Changes

==Life==

==Life==

Born in London on August 12, 1762 as George Augustus Frederick, he was the eldest son of King [[George III]] and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. At the age of 18 he was given a separate establishment, and in dramatic contrast with his prosaic, scandal-free father threw himself with zest into a life of dissipation and wild extravagance involving heavy drinking and numerous mistresses and escapades. He was a witty conversationalist, drunk or sober, and showed good, but expensive taste, in decorating his palace. On turning 21 he received  £60,000 and £62,000 annually, not enough enough for his needs. (The stables alone cost £31,000 a year.)  By 1795 he was £630,000 pounds in debt, but Parliament covered it.<ref>Marilyn Morris, "Princely Debt, Public Credit, and Commercial Values in Late Georgian Britain." ''Journal of British Studies'' 2004 43(3): 339-365. Issn: 0021-9371 Fulltext: [[Ebsco]]</ref>  

Born in London on August 12, 1762 as George Augustus Frederick, he was the eldest son of King [[George III]] and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. At the age of 18 he was given a separate establishment, and in dramatic contrast with his prosaic, scandal-free father threw himself with zest into a life of dissipation and wild extravagance involving heavy drinking and numerous mistresses and escapades. He was a witty conversationalist, drunk or sober, and showed good, but expensive taste, in decorating his palace. On turning 21 he received  £60,000 and £62,000 annually, not enough enough for his needs. (The stables alone cost £31,000 a year.)  By 1795 he was £630,000 in debt, but Parliament covered it.<ref>Marilyn Morris, "Princely Debt, Public Credit, and Commercial Values in Late Georgian Britain." ''Journal of British Studies'' 2004 43(3): 339-365. Issn: 0021-9371 Fulltext: [[Ebsco]]</ref>  

George attached himself to [[Charles James Fox]] and the [[Whig Party, Britain|Whigs]] in opposition to his father's Tory ministers. In 1785 Prince George secretly married Mrs. Maria Fitzherbert, a beautiful young widow who was a Roman Catholic. The law of 1701 stipulated that anyone who married a Catholic forfeited his right to the throne. The Prince had a loophole, for a 1772 law his marriage was illegal, since it did not have the king's consent. Mrs. Fitzherbert regarded herself as his wife in the eyes of his church and in her own eyes. She was recognized by all, including the king, as the best influence on George's life.

George attached himself to [[Charles James Fox]] and the [[Whig Party, Britain|Whigs]] in opposition to his father's Tory ministers. In 1785 Prince George secretly married Mrs. Maria Fitzherbert, a beautiful young widow who was a Roman Catholic. The law of 1701 stipulated that anyone who married a Catholic forfeited his right to the throne. The Prince had a loophole, for a 1772 law his marriage was illegal, since it did not have the king's consent. Mrs. Fitzherbert regarded herself as his wife in the eyes of his church and in her own eyes. She was recognized by all, including the king, as the best influence on George's life.

In 1795 a real marriage was arranged with Princess Caroline ((1768-1821), daughter of the Duke of Brunswick and of George III's sister Augusta. George consented to this dynastic necessity in return for yet another grant from Parliament for the payment of his debts. She rejected his request to bring along his latest mistress, Lady Jersey, on the honeymoon. This loveless marriage of an unstable profligate to a giddy woman turned out poorly, with 25 years of bitterness and public dissension, even though they separated after the birth of their only child, Princess Charlotte, in 1796.

In 1795 a real marriage was arranged with Princess Caroline ((1768-1821), daughter of the Duke of Brunswick and of George III's sister Augusta. George consented to this dynastic necessity in return for yet another grant from Parliament for the payment of his debts. She rejected his request to bring along his latest mistress, Lady Jersey, on the honeymoon. This loveless marriage of an unstable profligate to a giddy woman turned out poorly, with 25 years of bitterness and public dissension, even though they separated after the birth of their only child, Princess Charlotte, in 1796.

==Regent and King==

==Regent and King==

The Prince drifted away from the Whigs after Fox died in 1806, and when he became regent in 1811 for his insane father, he refused to dismiss the Tory prime minister, Spencer Perceval, and did not bring in the Whigs.  In 1812 he broke with the Whigs and retained his father's Tory ministers. The decision was politically wise, for the Whigs were unenthusiastic about the prolonged war with [[Napoleon]], and their support for Catholic Emancipation was unacceptable to the Protestant establishment. By contrast the Tories, under the leadership of [[Lord Liverpool]] (1812-1827), remained entrenched in power throughout the regency and George’s subsequent reign.  

The Prince drifted away from the Whigs after Fox died in 1806, and when he became regent in 1811 for his insane father, he refused to dismiss the Tory prime minister, Spencer Perceval, and did not bring in the Whigs.  In 1812 he broke with the Whigs and retained his father's Tory ministers. The decision was politically wise, for the Whigs were unenthusiastic about the prolonged war with [[Napoleon]], and their support for Catholic Emancipation was unacceptable to the Protestant establishment. By contrast the Tories, under the leadership of [[Lord Liverpool]] (1812-1827), remained entrenched in power throughout the regency and George’s subsequent reign.