The Prince and the Pauper (or Georgie Porgie)

“Georgie Porgie pudding and pie

Kissed the girls and made them cry

When the boys came out to play

Georgie Porgie ran away”

We seem to think that scandals in the British royal family tend to mostly of modern provenance, but this seemingly silly nursery rhyme actually gives an insightful look into the nature of its subject, the oldest of the seven sons of George III, the Prince of Wales and monarch of England from 1820 to 1830. George’s conduct as Prince of Wales and the later behaviour of his bride, Caroline, was the subject of much well-deserved controversy and gossip.

George was a dedicated glutton and drinker, and although svelte in his early years became quite rotund as time went on (hence, “Georgie Porgie pudding and pie…”). He was also a notorious womanizer and a quite successful one too, due to a certain innate charm (“kissed the girls and made them cry…”). His scandalous liaisons cost his long suffering father much money and embarrassment.

The Prince tended to favour women older than himself (perhaps a familial trait in the Princes of Wales). These ladies not only provided physical diversion for the Prince but also became close advisors and confidants, much more so than most of the men in his life (hence, “when the boys came out to play, Georgie Porgie ran away”).

Among his paramours were Mary Hamilton, “Perdita” Robinson and Lady Melbourne. The love of George’s life however was a widow by the name of Mrs. Fitzherbert. As she refused to become his mistress, he married her on December 15th 1785, quite illegally by the conditions of the Royal Marriage act of 1772.

The Prince settled into marital bliss for some years before being tempted away from his wife by the charms of the again older, but attractive Lady Jersey. In 1794 the Court of Privileges declared the marriage illegal and the Prince came to realize the desirability of a more suitable wife (especially in view of his massive debts and his father’s offer to settle them if he married appropriately). Unfortunately his father’s choice of a bride for his oldest son was disastrous.

Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfensbuttel was a Princess in name but a peasant in manner and appearance. George demanded brandy when he first laid eyes on her and for her part she was quoted as saying “the prince’s portrait greatly flatters him”. To be fair, George had sent his mistress, Lady Jersey to greet and prepare the Princess and the jealous woman had dressed and made up the naive Caroline to look more like a woman of ill repute than a person of royal lineage.

The Prince is reputed to have been drunk at his wedding and the couple cohabited only six months, barely long enough to conceive the only legitimate royal heir, before the couple’s permanent split. Unfortunately the infant did not survive its birth, a fact which was to cause a succession crisis years late.

Mrs. Fitzherbert moved back in and Caroline moved to Montague House where she kept herself amused entertaining a string of lovers. Her adulterous behaviour resulted in a commission of inquiry in 1806, the so-called “Delicate Investigation”.

While there was little doubt of her conduct, the Princess nevertheless retained the support of the public. It seemed hypocritical that the Prince should be excused his numerous and much more public affairs while Caroline was condemned for her relatively “discreet” indiscretions.

The common people remained very sympathetic to the Princess and the investigation accomplished little. Nevertheless, about this time George became enamoured of another grandmother, Lady Hertford, the wife of one of the Prince’s advisors and again took her as his mistress.

In 1811 the Prince became Regent when his father’s insanity was declared incurable (evidence too points to porphyria as a probable cause of George III mental problems).

In 1814 Caroline left England for the continent and began a relationship with an Italian named Pergami, who she named her Chamberlain. It was rumoured that during these years she had danced topless at a party in Geneva and engaged in other forms of disreputable behaviour.

When George the III died in 1820, Caroline became Queen Consort and returned to England, despite efforts to dissuade her. Her behaviour became to be subject of review by the House of Lords as the King hoped to be able to obtain a divorce after her affair with Pergami. He failed once again in his attempt but went on to be crowned anyway in 1821. Caroline, though Queen Consort, was not allowed entry to the coronation. As well, by this time, her popularity was waning and she died only a few weeks after her husband’s ascent to the throne.

Paradoxically, George’s popularity began to increase somewhat after he became King. Lady Hertford was replaced by the Marchioness Conyngham, as royal mistress and the King finally began to address himself to affairs of State. In 1818 George met Dr. William Knighton, a physician, who became his closest advisor and confidant, later being named Keeper of the Privy purse. Knighton served the monarch until George’s death in 1830.

Although the King had had a great number of mistresses during his life, on his death he was discovered to be wearing a locket which had belonged to Mrs. Fitzherbert. Who knows how history may have differed had he been allowed to remain married to the true love of his life?

Postscript: In the absence of a royal heir, George’s brother, Edward, the Duke of Kent, left his post in Halifax, along with his mistress, Julie St. Laurent, to marry and father the future Queen Victoria.

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