to a close friend, was not the same as other people. When he argued with other people, they either gave up much too easily or were just boring. But Caroline, with her stubbornness and confidence, was the exact type of partner that George had subconsciously been looking for. And her sense of humor, that would be describe as crude and vulgar by many people, including a later more disillusioned George Augustus, was just rowdy enough for the Prince of Wales

George Augustus himself was initially a disappointment to Caroline of Brunswick. Fatter than she had thought, he was not the most handsome of men that she had imagined. But the thing he did have that Caroline found intoxicating was a talent for arguments. As she would write to her sister on the eve of her third child: a good argument gets the blood flowing.

The two, after much discussion and at least three broken glasses, decided to drink before the ceremony. They found that that was also a common interest. Caroline matched her betrothed glass for glass and they stumbled into their own wedding thirty minutes late. After the ceremony was finished, the two withdrew to the bedroom almost immediately, where they consummated their union either three or eight times, depending on who was asked.

The two travelled through England and Scotland in what was a high point of the Prince of Wales’ popularity. Caroline, with her easy nature and innate talent with crowds, won the approval of the public. This led to the all-time height in George Augustus’ reputation, perhaps only exceeded by his birth.

The two returned to London to find, with the confirmation of a midwife, that they were expecting a child. Names were drawn up, with Charlotte for a girl and George for a boy being chosen. The husband and wife duo both bemoaned the state of things, however, as they “…had just begun to enjoy the married state they were in, what a pity…” (excerpt from a letter from Lady Jersey to Maria Fitzherbert). George III, however, was extremely excited at the prospect of a legitimate grandchild from his son and wrote a letter of congratulations. Caroline received advice from Queen Charlotte, who also sent a series of plants that she had cultivated.

Finally, in the morning of January 7th, 1796, Charlotte Augusta of the United Kingdom was born. Due to the general good will that the public had towards the newly married couple and the excitement of a new princess, the streets were filled with celebration for the birth. The couple seemed happy with the Princess and Caroline spoke of the healthiness of little Charlotte.

The two rode through the streets with their infant daughter and were generally seen as affectionate, if distant parents. Charlotte was moved to Montague House while the court of George and Caroline began to get into full swing, with the two of them holding dances and other entertainments at an almost embarrassingly high cost. The only lull with the domestic bliss was the arrival of Maria Fitzherbert, who too rooms away from the Princess of Wales and was generally seen as a back of the house mistress.

During this time, Charlotte Augusta was generally ignored until the daily visit towards the late afternoon Caroline took to ensure her baby was well cared for. She would be inspected, played with for ten or so minutes and returned to her governess while Caroline would return to the parties of her home.

After a little over a year, Caroline found herself pregnant again. The couple almost immediately emptied their home again and began to prepare for their second child. Names were again, with George and Elisabeth being chosen as the two leading candidates. During this time, George spent many weeks away from Carlton House to ostensibly do the business of state, but in actuality he spent many hours with Maria Fitzherbert in a sort of secondary domestic bliss.

The pregnancy went well and on the 17th of February, 1798, the couple welcomes Prince George Augustus, a healthy boy who was immediately placed in Montague House with his elder sister. Charlotte Augusta reacted with jealousy and annoyance to her younger brother, who she found loud and unappealing even at the beginning. The two were, however, placed in different areas of the building and Charlotte quite easily forget her brother unless it was absolutely necessary.

The pregnancy was easier than the previous one and Caroline was out of her bed as soon as it was possible. However, their reintroduced fun and games was almost immediately ended again as they discovered that they were expecting again almost three months after the birth of George Augustus.

George Augustus, Prince of Wales then, as a result of this, took an extended trip to Hanover, which lasted 5 months and left his wife at their home, alone. The distraught Caroline found this quite uncomfortable and was generally lonely during this time, repeatedly bemoaning the fact that her husband had abandoned her at this most wretched time. She write numerous letter to him but, in those five long months, only received two replies, both brief and obviously written in haste.

