The British Monarchy Miscellany
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A feeling of patriotism in Britain at this time meant that George’s popularity surged to great heights for the first time since his accession.
A great patron of arts, he was one of the founders of the Royal Academy of Arts in 1768 and bought many
works of arts for the Royal Collection. He was also a patron of scientists and a supporter of astronomer
William Herschel, the discoverer of the planet Uranus. His reign saw the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in Britain as well advances in science and literature.
He famously suffered from bouts of madness which
are now thought to have been the effects of porphyria.
His first and most famous attack took place in 1788-89, 157
and was followed by shorter attacks in 1801 and 1804.
His final attack of madness in 1810 proved to be
permanent and he spent the last ten years of his life under medical seclusion at Windsor Castle. His functions as monarch from 1811 onwards were taken over by his heir, Prince George, as Prince Regent.
Peculiar Fact:
George had a great interest in farming and in 1787 wrote a series of letters to the Annals of Agriculture magazine under the pseudonym of Ralph Robinson. In them, he
praised a system of husbandry which had greatly
impressed him practiced by a certain Mr Ducket at
Petersham, near London, not far from one of the royal residences at Kew.
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George IV
Reign:
29 January 1820 – 26 June 1830
Birth:
12 August 1762, in St James’ Palace, London. First son of King George III and Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
Queen:
Caroline of Brunswick (1768-1821), daughter of Duke Charles II of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel, and of Princess Augusta of Great Britain, sister of King George III. George IV and Caroline were first cousins.
Death:
26 June 1830, at Windsor Castle.
Key Facts:
Before he became king, George acted as Prince
Regent during his father’s last period of madness from 159
1811 to 1820, bringing the actual length of his rule to 19
years. In contrast to his father, his rule as Regent and King was characterised largely by non-interference, leaving the business of governing in the hands of Prime Ministers and Parliament. The most important events of his time were Napoleon’s final defeat at Waterloo in 1815 and the Catholic Emancipation Bill of 1829.
His first secret marriage to Maria Fitzherbert, when Prince of Wales in 1785, was declared illegal because she was Catholic and they had not sought his father’s consent as required by law. His second marriage to his cousin, Caroline of Brunswick, in 1795 quickly deteriorated into mutual hate and in both leading separate lives. George publicly ostracised Caroline, unsuccessfully tried to have her convicted of adultery once he became king in 1820, and excluded her from his coronation in Westminster Abbey in 1821.
He was one of the greatest art patrons in British
history, and a hoarder of treasures for the Royal
Collection. Renowned for his good taste, George’s
choices of dress and architecture influenced the Regency style, named after his period as Regent. His architectural projects included the building of Buckingham Palace and the Brighton Pavilion, the creation of Regent Street, and the rebuilding of Windsor Castle.
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In 1822 he carried out a very successful visit to
Scotland, the first by a reigning monarch since 1650. The visit, which included an enthusiastic George wearing tartan kilt and meeting with Highland clan chiefs, bound Scotland closer to the monarchy and the Union, whilst at the same time reviving the country’s interest in its history and traditions.
His and Caroline of Brunswick’s only daughter and
heir to the throne, Princess Charlotte, died while giving birth in 1817, leaving George with no descendants and causing his childless brothers to rush into marriages to produce heirs.
Despite his achievements in the arts and Britain’s
increase in world power during his reign, George died as one of the most unpopular monarchs in English history, due largely to his troubled marriage, his affairs with married women, and his extravagant lifestyle. Even The Times proclaimed at his death in 1830: “There never was an individual less regretted by his fellow-creatures than this deceased king.”
Peculiar Fact:
After Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo during his tenure as Prince Regent, George—who had not been there—began to tell stories at dinner parties that 161
he had fought in the battle himself disguised as a German general and that he had led the charge to victory. Some thought he was going mad until people realised that he always told these stories in the presence of the Duke of Wellington, who had led the British army at Waterloo and whom George personally disliked, as a way to annoy him.
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William IV
Reign:
26 June 1830 – 20 June 1837
Birth:
21 August 1765, at Buckingham House, London. Third son of King George III and Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
Queen:
Adelaide of Saxe-Meinengen (1792-1849), daughter of Duke George I of Saxe-Meinengen, Germany.
