1. The Princess of Celle
Sophia Dorothea of Celle grows up expecting love to shape her future, but dynastic politics instead force her into marriage with George Louis of Hanover, the future George I of Great Britain. The union is cold and humiliating, and her renewed attachment to Philip Christoph von…
2. Queen in Waiting
Caroline of Ansbach grows up amid the dynastic rivalries of the German courts before marrying George Augustus, the future George II of Great Britain. Intelligent, politically aware and determined not to repeat the unhappy marriage she witnessed in childhood, Caroline becomes both wife and adviser to…
3. Caroline, the Queen
The survival of the British monarchy as a popular institution owes a lot toits queens who were, more often than not, more intelligent than theirhusbands. Caroline of Ansbach is such a queen. Well-educated and from one ofthe poorer German principalities, Caroline married into the boorish House…
4. The Prince and the Quakeress
The young George, Prince of Wales, becomes fascinated by Hannah Lightfoot, a Quaker woman whose life is far removed from the expectations of the royal court. Their relationship develops in secrecy as George faces pressure from his family and advisers to make a dynastic marriage suited…
5. The Third George
George III enters marriage with Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz hoping that royal duty will quiet the emotional attachments of his youth. Instead, his reign brings pressures on every side: political instability at home, conflict with ministers, the loss of the American colonies and repeated scandals within the…
6. Perdita’s Prince
Seventeen-year-old George, Prince of Wales, becomes infatuated with actress Mary Robinson after seeing her play Perdita on the London stage. Their affair unfolds within a court already shaped by George III’s authority, political calculation and the prince’s appetite for independence. Plaidy follows the relationship from romantic…
7. Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill
Maria Fitzherbert is a young Catholic widow when George, Prince of Wales, becomes determined to marry her. Their attachment presents an immediate constitutional problem: the heir to the throne is expected to marry a Protestant princess, and under the Royal Marriages Act he cannot contract a…
8. Indiscretions of the Queen
Caroline of Brunswick is chosen as the bride of George, Prince of Wales, despite the hostility that surrounds the match from the beginning. On arriving in England she finds a husband determined to dislike her and a court prepared to scrutinise every breach of convention. Their…
9. The Regent’s Daughter
Princess Charlotte of Wales is the only legitimate grandchild of George III and therefore heir to a dynasty anxious about its future. Her father, the Prince Regent, tries to control her marriage and household, while Charlotte resists the competing plans of relatives and politicians who regard…
10. Goddess of the Green Room
William, Duke of Clarence, third son of George III, meets the celebrated actress Dorothea Jordan and begins a relationship that will last for many years. Dorothy is already famous for comic roles at Drury Lane, while William's royal birth ensures that their private life becomes material…
11. Victoria in the Wings
After the death of Princess Charlotte leaves George III without a legitimate grandchild, the king’s unmarried sons race to produce an heir. Edward, Duke of Kent, marries Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and their daughter, the future Queen Victoria, becomes increasingly important as other hopes fail. Plaidy follows…