By the time George returned, bearing gifts for both his wife and children, Caroline had begun a grudge that was the beginning of the end for the marriage. To be left alone for such a long time without consistent contact was unacceptable to her and she made that quite clear. But the two seemed to have settled down by the time Caroline gave birth to William Augustus on March 1st, 1799. The child was, unlike little George Augustus, well received by his sister and seemed to be more delicate than his siblings, due to his smaller frame and less ravenous appetite.

Caroline and George, in what was meant to a reconciliation trip, travelled back through England and Scotland as they did during their honeymoon. However, this caused tensioned between the two as the crowds were less enthusiastic for the prince, instead cheering for Caroline. She, unlike their previous trip, made no effort to get her husband positive attention and instead soaked in the publics cheers.

The two returned to their home in a puff and slept in different rooms, where Caroline began writing pitiful letters to her friends and George played house with Maria Fitzherbert, who found herself almost trapped in the rooms her had provided her.

Caroline spent more time than before with her children, cooing over her sons and playing with little Charlotte, who would recite her letters to various things (i.e. a rose, the sun, a spoon) that would thank them for their beauty and usefulness. Caroline would latter have every one of these letter copied and published in a book that she sent to Charlotte, entitles: The Letters to Everything.

After many months of estrangement, the Prince of Wales and Caroline reconciled enough to begin their parties again, which then led to the final pregnancy of Caroline, which ended in 1801 on the 12th of May with the birth of Elisabeth Augusta. This was, however, the final moment of general domestic peace before the true separation of George Augustus, Prince of Wales and Caroline of Brunswick.

The fight began as most of the couples did. George was planning a party to celebrate his youngest daughter, which was to be Caroline’s reintroduction to the parties that they had become famous for. But he had not shown her the guest list until after the invitations were sent and Caroline found the people he had invited not to be people she wanted to see. It was merely an excuse to fight really. But after a time, they did not die down and remove themselves to the bedroom as the usually did, but instead began to get more vicious. George brought up her hygiene, she brought up his weight. But the clincher was Maria Fitzherbert.

For the entirety of their marriage, Caroline had accepted the Prince’s mistresses. It was quite easy, as they were not in front of her and she ultimately found that he was always going to come back to her. But now, she found out about the past of Maria and George. The secret marriage, the fact she lived in the same house as Caroline did. It was an insult Caroline, for all her coarseness and apparently boundless acceptance of George, was not something she was willing to take. Caroline left Carlton that night, staying overnight in Montague House with her children. The next day she left the country with Elisabeth Augusta and began a journey back to Brunswick.

George was, initially at least, unaware of the kidnapping of his youngest daughter, It took two weeks for him to find out. By that time it was too late and Caroline was very far gone. He resorted to, in the most basic sense, complaining to his father. George III then wrote to Caroline in hopes of calming this storm He received a very long, angry reply in which Caroline bemoaned her husband and their marriage. She announced she wouldn’t return until George had completely given up all other women and would be able to come to her and prove it. She knew this was impossible.

George, Prince of Wales, then returned to Maria Fitzherbert, who tried to leave Carlton House. She felt distraught that her presence and continued relationship with George had led to Caroline leaving and generally found the situation disgraceful. However, the Prince convinced her that it was not her fault and she moved into Caroline’s rooms.

Thus ends the brief, tumultuous union of George Augustus, Prince of Wales and Caroline of Brunswick.


George Augustus, Prince of Wales (b.1762) m. Caroline of Brunswick (b.1768) (a)
1a) Princess Charlotte Augusta of the United Kingdom (b.1796)

2a) George Augustus, Prince of Wales (b.1798)

3a) Prince William Augustus, Duke of York (b.1799)

4a) Princess Elisabeth Augusta of the United Kingdom (b.1801)
 
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Part 2: Rearing the Children

During the scandalous separation of Caroline of Brunswick and the Prince of Wales, many forgot of their children, with the exception of Elisabeth Augusta, who found herself in the centre of the biggest custody battle of the 1800s. But there were four children, all of whom felt the sting of separation in different ways.

Charlotte Augusta was the eldest child and daughter of the royal couple. Born in 1796, she was a healthy babe with big blue eyes and an infectious laugh. Her appearance was described as cherubic in early childhood. But while she seemed delicate, she was a robust child who had a sturdy immune system and ate extremely well.

