This biography tells the story of the wives of George IV. I did not know much about these women. However, I was appalled with how he treated his wife, the Princess of Wales. Therefore, I did not like George IV. Still, it was a comprehensive and balanced biography of his wives both unofficial and official. I recommend this for fans of royalty.

I already knew I'd like this book as I've read a gee by the author and I was not let down. Sheis such a master of the Georgian period and this was no exception

Wow this was one amazing book! Once I started I couldn’t stop. In Georgian England, few men were more fashionable or more eligible than George, Prince of Wales. Wild, glamorous, and with a penchant for beautiful women, the heir to George III’s throne was a very good catch – or so it seemed.

The two women who married him might beg to differ. Maria Fitzherbert was a twice-widowed Roman Catholic with a natural aversion to trouble. When she married the prince in a secret ceremony conducted in her Mayfair sitting room, she opened the door on three decades of heartbreak. Cast aside by her husband one minute, pursued tirelessly by him the next, Maria’s clandestine marriage was anything but blissful. It was also the worst kept secret in England.

Caroline of Brunswick was George’s official bride. Little did she know that her husband was marrying for money and when she reached her new home in England, she found him so drunk that he couldn’t even walk to the altar. Caroline might not have her husband’s love, but the public adored her. In a world where radicalism was stirring, it was a recipe for disaster.

In The Wives of George IV: The Secret Bride & the Scorned Princess, Maria and Caroline navigate the choppy waters of marriage to a capricious, womanising king-in-waiting. With a queen on trial for adultery and the succession itself in the balance, Britain had never seen scandal like it.

“Throughout the centuries, lots of women have married princes. It is supposed to be the stuff that fairy tales are made of; a confection of dashing grooms and swooning brides and true love that conquers all. Needless to say, the reality was somewhat different.”

From the introduction of The Wives of George IV
Now that I’m overseas again, I’ve started checking NetGalley a little more often than before. When I saw this biography on the two wives of King George IV, I was intrigued because I’ve never read anything about these women.

As the title says, this book focuses on two women who were married (or thought they were married) to King George IV. Although George IV had many mistresses, only two women could claim to be married to him: Maria Fitzherbert, a pious Catholic who loved George IV, and Caroline of Brunswick, the political match for George IV.

Given that this book is about the two wives of the same man, I expected it to be about the rivalry between the two women. Instead, this book tells the story of the lives of these two women, and their lives did not overlap except for the fact that they married the same man. Because of this, Curzon chooses to divide the book neatly into half, dedicating the first half of the book to Maria and the second half to Caroline. It could feel disjointed, since we’re basically reading two biographies in one book, but because their lives didn’t overlap that much, this narrative structure worked.

And again, given that Maria Fitzherbert and Caroline of Brunswick are very different in character, I also expected myself to like one more than the other. Again, the book surprised me because I found myself sympathetic to both women. Curzon did a wonderful job of painting a sympathetic portrait of both women, and it was clear to me that they had both been wronged by George IV, who’s quite clearly the villain in this narrative. Caroline was completely unloved and treated badly, and Maria was repeatedly betrayed despite his protestations of love.

In terms of narrative style, the prose here is straightforward and simple. Curzon doesn’t try to novelise the lives of these women but this isn’t an issue because their lives are so colourful. The style of the book works and I was never bored reading this.

Overall, I would recommend this biography to fans of British History. While I’m not completely unfamiliar with the Regency era, since I am a fan of Austen, I’ve not been reading up on the monarchy in this time period so there was a lot of learn and enjoy in this book.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Wives of George IV is an interesting tale of the then Prince of Wales and the two noteworthy women he married. The first not recognized due to the Royal Marriages Act 1772, the second he felt forced to wed because he needed money and that was the only way he could get more from King George III.

George, the Prince of Wales was an unpleasant man. He lied easily to everyone close and far to get what he wants. He spent money as if there was no end. He is reported to have fallen in and out of love easily. He surrounded himself with willing women. No, was not a word he was familiar. Until he met, Mrs. Maria Fitzherbert, a Roman Catholic. He reportedly loved her until his death although he certainly did not treat her as such. The more Maria said no the more he was determined to marry her. They met in 1782 and he pursued her until she finally agreed to marry in 1785. While they kept separate households to avoid gossip they were a couple and most knew that marriage was the worst kept secret.

Deeply in debt George needs more money to live his luxurious lifestyle. He goes to his father the King, but the King does not recognize the "marriage" to Maria and refuses to give any more money until he explains in detail where the money has been spent. Not willing to do so George becomes desperate for money as he is deeply in debt. Eventually after much embarrassment from the press and Parliament discussion he agrees to marry Caroline of Brunswick, a cousin.

