Prince Of Pleasure: The Prince of Wales and the Making of the Regency

by SaulDavid (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  1999

  $3.27

  Described by the Duke of Wellington as 'the most extraordinary compound of talent, wit, buffoonery, obstinacy and good feeling that I ever saw in one character in my life', George Augustus Frederick, Prince of Wales, later George IV, was a highly controversial figure. He courted both Whigs and Tories in his attempts to establish the Regency during the 'madness' of his father, George III. Scandalous liaisons with prostitutes and duchesses, and his 'secret' marriage to the Catholic Mrs Fitzherbert, tested his duty - to nation and to family. Yet his support for overseas campaigns against Napoleon, culminating in such historic victories as Trafalgar and Waterloo, consolidated Britain's status as the pre-eminent world power amid the great social and economic upheavals of the Industrial Revolution. Drawing on a wealth of original accounts of life in Georgian Britain, Saul David has created a masterly portrait - of a flamboyant, opportunistic and influential figure, and of a nation in a time of great change.

• Used

  Hardcover
  1998

  $3.27

  This biography places George IV within the context of his time, incorporating details of topics such as Britain's political system, diplomacy, industry and agriculture. George was both a womanizer and a patron of the arts; his scandalous liaisons- from involvements with prostitutes to the dissolved marriage to Mrs Maria Fitzherbert - were the talk of the nation. The scandal culminated with his continuing feud with his wife, Queen Caroline, whom he deserted after just three nights and whom he attempted to have charged with adultery in the high court. The other side of his dissolute nature is that he was one of the most cultured monarchs ever to sit on the British throne, and did much to encourage the Royal Academy, to whom he donated works of art. The book analyzes this apparent disparity by dissecting George's unhappy relationship with his parents, and argues that his debauched life-style was a reaction to their ascetic example. It also draws comparisons with the present heir to the throne.