Charlotte receive the most attention from her parents throughout her childhood. While her siblings lacked memories of their mother from young childhood, she remembered enough to be sure of her place in Caroline’s affections and wrote regularly to her with news of her scholarly achievements (of which there were very few) and creative endeavours (of which there were many).

Her relationship with her father was less stable than the relationship with her mother, as she had less contact with him. Though they lived quite close to each other for most of her childhood until her adolescence, she lacked the emotional pull that she felt towards Caroline. In a letter to her brother William in 1824, she bemoaned the lack of contact with the then King George IV, stating: “….and I miss our father as I miss a statue. He is a gargantuan figure surrounded by fog, not a man…”

She was a good, if not brilliant student and became quite well read by the time she was a young adult. Her tastes were a tad racier than was expected and once book, which she lent her grandmother in an effort to win her approval, was so shocking to the older woman that she was forced to take lessons with a priest for two months in an effort to teach her morality.

But, as the royal family learnt as she grew, Charlotte was very similar to her mother in character. She was not nearly as crude or vulgar, but Charlotte was a rowdy young woman. She enjoyed loud laughter, big meals and just generally found enjoyment in less than ladylike behaviours. One area that she excelled in that pleased her grandmother, however, was her talents in embroidery and other textile arts, which she would continue until circumstances took that pastime from her, later in life.

Her younger brother, the Prince George Augustus, was a similar, but less likable, child. Loud and energetic, the baby George was known for leaving bruises on whoever was unfortunate to hold him. One incident, which became a favourite of the newspapers, ended with the black eyes of two unfortunate nurses who attempted to feed him.

He grew to look very similar to his father, but was also a reminder of his mother to some. His size was indicative of both, and by the age of 13 George stood at 6 ft. and eventually grew to a staggering 7 ft. 2 inches. He was also quite a wide boy, who ate five large meals a day.

He was a smart child, however, and outshone all of his siblings in academic prowess. He wrote essays on the nature of light and came up with numerous plans to strengthen the military and monarchy. But he was not respected enough by either his father or grandfather to do more than write this plans down, as he was seen as a fat, boisterous boy rather than a smart boy.

George Augustus failed to make connections with his mother and father during his childhood, instead he found comfort with his grandmother and nurses. One of those nurses, a woman of almost 40 years of age named Geraldine Smith, became his first lover in 1812 when, at age 14, he was seduced by her. The woman found herself thrown from the royal residence and George, though he tried upon his majority to find her, never spoke or saw her again.

The second son, William Augustus, was the most delicate of the children in both temperament and health. His height, which stood at 5 ft. 3 inches, was made even more disappointing in comparison to his giant of a brother. He was a thin child as well, preferring to eat small meals than the larger ones his siblings enjoyed.

He found companionship with his elder sister, who used him as almost a plaything most of the time. The passive, quiet boy enjoyed these times, which he saw as the happiest times in his childhood. William would fondly remember his sister well into adulthood as a sort of maternal replacement and would perhaps be her biggest supporter during her own trials.

He, from an early age, had a viewed his grandfather as the kindest and most important man in the universe. In a rare letter to his mother, which was written in the wake of a health scare for William, he spoke at length as to the great man that was George III.

His education seemed lacking in comparison to his brother’s, but this should be seen as the result of different goals. George Augustus was raised as a future King, William was raised as a royal spare. His education was less focused on ruling and was broader. What he was good at was agriculture. He was given a garden as a young child and grew enough vegetables that, by the time he was twelve years old he was growing five or six plots.

Finally, the youngest child of the Prince of Wales and Caroline of Brunswick lived a very different life from her siblings. While Charlotte, George and William had childhoods filled with consistency and isolation, Elisabeth Augusta lived a life where she met many people and was generally always moving.

Elisabeth lived about 4 months in England. She then spent her entire childhood in the care of her mother and her governess Mistress Catherine Willis, a woman Caroline hired to ensure she didn’t have to do the hard part of parenting. It was not a perfect situation for an infant, but Elisabeth would look fondly back to her early childhood.

