*review copy*
The future King George IV was famously married twice, once illegally to Maria Fitzherbt and once legally to Caroline of Brunswick.
Maria Fitzherbert, already twice a widow, was basically harassed into becoming his wife. Their wedding went against the Royal Marriages Act of 1772 and was thus never valid. Even if George had asked for the permission necessary under the Royal Marriages Act of 1772, it would not have been given. Maria was a Catholic, and a marriage to a Catholic would have removed George from the line of succession.
Even while George legally married Caroline of Brunswick to ease his debts and beget an heir, his contact with Maria Fitzherbert remained. On the other hand, his marriage to Caroline soured so quickly that it was a miracle Caroline managed to fall pregnant at all. Their daughter, Charlotte, was born in 1796.
The Wives of George IV: The Secret Bride and the Scorned Princess by Catherine Curzon covers the lives of these two women in detail. I was most interested in the parts concerning Maria Fitzherbert as I knew so little about her, and it did not disappoint. The book is well-written, excellently researched, and a very entertaining read. Above all, you’ll feel contempt for George as he manipulates those around him. The Wives of George IV: The Secret Bride and the Scorned Princess is an excellent addition to any royally-themed bookcase.
The Wives of George IV: The Secret Bride and the Scorned Princess by Catherine Curzon is available now in the UK and the US.
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