The Unruly Queen: The Life of Queen Caroline

by Flora Fraser

"There are two types of British queens," says Columbia University historian David Cannadine."Those who hold the position strictly as wife of the king, and those (few) who have ruled as sovereign in absence of a male heir." Queen Caroline, who briefly held title when King George IV was crowned in 1820 is numbered among the former. Vulgar, selfish, and undisciplined, she fled from the husband she hated and became nearly as well known for her promiscuity as King George IV himself. Viewed by the public as a wronged woman, she survived George's attempts to dissolve the marriage, but opinion turned against her and she died in 1821.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, British Literature, Royalty, Regency, Historical

860 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Flora Fraser Soros (born 30 October 1958) is an English writer of historical biographies.

She is the daughter of historian and historical biographer Lady Antonia Fraser and the late Sir Hugh Fraser, a British Conservative politician. Her stepfather was the playwright Harold Pinter, the 2005 Nobel Laureate in Literature, her mother's second husband until his death in 2008. Her maternal grandparents were the late Elizabeth Longford, also an eminent biographer, and the late Lord Longford, a well-known politician, social reformer, and author.

She was named after Scottish Jacobite Flora MacDonald. Using her maiden name Flora Fraser, she has written biographies of Emma Hamilton, Caroline of Brunswick, the daughters of George III, and Pauline Bonaparte.

Reviews

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any time anyone starts to trumpet about the scandals of the current royal family they should be handed this book. Good Lord, what a tale! It baffles me that the events chronicled in this book should be so forgotten, at least outside the circle of historians and informed amateurs. Such a comprehensive rupture between Caroline and her husband the Prince Regent, later George IV, can scarcely be imagined, short of course of Isabella of France and Edward II.

Estranged almost from the moment of their marriage, if not before, the relationship was characterised by real animosity and venom. George refused to speak with Caroline, refused to share a roof with her, refused even to set foot in any room she was in. He frequently agitated for a divorce, eventually even instigated Parliamentary proceedings against her; and one cannot help but feel he would have gone so far as to have tried her for treason. That Caroline was unfaithful is beyond doubt, but she seems to have been driven to it, and one can hardly fault her for indulging in behaviour no less scandalous than that of her husband. One suspects she would have responded wholeheartedly had George ever once tried to make his marriage work, rather than shunning her so forcefully.

From the very first pages of this book, with pages slamming the door of Westminster Abbey in the face of the Queen when she attempted to attend her husband's coronation, I was hooked. I honestly could not put it down. I've never been much of a fan of Regency history (I'm a medieval girl at heart) but this was an utterly fascinating read, populated with real larger-than-life characters. One feels immense sympathy for Caroline, whilst at the same time recognising how unsympathetic and off-putting, if not utterly ridiculous, her behaviour was. But, reading this book, I felt a certain creeping feeling of respect for her as well, for for fighting for her rights, for living as she chose, for so boldly refusing to sit quietly and know her place.

[Aria Ligi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is overall a well written book, except there are every so often flaws in syntax; meaning that one is reading and suddenly a sentence does not make sense at all. This is sad as a good proof reader could have easily avoided this. Though the text is voluminous, and minute mistakes like these can plague manuscripts, one would think that it would behoove the author, editors, proof readers and publishers to make sure that their product is up to scratch.
On the story itself, Fraser does an okay job, but it is clear that she struggled with making her subject a) human and b) sympathetic. This may seem odd, yet while she shows how Princess and later Queen Caroline, was maligned by Prince George and late King George IV, she does not portray her beyond being reckless, silly and vapid. We do not get a sense as to who this woman really was, and why so many people really loved her. Much time is spent on all of the accusations, her unwillingness to kowtow to the times and the court, the various men she slept with, but again, there is little in terms of depth when it comes to her person. What happens is that they come off is players within a drama, rather than people who lived and moved and breathed. There is evidence that she was not only a prop for the radicals, but in touch with many of them. Did they have correspondence with her? While she destroyed all of this evidence, did they? And if they did not, could this have been unearthed? Were there letters for instance between her and Sir Walter Scott? When you have ladies such as Lady Caroline Lamb riding in the rain for the Queen during her trial, and Lady Caroline was very political, then surely there had to be more to the story.
On the personal side, given that her Italian was not that polished, what were her letters like to Pergami? Do they survive? What did his daughter, who she left the estate to, think of her? Did she write anything of substance? These are just some thoughts, but the point is so much time was spent on the Delicate Investigation and the trial, that the woman herself, was left in the shadows. She was surely, given her bravery, more than a silly woman, therefore doesn't it seem imperative that this is shown? I would beg Fraser to go back, rewrite this, especially for errors in syntax, and then do further research on the woman herself. Moreover, as an aside, I think it would be interesting and lend some flavor to it, as well as gain her some modern readers, if she took the tack of comparing her situation to Princess Diana, and Prince Charles, who were also the Prince and Princess of Wales. Their turbulent relationship and that of Caroline and George, have some striking similarities. In any event, Caroline needs to be further fleshed out, as a being that lived; surely she is owed this much.