Death:
20 June 1837, at Windsor Castle.
Key Facts:
An unexpected king, William became the oldest
monarch to ever ascend the throne at the age of 64, a record he currently retains. He did not become heir to 163
the childless George IV until 1827, three years before he became king.
Before he became king he lived with his mistress,
actress Dorothy Jordan, for 20 years in a common law marriage, producing ten illegitimate children whom
William ennobled and provided for after he became king.
He left his mistress in 1811 and finally married in 1818 at the age of 54, but failed to produce any legitimate heirs.
Commonly called the Sailor King because of his
earlier service in the Navy, his previous naval life caused him to retain a sense of informality as king which made him very popular after the extravagant reign of his brother George IV. Famously modest, William abolished the lavish coronation banquet that had previously
followed the coronation ceremony. When in London he lived in modest residences at Clarence House, named after his previous title of Duke of Clarence, from which he sometimes emerged to take walks in the St James’s
neighbourhood.
He was instrumental in helping to pass the Reform
Act of 1832 which widened the voting franchise and
produced a more representative Parliament. Other
reforms passed during his reign included the abolition of child labour in Britain and the abolition of slavery in the 164
British Empire. In 1834 he became the last monarch to personally dismiss a Prime Minister.
Peculiar Fact:
In 1782, during the American War of Independence,
George Washington approved a plan to kidnap William while he was visiting New York City as part of his service in the Royal Navy. The idea of kidnapping one of the sons of King George III was highly thought of as a way to improve the American position at the negotiating table, however plans soon leaked out and security was
increased around the young prince.
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Victoria
Reign:
20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901
Birth:
24 May 1819, in Kensington Palace, London. Only child of Prince Edward Duke of Kent and Princess Victoire of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Granddaughter of King George III.
Prince Consort:
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1819-1861), second son of Duke Ernest of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Germany, who was an uncle of Victoria. She and Prince Albert were first cousins.
&n
bsp; Death:
22 January 1901, at Osborne House, Isle of Wight.
Key Facts:
Victoria was born specifically to provide for the royal succession after the premature death of George IV’s 166
daughter and heir, Princess Charlotte. She was prepared for her future role as Queen from an early age by her mother, after her father died when she was only 8
months old. She ascended the throne four weeks after her 18th birthday.
In 1840 she married Prince Albert, a German first
cousin, whose greatest accomplishments was the Great Exhibition in London in 1851. After his premature death in 1861 Victoria retreated into seclusion and plunged herself into a deep mourning that lasted 15 years. She commemorated her husband’s memory in many ways,
including the erection of the Albert Memorial and the Royal Albert Hall in London.
She and Prince Albert were the creators of the
modern monarchy, founded not on political power but on national symbolism, moral example and patronage of
public causes. Victoria was the first truly constitutional monarch in British history, setting precedents for the crown’s political impartiality, its deference to Parliament, as well as the monarch’s right to be consulted and to advise.
Over her long reign she presided over the largest
expansion of the British Empire in its history, including new territories in Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific, India, Asia, Africa, Canada and the Americas. Under 167
Victoria the British Crown’s possessions covered 20% of the world’s surface and included a quarter of the world population. She was the first British monarch to be proclaimed Empress of India in 1876.
Her reign, rechristened the Victorian age, saw the
greatest social and economic transformation Britain had ever seen, with great advances in technology, science and transportation. By her death, Victoria had become the personification of Britain itself, and of British power around the world.
She was the first monarch to be photographed, to
use the railways, to use a telephone, to use electricity, and to be captured on film. She was the first monarch to live in Buckingham Palace, and after the construction of Balmoral she also became the first monarch to start spending part of the year in Scotland. She popularised the use of anaesthesia in childbirth after she used it to deliver her eight child, Leopold. Together with Prince Albert they also popularised the use of Christmas trees in Britain.
Known as the ‘Grandmother of Europe’, her children
and grandchildren married into European royal families including the royal dynasties of Germany, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Greece and Romania. Her descendants sit on five European thrones today.
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In 1896 she became the longest reigning monarch in
British history, a title she retained until 2015. A year later, she became the first monarch to hold a Diamond Jubilee celebrating 60 years on the throne. At her death in 1901 she was also the longest-lived monarch in British history, a title she retained until 2007.
