Tag: Queen

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Tragic Tales of Failed Royal Marriages

L.M. Hosler

Failed Royal Marriages

We often think of Prince Charles and Princess Diana when discussing disastrous royal marriages. Maybe Prince Andrew and Fergie Anderson also come to mind. It’s true those marriages didn’t turn out well, but there were several other royal marriages that also failed. King Henry VIII had five failed marriages before he married his last wife, Katherine Parr.

Several of his marriages ended in divorce, and at least two of Henry VIII’s wife were beheaded. That is really a tragic end to a royal marriage. But then we also have the story of the Prince of Wales and Princess Caroline of Brunswick. Their story is less known, but it is the story of another royal marriage that turned into a disaster.

Prince George Frederick Augustus

Prince of Wales, George Frederick Augusta, the heir to the British throne. Known as Prinny to his friends
Prince of Wales, George Frederick Augusta, the heir to the British throne. Known as Prinny to his friends | Source

Prince George Frederick Augustus

Prince of Wales, George Frederick Augustus was born at St. James Palace in London on August 12, 1762. His parents were King George III and Charlotte Mecklenburg Strelitz. He was their first son of fifteen children, although one of those children died at a young age. George, being the oldest, was given the title of Prince of Wales and heir to the throne. George was a charming young man when he wanted to be. He was also rather a handsome sort and well educated to fit his status as the future King of England.

George was very well-dressed and took great pride in being fashionable. George also indulged in heavy drinking, gambling and womanizing. He had at least two relationships with women who were older than he was. One of those women was named Mary Robinson. The other woman was Maria Fitzherbert. He was deeply in love and deeply in debt due to his excessive spending.

The Secret, Not-So-Legal Marriage

George had fallen in love with Maria Fitzherbert. She was a woman who had been married twice to two older men. Both men had left her widowed. George was totally captivated by the young, beautiful woman with light blonde hair and flawless complexion. Maria was a Roman Catholic and a widow, making her an unacceptable wife for a future king. George was a determined young man. He finally persuaded Maria into a secret marriage. It was performed at her house with family members as witnesses.

Neither King George III nor parliament had given approval for this marriage. As heir to the throne, George IV needed approval from both the King and parliament. Without these, it could not be recognized as a legal marriage under English law. Shortly thereafter, Maria was delivered a letter stating that her relationship with the prince was finished. Sometime later, the pair did reunite after he had married and separated from Princess Caroline. Rumors suggested that Maria gave birth to several illegitimate children. These children were rumored to be fathered by Prince George over the years of their relationship.

Princess Caroline of Brunswick

Princess Caroline of Brunswick was George’s cousin, although the two had never met. She was the daughter of his Aunt Princess Augusta of England and the Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel. She was said to be rather bold, coarse, loud and rude in her manner of speaking. Her sense of fashion was almost non-existent. Her clothing was out of fashion and was often worn without proper washing. Her own personal hygiene was also lacking. She neglected to wash properly most of the time or change and wash her undergarments. As a result, she often had an offensive odor.

This is rather strange. A young woman with servants to look after all of her needs would surely have clean, suitable clothing available. Of course, Caroline had her good points as well. She was kind and generous. She was known for her charity work. She loved and fostered several homeless children later in her lifetime.

Princess Caroline of Brunswick

The Prince and Princess Meet

The first meeting of the Prince of Wales and his soon-to-be bride Princess Caroline got off to a very rocky beginning. He did not find her attractive at all. He had no wish to marry anyone at that point in his life. Princess Caroline was also 26, which at that time was considered to be an age unfit to get married. He already had his mistresses to keep him happy. Truthfully, he was repulsed by his future bride. The only reason that Prinny (his nickname) had agreed to marry at all was that he was heavily in debt.

Parliament had agreed to cover his debts if he married, and Princess Caroline was chosen as his bride. Princess Caroline was disappointed. She felt humiliated by the way the Prince had treated her at their first meeting. At a later supper, Caroline was rude. She talked and laughed loudly about subjects that should not have been discussed at the supper table. Perhaps she was just very nervous and insecure at the time. In any event, neither of them made a good impression on the other one.

The Wedding

Prince George and Princess Caroline on their wedding day Source: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

Prince George and Princess Caroline were married at St. James Palace on April 8th, 1795. His father was delighted to see his son get married. However, it was not a day of happiness for the future king of England. It is said that he was drunk during the ceremony and continued to drink for the rest of the day. When the couple retired to their bed-chambers, George was so drunk that he fell to the floor. He spent his wedding night passed out on the floor.