Caroline has not led an easy life, basically kept a prisoner by her own mother. Keeping her in seclusion until she is married off. She marries George who is drunk on his wedding day. The union is consummated with few conjugal visits to follow. As the public loves Caroline Georges hates her popularity. She remarkably ends up pregnant, and George is finished with her as seeing he has done his duty to produce an heir. Their marriage will be as horrible as anyone can imagine.

Reading this book, I couldn't help but see parallels to the Duke of Windsor and the current Prince of Wales, Charles. The Duke of Windsor abdicated for the love of a woman and created a scandal that still haunts the Royal Family. The triangle of Charles, Diana, and Camilla is still fresh. These are spoiled, self-indulgent men used to getting their way at the cost of others. The public doesn't forget how Diana was treated. Some of her own doing but mostly at the hands of others. We can see that George IV treated Maria and Caroline no better than the more recent Princes of Wales.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Pen & Sword for this ARC.

I've always been a British Monarchy Sucker, and even moreso a lover of the 18th century so this was right up.my alley. I knew a bit about Caroline, and even less about Maria, but I learned so much about both from this book.

It can be hard to find history books that aren't dull and dry like a textbook, and this book was the exact opposite. It was very entertainment and easy to follow and I enjoyed it very much!

've always enjoyed Catherine Curzon's biographies, and this one was no different. Her writing style is very easy to digest, and she lays out the facts in a way that is very entertaining. I liked how she divided the chapters between Maria and Caroline, and I really loved her take on them both. She didn't pit them against each other or made out one was better, but showed them in a very sympathetic light, especially with Caroline. I also liked how there was a touch of humor in the writing, and there were a few times that I couldn't help from laughing. Definitely learned a lot from this book and would recommend to anyone interested in the Georgian period.

Never a dull moment with George IV and his marital woes! It's actually a lot of fun to navigate through the emotional mess this unscrupulous man has selfishly created around his ever expanding girth during his eventful and self-centered existence.
Stuck between a doomed morganatic union to a demure and submissive Catholic woman who deserved sainthood and a royal marriage with his first cousin, a fat and slovenly moron hailing from dreary Brunswick, the Teutonic wrecking ball who took great pleasure in making her dear husband's life an absolute hell, it's simply very entertaining to see him squirm, rage, bitch and getting very close to an apoplectic state every time that devious and obnoxious Caroline decides to misbehave! It's just fantastic😂😂

As usual Catherine Curzon as given us a masterful dual portrait of two very different women and a rollicking tapestry of Regency England. A treat to be enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever 👍👍

Many thanks to Netgalley and Pen & Sword for this terrific ARC

My thanks to Catherine Curzon, Pen and Sword History and Net Galley for the ARC of THE WIVES OF GEORGE IV.
I had read something recently about Maria Fitzherbert so when I saw this come up on Net Galley I jumped at the chance of reading it. And I'm glad I did. If you love to discover more about our kings and queens and how they lived you'll love this. What I actually discovered was that things haven't changed much. The scandals, the slanders, the rumours, and the lies are all there in this brilliantly observed and well-researched manuscript. There were no dry paragraphs, but I was astonished to read the letters sent between them all, particularly the letters from Caroline of Brunswick when she was pleading her case to see her daughter who she only allowed to see occasionally. The letters from 'Priny' as George was know were a revelation in how grasping he was.
George, the Prince of Wales was a truly unpleasant character, greedy, his corpulence attested to it, self-centred and needy, he expected the women in his life to jump to his every whim. Both women had ultimately sad lives thanks to him, their reputations besmirched by their association with him. Neither found true love. One loved him dearly and the other dearly wanted to. One wonders why!

I knew very little about either of these two women so it was a very informative book for me.It is slightly confusing that the book is divided into two separate sections,one about each woman,when the events of their lives ran concurrently,at least in part,but this didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book.
What came out was the awful character of the Prince Regent,later George IV-there really were no redeeming features.He was entirely self centred ,lacking in any scruples,and treated both of his wives very badly. Neither woman was entirely squeaky clean either,but I felt sympathy for both of them.
The book is well researched and relies heavily on sources from the time,which brought each character to life.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

The turbulent and generally unhappy love life of the onetime Prince Regent and later George IV is tackled here in this readable and informative account by prolific history author, Catherine Curzon. A notorious womaniser, the oldest son of George III, first 'married' widow and renowned society beauty, Maria Fitzherbert after winning her over following an intense campaign of harassment, letter writing and threats of suicide. The marriage was, in fact, invalid under the terms of the Royal Marriages Act, as she was a Roman Catholic. His marriage to Caroline of Brunswick meanwhile was imposed upon him and was a disaster. On first meeting his future wife, the Prince immediately demanded a brandy as meeting her made him ill, a practice he continued at the Royal Wedding which he was drunk throughout. Although not entirely blameless herself, Caroline was fiercely mistreated by George and won lots of public support but the marriage ended in a bitter and messy divorce. An enjoyable account of two very different women who never met but who both played a small but significant part in British history.