Peculiar Fact:
In her seventies Victoria learned how to speak and write Urdu, one of the languages spoken by her subjects in India. She was given regular lessons by her Indian private secretary and kept up an Urdu journal until shortly before her death.
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Edward VII
Reign:
22 January 1901 – 6 May 1910
Birth:
9 November 1841, in Buckingham Palace, London. First son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
Queen:
Alexandra of Denmark (1844-1925), daughter of King
Christian IX of Denmark.
Death:
6 May 1910, in Buckingham Palace, London.
Key Facts:
One of the longest-serving Princes of Wales in
history, Edward spent most of his life in the shadow of his mother, Queen Victoria, who refused to let him
participate in royal constitutional duties. As a result, he spent most of his time engaging in pleasurable social 170
activities including gambling, horse racing, parties and frequenting mistresses. As Prince of Wales he was
involved in both a public divorce case and a gambling scandal which undermined his reputation.
He almost died when Prince of Wales in 1871 when
he contracted typhoid but miraculously recovered to great popular relief. He also escaped an assassination attempt whilst visiting Brussels in 1900, and an early death as king in 1902 when he had to have an emergency operation for appendicitis before his coronation.
He proved to be a popular and conscientious king,
working within and refining the limits of constitutional monarchy. His governments used his social skills and royal connections by sending him on state visits to France, Italy and Russia, where he successfully laid down the foundations of new alliances. His successful visit to France in 1903 led to the Entente Cordiale, the first successful alliance between England and France for
centuries.
After the long-term seclusion of his mother, Edward instituted changes to make the monarchy more visible. A lover of spectacle, he revived and adapted many royal ceremonies for the modern age, including the Trooping the Colour ceremony, the state opening of parliament, and the coronation festivities.
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He bought Sandringham House in Norfolk, which
later became a royal winter retreat for his successors. He was the first modern monarch to own a horse racing
stable, and was the first monarch to own and ride in an automobile.
Peculiar Fact:
In 1901 Edward instituted a separate time zone for his royal estate at Sandringham by moving clocks half hour forward of Greenwich Mean Time. This was done initially to allow the king extra time for hunting on the estate on winter evenings, however the practice was later
extended to the whole year and was continued by his successor George V. It was finally abolished in 1936 by Edward VIII.
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George V
Reign:
6 May 1910 – 20 January 1936
Birth:
3 June 1865, at Marlborough House, London. Second son of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra (then Prince and Princess of Wales).
Queen:
Mary of Teck (1867-1953), daughter of Francis, Duke of Teck, and of Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, who was a granddaughter of King George III.
Death:
20 January 1936, at Sandringham House, Norfolk.
Key Facts:
A career naval officer in his youth, George became
heir to the throne unexpectedly after his elder brother Albert Victor died in 1892. He then married his dead 173
brother’s fiancée, Mary of Teck, who later proved to be a formidable Queen. A quiet family man and a
conscientious king, George came to symbolize the values of upright, middle class Britain in the early 20th century.
In 1911 he became the only reigning Emperor of
India to visit the country when he was enthroned in an elaborate ceremony at the Delhi Durbar. He was also the first monarch to ever see Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, in 1901 before he became King.
He provided guidance and unity during the First
World War, and led by example by imposing rations in Buckingham Palace and having members of the Royal
Family involved in the war effort. He visited British troops at the French front numerous times, on one of those times breaking his pelvis when he was thrown off a
spooked horse.
In 1917, during the First World War, he changed the name of the Royal Family from the German-sounding
Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor, and ordered all family members to abandon German titles. He also limited the number of Royal Family members who could call
themselves Prince or Princess, restricting the privilege to the immediate relatives of the monarch.
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George presided over the greatest extent the British Empire ever reached, in the early 1920s, and was deeply devoted to the idea of a diverse empire community
united under one crown. He was the first monarch to address the peoples of his dominions directly by radio, and instituted the Christmas Message broadcast in 1932.
He also oversaw the granting of self-governance, under the British crown, to Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
He acted as constitutional arbiter during the great national and political crises of his reign, including the constitutional reforms of 1911 which took power away from the House of Lords; the demand for Irish Home rule in 1914; the General Strike of 1926; and the Great