Who Wed Caroline Of Brunswick?

King George IV married Caroline of Brunswick, his first cousin, on 8 April 1795. The marriage was motivated by money, as George was in debt to the tune of £500,000 or £630,000 (a colossal sum at the time) and hoped that by marrying he would receive an increased allowance from Parliament. Caroline was chosen because she was a Protestant of royal birth, and the marriage would ally Brunswick and Britain. However, the couple separated shortly after the birth of their only child, Princess Charlotte, in 1796.

George IV's secret wife

George IV, King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover, was married to Caroline of Brunswick, but he had previously been secretly married to Maria Fitzherbert, a twice-widowed noblewoman.

George IV and Maria Fitzherbert

In 1785, ten years before his wedding to Caroline of Brunswick, George IV, then the Prince of Wales, secretly married Maria Fitzherbert, a Catholic noblewoman who had been widowed twice before. Their union was illegal under English civil law because his father, King George III, had not consented to it. If the marriage had been approved and valid, the Prince of Wales would have lost his place in the line of succession. Despite the secrecy, rumours of the marriage began to circulate in the press in 1786.

George and Maria lived as husband and wife for many years, and he was devoted to her, even requesting that a miniature portrait of her be placed in his coffin before he died in 1830. When George IV became king, he turned against Maria and tried to deny their marriage, but she had documents that proved otherwise. After his death, steps were taken to destroy all of her letters to him.

George IV and Caroline of Brunswick

In 1795, George IV, still secretly married to Maria, married his cousin, Caroline of Brunswick, in exchange for Parliament paying his debts. The couple detested each other and were separated shortly after the birth of their only child, Princess Charlotte, in 1796. George was determined to divorce Caroline and set up an investigation to collect evidence of her adultery. In 1814, Caroline left the United Kingdom for continental Europe, but she returned in 1820 when George became king, intending to assert her position as queen.

George IV's Attempted Divorce

George IV barred Caroline from his coronation in 1821 and attempted to divorce her by introducing the Pains and Penalties Bill to Parliament. However, the bill was withdrawn due to George's unpopularity and Caroline's popularity with the British people. Caroline fell ill and died shortly after the coronation, and her funeral procession passed through London on its way to her native Brunswick, where she was buried.

Caroline's limited education

Princess Caroline of Brunswick's education was limited to governesses and an emphasis on music. She was educated by Countess Eleonore von Münster from 1783 to 1791, who won her affection but never managed to teach her to spell correctly. Caroline preferred to dictate to a secretary. She could understand English and French, but her father admitted that she was lacking in education.

Caroline was brought up with extremely limited contact with the opposite sex, even by the standards of her time. She was constantly supervised by her governess and elder ladies, restricted to her room when the family was entertaining, and ordered to keep away from the windows. She was usually refused permission to attend balls and court functions, and when allowed, she was forbidden to dance.

Caroline's secluded isolation tormented her. On one occasion, she simulated an illness so severe that her parents left the ball to see her. When they arrived, she claimed to be in labour and forced them to send for a midwife. When the midwife arrived, she stopped her simulation and asked her mother: "Now, Madam, will you keep me another time from a ball?".

The wedding of George and Caroline

The marriage was a result of a deal that was proposed to the debt-ridden George: if the heir to the throne wed a suitable, Protestant princess, then all his debts would be paid. Caroline, aged 25, was a suitable match, and she was flattered with portraits and praise. The couple agreed to marry before even meeting, and Caroline set off from home at the end of 1794.

However, there were already complications. George had entered into a secret marriage with Maria Fitzherbert in 1785, and Caroline was rumoured to have had relationships before her engagement was announced. When the couple finally met, they were both disappointed. George found Caroline unattractive and unhygienic, while Caroline thought George was fat and less handsome than his portrait.

The wedding ceremony was attended by King George III and Queen Charlotte, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, John Moore, performed the ceremony. The bride wore a dress of silver tissue and lace with a cape of velvet and ermine, and she was attended by four bridesmaids. The groom was fashionably dressed but very drunk. He could barely stand up, and at several points, he decided not to join in until his father told him to. The groom even cried.

The reception, held at the Queen's Apartments at St James's Palace, was equally disastrous. George was not the life and soul of the party. As expected, both George and Charlotte were vocal about their wedding night. The bride said her new husband spent most of it passed out in the grate, and they only did their duty as a married couple three times. Nine months later, their only child, Princess Charlotte of Wales, was born.

The couple's separation

The marriage between King George IV and his cousin, Caroline of Brunswick, was doomed from the start. The couple took an instant dislike to each other and separated shortly after the birth of their only child, Princess Charlotte, in 1796.

George, who was already secretly married to Maria Fitzherbert, was known to be a womaniser and was heavily in debt. He agreed to marry Caroline because she was a suitable Protestant princess, and Parliament would increase his allowance. However, he found her unattractive and unhygienic, and the feeling was mutual. In a letter to a friend, George claimed that the couple only had sexual intercourse three times and that he had to "conquer his aversion" to be with her.

Just three days after Charlotte's birth, George made out a new will, leaving all his property to Maria Fitzherbert and only one shilling to Caroline. George and Caroline informally separated, and by August 1797, Caroline had moved into her own residence. The marriage was effectively over, but the couple remained legally tied as divorce was unthinkable at the time.

Caroline, living alone, caused scandal after scandal, including a "delicate investigation" into her personal life led by the Privy Council. In 1814, she left England and travelled through Europe, shocking people with her behaviour. She was alleged to have had an adulterous relationship with her Italian courier, Bartolomeo Pergami (known as Bergami in England).

In January 1820, George III died, and George finally ascended the throne as King George IV. Caroline, against all odds, became Queen of the United Kingdom and Hanover. Eager to keep her out of England, Parliament negotiated a higher allowance for Caroline to stay abroad. However, she refused and returned to England in June 1820, where she was greeted by rapturous crowds who believed her to be the victim of a philandering king.

George's hatred for his wife was so strong that he pressed forward with a divorce and a bill to strip her of her title and accuse her of adultery. The bill passed the House of Lords but was never submitted to the Commons as it was not expected to pass. Caroline's response to the charges was that she had, indeed, committed adultery with Maria Fitzherbert's husband.

In July 1821, George was crowned king at Westminster Abbey, and Caroline attempted to join the ceremony as queen but was barred from entering. Her behaviour in this episode lost her some public respect. Two weeks later, she fell ill and died. Her body was quietly transported back to Brunswick, where she was laid to rest in Brunswick Cathedral.

Caroline's death

Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, or Caroline Amelia Elizabeth, was the estranged wife of King George IV. She died on 7 August 1821, aged 53, in London, England.

In the lead-up to her death, Caroline had been banned from entering Westminster Abbey for her husband's coronation on 19 July 1821. She fell ill and died 19 days later.

Caroline's funeral procession caused a riot in Hyde Park, with her supporters blocking the intended route and forcing a new one through Westminster and London. The military opened fire on the crowd, and two people were killed.

Caroline's coffin was kept overnight at St Peter's Church in Colchester, where her executors attempted to attach a plate inscribed with the words: "Here lies Caroline, the Injured Queen of England". This was removed and replaced with an official plate bearing a Latin inscription.

She was eventually buried in her native Brunswick, Germany, in the family vault of Brunswick Cathedral.

Frequently asked questions