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)
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)
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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