Described by the Duke of Wellington as 'the most extraordinary compound of talent, wit, buffoonery, obstinacy and good feeling that I ever saw in any character in my life', George Augustus Frederick, Prince of Wales, later George IV, was a highly controversial figure. Continually rebelling against an austere family upbringing, as Prince of Wales he courted both Whigs and Tories in his attempts to establish the Regency during the 'madness' of his father, George III. His actions reflected the ambivalent relationship of monarchy and Parliament in a nation infected by the radical fervour of revolution in America and France. Yet the participation of the Prince of Wales in public affairs had enduring positive influences. His support for overseas campaigns against Napoleon, culminating in such historic victories as Trafalgar and Waterloo, consolidated Britain's status as the pre-eminent world power amid the great social and ecoconomic upheavals of the Industrial Revolution. His passion for th arts left the nation with cultural legacies such as John Nash's Royal Pavilion in Brighton, Regent's Park and the National Portrait Gallery. Scandalous liaisons with prostitutes and duchesses, and his 'secret' marriage to his true love, the Catholic Mrs Fitzherbert, tested his duty -- to nation and to family. His hedonism earned him a reputation as an overweight, overdressed and oversexed playboy, in a country prejudiced by its sentiment for the beleaguered princess who was his wife, Caroline of Brunswick. At once farce, tragedy and melodrama, the story of George IV as Prince of Wales and Regent is here depicted with style and great force, introducing a cast of contemporary figures such as Beau Brummell, Lord Byron and Jane Austen, as well as members of the Royal Household. Drawing on a wealth of original accounts of life in Georgian Britain, Saul David has created a masterly portrait -- of a flamboyant, opportunistic and influential figure, and of a nation in a time of great change.
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