George managed to do his duty at some time. He had relations with Princess Caroline, who became pregnant almost immediately. With an heir on the way, the prince ignored Caroline completely. Their daughter, Princess Charlotte, was born, and the couple separated soon after. Princess Caroline was forced to leave her infant daughter with her father.

Princess Caroline, the Lonely Queen

Not much more than a year after they were married, Princess Caroline moved out of her husband’s residence. She took up residence at Blackheath, London. How lonely the new Princess of Wales must have felt in a foreign country with few friends of her own. Blackheath was located to the southeast of London and was a wealthy area. Here, the estranged wife of the Prince of Wales was lived with fewer restrictions. At BlackHeath her behavior and activities sometimes caused scandals.

One of those scandals was when she took in an infant, and some people whispered that she was the mother. This incident caused King George to form an inquiry into her activities. Although the inquiry proved she was not the mother of the infant, the king no longer welcomed her. She was not allowed in his household anymore.

After losing the king’s support, Princess Caroline left England and traveled throughout Europe. She created more scandals with a handsome young Italian servant that she had employed. Imagine the scandal they caused as they traveled together. Despite the scandal this may well have been the happiest time of Caroline’s life. Sometime during Caroline’s years abroad, several things changed. Her only daughter, Princess Charlotte, married Leopold George Christian Frederick, became pregnant and died in childbirth. Her husband, Prince George, had also taken over as Regent for his father, who was mentally unstable.

Caroline Returns to Be Queen but Is Put on Trial

In 1820, King George III died, officially making the prince, King George IV and Caroline the Queen of England. She returned to England and expected to be crowned queen alongside her estranged husband. Now king, George refused to have Caroline crowned as his queen. Instead, he wanted to be rid of her and needed grounds for a divorce. At his insistence, parliament put her on trial. They claimed she had committed adultery with her Italian man servant, Bartolmeo Pergami. They also accused her of other indiscretions.

Much like Princess Diana and Prince Charles’s public divorce, this one also had everyone in England engaged. The princess had her supporters publicly supporting her cause, and the prince had his own supporters. Unlike modern-day royal dramas, the only thing missing was television and social media.

Eventually, parliament ruled in favor of Princess Caroline. King George was denied his divorce. A divorce would have allowed him to remarry and produce another heir to the throne.

The Final Insult to the Queen

By rights, Princess Caroline, still legally married to King George III, was now queen even if the marriage was a total disaster. She expected to attend the king’s coronation and be crowned queen alongside her husband. But the king would not allow her to be crowned with him. He left orders that she would not be allowed to enter Westminster Abbey, where the coronation was taking place.

Caroline showed up to the coronation anyway but was refused entrance into Westminster Abbey. Basically, the door was shut in her face. Therefore, she was never officially crowned Queen of England. Princess Caroline of Brunswick later became the Princess of Wales and was the uncrowned queen of King George III. She died within a few short weeks after receiving the final insult from a disastrous royal marriage.

King George IV served as his father’s regent from Feb 5, 1811 until he was crowned King O England Jan 20, 1820. George served as king until his death on June 26, 1830.

Queen Caroline attempts to enter Westminster Abbey for King George IV coronation but is refused entry.

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From Commoner to Queen of England: The Journey of Elizabeth Woodville

L.M. Hosler

The White Queen Novel

The White Queen novel is written by Philppa Gregory, a historian with a keen interest in English kings and queens. Philppa Gregory combines her love of history, writing and researching into this compelling story of Elizabeth Woodville, the daughter of a squire and a young widow with two young sons. This is the story of one young woman’s rise to the height of power, her fall from power, her struggles to save her children and the love she has for King Edward IV. The book is well written and Philppa Gregory does a great job with researching any of her books. Although it is fiction, it is based on real people’s life’s and real events that occurred during their lifetime.

This is the story of great royal families fighting for power and the throne of England as the greatest prize of all. Many of these great families would fight against their cousins in a war that became know as “The War of The Cousins” and later known as the War of The Roses. This was a time when friends, cousins and brothers could turn on each other in the middle of a battlefield in a moments notice.