The first place they visited was Brunswick, where they took sanctuary with Caroline’s father for over two years. The old man enjoyed the company of his daughter and was quite happy to have his granddaughter with him. However, his wife Augusta found the arrival of her daughter a dangerous nuisance. Her brother, George III, began to hound her with letters to get her help in returning the young Princess Elisabeth back home, but Augusta acted with ignorance and pleas of old age and lack of influence.

The young Elisabeth spent her time playing with her grandmother and grandfather. She was lonely for a time, lacking young children to play with, until the young Charles of Brunswick was born and she became attached to the infant boy.

After a time, it became obvious that Charles William, Duke of Brunswick, was dying. He offered his daughter two options in the wake of this. Stay in Brunswick and potentially risk being sent back to England by Caroline’s brother, who was a friend of her husband’s. Or, to keep herself away from that potential, she could leave now. He offered them a ship and enough money to buy a good home somewhere. Caroline took the second option.

And so Elisabeth Augusta left Brunswick for Italy, where her mother bought a house, Villa d’Este, where she settled down for a time. Caroline referred to the place as Nuova Villa d'Este and had the gardens reshaped into an English style.

Elisabeth’s life during this time was more structured than her life at Brunswick. She had a nurse, a governess and other staff to order her life. She spent some time with her mother and, until they moved again in 1812, she was a very happy girl.

In appearance, the young Princess grew into a singularly attractive woman. She had very long, thick hair that reached the small of her back by the time she was aged 10 and her eyes were said to be a stunning blue. She was quite tall but slender in a way her mother was not. But while she seemed more delicate than her mother in appearance, her character was quite similar.

Elisabeth Augusta had talent for bawdy humor that managed to be uncomfortably funny. Her jokes were quick and many people found themselves confused as to the reason they laughed at such language. But she never failed to gain a laugh.

In terms of education, Elisabeth was an odd child. In a way she had a similar education to her elder sister in England, in which was she taught many things but never excelled in any of them. But while Charlotte was taught how to act like a ‘proper’ lady, Elisabeth was learning the art of social interactions. She spent many hours learning how to be funny, how to stand out. Her mother taught her jokes, other woman showed her, without realizing it, seduction.

By 1812, Italy seemed boring to Caroline. The 8 years they had spent there had been good, but Caroline wanted more. She wanted excitement. More importantly, she wanted romance. It had been ten years since she had seen her husband and the men in Italy seemed not to be interested in courting her like she wanted.

So Elisabeth moved again, this time to the Prussian Court, which was where she met Frederick William, heir to the throne after his father. A handsome young man, he did not immediately feel the same attraction to the eleven year old girl in his presence.

They stayed in the Prussian Court for three years, in which Caroline was rumored to have ‘befriended’ between two and twenty-one men. She, however, refused to allow such slander and was adamant the only man to ever now her in that way was her husband. But her flirtations spoke otherwise.

After so many years at the court, Elisabeth had bloomed into a shapely, pretty young woman with a quick wit. Her jokes were less bawdy but just as effective as they had been in her childhood. And she had captured the attentions of the man she wanted, Frederick William.

However, there was one fatal flaw in her plan. An English Princess, even one who had not stepped foot in the country since birth, had to have permission of the sovereign to marry.
 
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Part 3: Reunited

Charlotte Augusta found herself in an odd position in 1815. Her younger sister, who she hadn’t seen for the past 14 years, was suddenly an important person to her life. Her mother, who she remembered fondly, was actually coming to England and her father, who she rarely saw, was bringing all the royal children to London for the meeting.

She had spent much time stuck with the royal spinsters, the daughters of George III who had been forced into a life of celibacy. In that time her embroidery skills had gotten better and she had attempted to run away six times. Her grandmother was very hurt by this but, after over a year of talks about botany and the best colours for embroidering a fig tree, she couldn’t care less.

In preparation for the arrival of Caroline of Brunswick and Elisabeth Augusta of the United Kingdom, Charlotte was given a new wardrobe. She was surrounded in silks and velvets as she was fitted like a true royal princess for once. One dress that she was later painted in was made of blue and red velvet and was cut, in her opinion, almost scandalously low on her chest.

