Today I want to turn our attention to one of the most secret relationships of the Regency era- the hidden marriage between George IV, the then Prince of Wales, and the widowed Catholic gentlewoman Maria Fitzherbert.
Their story began in the mid-1780s. The Prince of Wales was a charming and extravagant man, but he was already deep in debt. He loved pleasure, fashion and gambling. But he was a man who craved affection and reassurance. Maria Fitzherbert was very different. She was a Roman Catholic, widowed twice, dignified, and known for her beauty and strong moral principles. She had no desire to be drawn into court politics.
When the Prince first pursued her, Maria actually resisted. She knew the possible dangers. Under the Royal Marriages Act of 1772, any marriage contracted by a member of the royal family without the king’s consent was illegal. More importantly, because she was Catholic, and such a marriage would threaten the Prince’s line in succession. To marry her would cause political chaos. Maria understood that her faith alone made the match impossible in the eyes of the law.
The Prince was relentless. He wrote passionate letters and reportedly told her he would be in despair if she would not see him. You cannot help but to wonder how she must have felt- she was torn between her affection for him and fear of breaking the law and causing chaos to the monarchy. To love a future king was no fairy tale. It meant scrutiny and hostility.
In 1785, believing his feelings where genuine Maria gave in to him. On the 15th of December 1785, in her London home, they went through a private marriage ceremony, it was conducted by the Church of England. To them, it was sacred and binding before God. But in the eyes of the state it was invalid. The King had not been asked for approval nor had he consented. The law did not recognise the marriage. Officially, it had never happened.
They briefly lived together as husband and wife in private. The Prince visited her discreetly. But reality soon hit hard. The Prince’s debts got worse, and he needed to turn to Parliament for help. Political allies made it clear that if he acknowledged his Catholic wife, it would destroy support for any financial relief.
Under this pressure, the Prince publicly denied the marriage in 1787. Imagine Maria’s heartbreak and humiliation. She withdrew from public life but she remained dignified. She did not protest, she simply accepted the situation with composure.
Despite this betrayal, their relationship did not end entirely. Maria did however, remain a steady presence in his life. But politics would intervene again. By the mid-1790s his financial situation was desperate. The solution that was offered was clear- he must make a suitable marriage.
In 1795 he married his cousin, Caroline of Brunswick. The marriage was absolutely disastrous from the start, but it was politically necessary. This reportedly hit Maria hard. Though she knew that their relationship could never be recognised, the public royal wedding took away any lasting hope. She would never be queen, never be acknowledged, never be legitimate.
Even after his official marriage collapsed, the Prince continued to be close to Maria. When he eventually became king in 1820, he ensured she had support, though she was never formally acknowledged as his wife. Their bond, complicated and imperfect, had lasted decades.
In a world where reputation and religion dictated almost everything, could their marriage have ever truly have survived or was secrecy the only way it could exist at all?
Image info:
Artist: In the manner of George Romney
Mrs Maria Fitzherbert, wife of George IV
Date: 18th century
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