Queen Elizabeth Woodville

Elizabeth’s Story

Elizabeth Woodville was considered to be a commoner and not good enough to marry a king, even though her mother Jacquetta of Luxembourg came from the royal family of Burgundy and had been married to the Duke of Bedford. Elizabeth’s father however, had been merely a squire in the Duke’s service so Elizabeth had no real prospects of a royal marriage. She was also the young widow of Sir Thomas Grey and had two small sons.

Elizabeth waited alongside the roadside hoping for a chance to petition the king to have her land returned to her. When the young King Edward saw her waiting alongside the road with her two boys he was instantly captivated by the beautiful lady. Edward attempted to make Elizabeth his mistress but she firmly refused, she would settle for nothing but becoming his wife and his queen. They soon married in secret and against the wishes of his top advisers and counsel who were hoping to make a match with a princess of France and King Edward.

Elizabeth is soon anointed as Queen Elizabeth. Through her new husband begins to move her many family members into positions of power and wealth through marriages, which infuriates Edward’s great friend and mentor the Earl of Warwick. The Earl of Warwick schemes and brings about an uprising in which he tries to have Edward’s younger brother George made king and put on the throne.

This is only one of the many uprisings and rebellions that King Edward and Queen Elizabeth faced as they ruled England and their own family grows. There would be many battles and much blood shed as the royal couple fight to stabilize England and keep the throne for their sons.

Elizabeth’s Young Sons: Heirs to the Throne

Young Prince Edward and his younger brother Prince Richard

Elizabeth came birth to several daughters and two sons who were the heirs to the throne after their father King Edward. King Edward, unfortunately dies while the two boys were too young to be named king. Edwards younger brother, Richard took the throne instead and the two young heirs were sent to live in the tower. One of the greatest mysteries in the story of Elizabeth Woodville, is the story of the two sons who were imprisoned in the tower and disappeared with no trace and no bodies were ever discovered. To this day, no one knows what really happened to the two young princes, Rumors were that King Richard had the two boys murdered so that he could be crowned king. However, there were several others who could have murdered the boys or given the order to have them killed. The author of The White Queen, gives a different theory on what may have happened to the heirs to the throne. The boys disappearances have never been solved and their killers were never found.

Reasons I Recommend Reading The White Queen

I have read several of Philppa Gregory’s books and I have loved every one that I have read. She uses actual people, dates and events to tell a fascinating story. Every book has been a page turner and hard to put down. In this story of The White Queen she describes battles, conflicts and emotions that I felt as if I were transported back time and as if I were right there in the middle of all the conflict. Thank goodness I was only reading about these treacherous and bloody times.

I personally love this type of story because of the history and that I know these things actually happened and people lived these stories.

I recommend this book for many reasons

  1. If you are like me and like stories base on history you will enjoy this book
  2. For those who like action to keep your interest there is lots of action detailing many of the battles of the War Of The Cousins
  3. Romance: Who wouldn’t like a love story involving the King of England who marries a squire’s daughter just because he falls in love with her even though she has no title or great wealth or power
  4. It is an intensely emotional story as Elizabeth the mother of the princes in the tower fights to save her sons
  5. Because the characters are based on real people, they seem very real

I would encourage anyone to read the story “The White Queen” by Philppa Gregory. This story has also been made into a television mini series which is very good. Philappa Gregory also wrote “The White Princess” Which is the story of Elizabeth’s oldest daughter and her marriage to Henry VII. The White Princess has also been made into a television mini series.

Copyright L.M. Hosler 2024

history, History, Women and History

Royal Fairy Tale Weddings: Royal Scandals

L.M. Hosler

The Queen Arrives at Royal Wedding

The Queen of England arrives by carriage at a royal wedding.

Times Have Changed Attitudes About Royal Marriage and Divorce

At one time, divorce was not an option to even be considered for the royal British family. It was almost impossible to obtain a divorce among the royal class. But over the years there were some exceptions, probably beginning with King Henry VII and his six wives. In his case, he did manage to divorce his first wife. The other wives had less fortunate endings. But divorce among the royalty was still considered taboo and likewise, they were not allowed to marry a person who was divorced. King Edward VIII gave up the throne to be able to marry the twice divorced Wally Simpson. Things began to change during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Her sister and three of her children’s fairy tale weddings ended in divorce. Just recently Prince Charles the heir to the British throne and his son Prince Harry have both been allowed to marry divorced women. It is looking very likely that the fairy tale wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will quite likely end in another royal scandal. As a matter of fact, this royal fairy tale has already become a major scandal for the British monarchy.