She came to court with high expectations but, upon reuniting with her insolent younger brother George and the sweet, tiny William, she found herself less enthused. If they were so unappealing, what hope did Elisabeth have?

But the meeting between Caroline of Brunswick, Elisabeth Augusta and the family they left behind was somewhat of a success. To begin with, neither George nor Caroline were drunk. It had taken both of them some effort, but they knew that what was going to happen was extremely important. George wanted full control of his daughter again, which would let him have more opportunities for political intrigue. Caroline wanted something much simpler. Despite her extremely selfish personality, she wanted to do this for her daughter. If Elisabeth, the girl she had raised, could be happy, she would feel proud. And Elisabeth was in love with Frederick William.

Charlotte found her sister different to her expectations. The woman in her life were old and had lived sad lives. Her grandmother was struggling with her husband’s death, her aunts were coming to grips with being too old to find husbands. She was the only young woman in the household she was forced into. So, perhaps hoping for a companion, Charlotte had expected a woman in a similarly distressing situation, perhaps even more so. The Princess hoped her sister would be an ally, someone who shared experiences with her.

However, the 19 year old found that her 14 year old sister was more adult than she was. She was cultured and mature in a way Charlotte could only envy. She wore her silk dress with ease, showing more skin than Charlotte thought was possible for a Princess, let alone appropriate. But, to Charlotte’s dismay, men looked upon Elisabeth with obvious appreciation. Her charm was evident.

Charlotte found her mother very different now as well. Caroline, in Charlotte’s mind, was a loud but kind woman. She had laughed at her daughter’s letters, sent toys from Italy once or twice. In Charlotte’s mind her mother was still young.

But Caroline of Brunswick was no longer the woman of 34, youth still in her cheeks as she escaped the country with her infant daughter. She was no longer still pretty and girlish. No, the 47 year old Caroline was a bloated, red-faced woman with a cough and a wig. Her figure had moved from voluptuous to just heavy. Her eyes were yellowing. Her hair was thin and greying under her wig.

George, Prince of Wales saw all this but still felt a pang in his heart. His wife, for all their enmity through those 14 years, was still who she was. He was a bitter man, but also a romantic. So, as he greeted his wife and daughter, he attempted to embrace them both.

Caroline returned the embrace, but then stepped back from him. She wasn’t willing to rejoin him as his wife at that moment, but she did not humiliate him at this point. Elisabeth responded in kind and the two greeted him as the Regnant he was.

George Augustus found the reunion with his mother and sister quite anti-climactic. His mother was a red-faced loud mouth and his sister was a pink-faced loud mouth, at least in his opinion. The Prince found them both unappealing and simply kept back. One person who he did find appealing, however, was a certain German Princess who had arrived with them. Marie of Württemberg stood behind his sister.

William, meanwhile, was not as unimpressed as his brother. His mother seemed a loud, yet ultimately good woman to him and he liked his younger sister, though the fact she was taller than him was a disappointment. He wrote in a personal journal that his mother and sister were welcome to him.

The meeting ended with the formal request that Elisabeth be betrothed to Frederick William of Prussia. And the answer was yes, just as soon as Charlotte was married.
 
Part 4: Three Weddings and a Funeral (b.1816-1819)

The betrothals for the royal children of England had always been coming in. Charlotte had been wooed by Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, who promised her a life of freedom and love. But she found that dream ruined when, while looking for something in the gardens, she found her favorite aunt, Princess Sophia, in the arms of Leopold at the back of the garden. With that small, unfortunate encounter the budding relationship between Charlotte and Leopold died.

Charlotte then was given an option that she hadn’t thought of but her father had been pushing behind the scenes for a time. She was introduced to William, Prince of Orange and immediately found him disagreeable. The young man she met was coarse and overly proud. He was also rich enough to but her gifts that made him seem less disagreeable.

Caroline of Brunswick leaves for Italy again, ready to enjoy a round of ‘welcome back’ parties. It was a disappointment to George, Prince of Wales and to her children, but Caroline had done her one good deed for the time and was quite happy to leave. She left many people in her escort, including Marie of Württemberg, who continued to be courted by George Augustus. The two were married early in 1817 and had their first child, a daughter named Sophie, in January of 1818. That babe unfortunately died a year and a half later, but was closely followed by George Henry and Mary Elizabeth.

The wedding was set for the 16th of November, 1817 and Charlotte was given a dowry that $200,000. She had a gown made that cost $10,000 and was given a lifetime allowance of $8,000 a year. She had her younger sister as a bridesmaid. The bride welcomed her first child on the 8th of December, a boy that is named William for his father. A year later, on the 30th of November, her second son Alexander was born.

After the wedding, the betrothal of Elisabeth Augusta and Frederick William was put in place and they were married in 1818, though they did not immediately become pregnant.

During this fluster of activity and birth, Caroline of Brunswick found herself growing sicker and sicker in Italy. It seemed that the woman had overdone it when she had returned to Italy and was suffering from extreme indigestion. But after a month in bed, it was obvious that Caroline was not going to do well. Finally, on the 15th of September, 1819, Caroline of Brunswick, Princess of Wales, died in her sleep.

Her corpse was brought to England and Caroline of Brunswick was buried in a ceremony befitting a Princess of Wales. George, Prince of Wales was said to have had a letter placed in her grave, which held an apology for his terrible behavior throughout their marriage. The Prince, however, was also relieved that such a scandalous wife was no longer there to be outrageous and instead could be remembered as a popular figure in the United Kingdom.

After the funeral of Caroline of Brunswick, her various children left for their residences and countries to raise their families. Only William stayed with his father, and acted as a companion and a friend, helping the Prince of Wales through his grief and then introduced him to the actress Patricia Carey, who became his mistress.

George IV of the United Kingdom (b.1762) m. Caroline of Brunswick (b.1768: d.1819) (a)
1a) Princess Charlotte Augusta of the United Kingdom (b.1796) m. William, Prince of Orange (b.1792) (a)
1a) Prince William George Arthur Casimir of the Netherlands (b.1818)

2a) Prince Alexander Augustus Frederick of the Netherlands (b.1819)

2a) George Augustus, Prince of Wales (b.1798) m. Marie of Württemberg (b.1799) (a)
1a) Princess Sophie Augusta of Wales (b.1818: d.1819)

2a) George Henry of Wales (b.1818)

3a) Princess Mary Elizabeth of Wales (b.1819)

3a) Prince William Augustus, Duke of York (b.1799)

4a) Princess Elisabeth Augusta of the United Kingdom (b.1801) m. Frederick William IV of Prussia (b.1795) (a)

 
Prinny's elder son by Caroline's 7 foot 2?! How? Prinny himself was only 5 foot 2 and Caroline was his own first cousin so unless there was some pituitary injury, I don't see how the boy could have grown that big!
If that WAS the case, though, they'd have had to have built him a house of his own because he'd be forever hitting his head and having to duck beneath conventional doorways even in the palaces- to say nothing of being too tall for ordinary furniture. At least being a Royal he would have had ALL his clothes and shoes custom made anyway, though.
 
Prinny's elder son by Caroline's 7 foot 2?! How? Prinny himself was only 5 foot 2 and Caroline was his own first cousin so unless there was some pituitary injury, I don't see how the boy could have grown that big!
If that WAS the case, though, they'd have had to have built him a house of his own because he'd be forever hitting his head and having to duck beneath conventional doorways even in the palaces- to say nothing of being too tall for ordinary furniture. At least being a Royal he would have had ALL his clothes and shoes custom made anyway, though.

It was a sort of medical accident. His siblings all range from 5ft 3 inches (William) to 5ft 6 inches (Elisabeth) to 5ft 7.5 inches. They're all quite confused at his height and rumours hound him about the possibility of bastardry, particularly after the scandals that Caroline of Brunswick. He's beginning to get back problems due to his massive height and the constant hunching that he has to do, on top of the massive weight problems he has. He's a sturdy man though.
 
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