The Prince and Princess of Wales

Prince Charles and Princess Diana marriage begins to crack.

Not long after Prince Harry was born, things began to deteriorate between the young couple. Charles had done his royal duty and produced an heir and a spare heir. By 1986, rumors began that Prince Charles was rekindling his old romance with Camilla Parker Bowles. Then the rumors began about Princess Diana and other men. How much was true may never be fully known, but we do know for certain that Prince Charles did have an affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, and he did marry her several years after Diana’s death. The fairy tale had become a rocky road. In February of 1989, Princess Diana had an occasion to confront Camilla and let her know that she knew what was going on behind her back. By 1990, the marriage was on very shaky ground and at some point, Prince Charles admitted his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles. Diane famously said that there were three people in their marriage.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana arrive by carriage to Prince Andrews wedding

Princess Margaret the Queen’s Rebellious Sister

Princess Margaret had a reputation for being a rebellious royal. When she was very young and quite beautiful, she fell in love with Captain Townsend. The two privately planned on being married but the captain who was divorced was not considered a good match for Margaret. He was not of noble birth but even worse he was a divorced man which was not acceptable at that time. Margaret at that time needed both the permission of her sister, the Queen Elizabeth, and parliament to marry Captain Townsend. Privately, her sister would have granted her permission but it was well known that parliament would not give their consent. Eventually Captain Townsend and Margaret called off their romance.

On May 6, 1960, Princess Margaret married a thirty year old photographer and commoner, Anthony Armstrong Jones. It was a lavish fairy tale wedding with thousands of guests, royals and heads of states from other countries. It was also watched by millions around the world on national television. On November 3, 1961, their first child David arrived followed by a sister, Sarah on May 1, 1964. Upon the arrival of the children, it was decided that Anthony Armstrong Jones needed to be given a royal title for the sake of the children. He was given the title of Earl of Snowden and his son the title of Viscount Linley. A few years after the birth of the children, the marriage began to sour. The couple loved partying which ended up involving affairs, drugs and alcohol, all the aspects of the modern 1960s. The two separated and on July 11th 1978, after eighteen years of marriage the fairy tale ended in divorce. Princess Margaret twenty years earlier could not marry a divorced man but 1960s changed attitudes so by 1978 divorce among the royals was not quite so scandalous.

Princess Margaret in her Wedding Dress

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson

Prince Andrew was formally introduced to Sarah Ferguson at a party given by Princess Diana. They immediately hit it off with Prince Andrew falling for the fiery red haired beauty. On March 18th 1986, they announced their engagement. On July 23, 1986, they were married at Westminster Abbey where many of the royal family have been married.

Almost from the start, theirs was a rocky road. Prince Andrew’s position in the Royal Navy kept him from home for long periods of time for the first five years of their marriage. Sarah or (Fergie) as she was known had deep security issues relating back to being abandoned by her mother at an early age. The couple did have two daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie. Sarah was perhaps never fully supported by the royal family. She didn’t fit the royal mold and was bold and outgoing. At any rate, the marriage floundered and the Duke and Duchess of York announced their separation in 1992 and were divorced in May of 1996. Along the way there were scandals and other relationships as was the case in most of the other royal fairy tales. However, their story may yet have a happy ending. Prince Andrew and Sarah have always remained close friends and both were very involved in the raising of their two daughters. It seems that today they live together and there are rumors that the two may remarry someday. Let’s hope that this royal fairy tales ends like fairy tales are supposed to end and they live the rest of their lives happily as fairy tales are meant to end.

Sarah Ferguson on Her Wedding Day

The scandal That Splits The Royal Family

The latest royal scandal is still brewing. This one involves the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the former Prince Harry and his bride Meghan Markle an American Hollywood actress. The couple married on May 19, 2018. Their son Archie was born the following year on May 6, 2019. In January 2020, they made headlines around the world with their decision to leave the British royal family and move to Canada.

Some Fairy Tales End Happily

Everyone, including me loves a fairy tale. When we see a young beautiful prince or princess marry in a huge fairy tale wedding complete with beautiful white dresses, horse drawn carriages, famous and titled guests, we can’t help but still believe in fairy tales like Cinderella, Snow White and Beauty and the Beast and happy endings. After all, some of the royal family such as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip and Queen Victoria and Prince Albert somehow managed to live out their fairy tale.

Copyright Linda Hosler March 10, 2014