[The Wee Hen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad book and it's not really Flora Fraser's fault that I didn't like anybody. I wanted to love Caroline of Brunswick, I truly did. She was very hard done by her family in raising her and her husband in marrying her. Never really afforded an ounce of respect by the royal family (except, curiously, for the King who seemed to take a shine to her early on) she was definitely the injured wife she is described as. And yet, she was a silly woman, a rather senseless woman without any real grace, intelligence, savvy or charm. She galivanted around the continent, spending English money far too freely and imposed herself upon people who wanted nothing to do with her. She only came back to England because of wounded pride and would have been better off staying put in Europe with her traveling band of strange Italians. When she did return she played politics by working on the public's naive support to fight against George IV and his tory ministers' campaign against her. She didn't give a fig for the common people or for the Radicals; it was all so much hot air simply to get her own way. In the end both Caroline and George IV were unlikeable and I had trouble feeling sympathy for either of them. Frankly I find almost all the Hanoverians rotten and selfish but they do make for some scandalously good reading. I was disappointed that the relationship between Caroline and Lady Hamilton was not discussed more as I quite enjoyed that section of "Ladies in Waiting" featuring these two but there was very little there. If you are a junkie for this period of English history or Women's History I recommend the book but don't bother plowing through it if this stuff doesn't thrill you.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Caroline of Brunswick, "the injured Queen of England" and wife of George IV, certainly had a turbulent life. Married off to her first cousin the Prince of Wales, she had one of the worst marriages in history (to a King that would rather cancel his own coronation rather than have to see her there), was the mother of a child who was taken away from her and died tragically in childbirth, was the subject of secret investigations and had to undergo a trial on her supposed infidelities.

I loved Flora Fraser's "Princesses", and was really excited to read her biography on Caroline. However, I had a hard time with it. Fraser's research is amazing, but I felt like I was reading a list of events rather than a study of Caroline's life. I know where each Lord was sitting during the Queen's trial, but not much about her personality. I know the names of each maid Caroline ever had, but not really what her relationship with her daughter Charlotte was like, or even how she felt to be constantly mistreated by her husband. Plus the writing overall was incredibly dry.

Some parts - especially Caroline's life in Brunswick and her early marriage and separation and then her trial - were great, but unfortunately I just couldn't get into most of the story afterwards.

[Eva · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a really hard time getting into this book. Nothing against Flora Fraser- I'd recently read her book about the 6 daughters of George III and she is a superb biographer. I just think that the life of Queen Caroline was hugely marred by the politics of her time. Her sham of a marriage to the Prince of Wales (later George IV) forced government intervention and instead of getting into and understanding the circumstances of the days, my eyes glazed over with the mentions of Dukes, servants, politicians and lovers. I get the same reaction from reading about military strategy. I'm glad I read it but it took me forever.

[Trude · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm marking this as "read" because although I'm only 100 pages in, I'm putting it down. As someone who had to write a history thesis in college, I'm amazed at how many unattributed quotes are in this book! Not to mention obscure references that go unexplained, which the average reader would have to research in order to understand. I'm severely disappointed by this book. If you want to read about queens, try Antonia Fraser.

[Nadine · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading Fraser's wonderful "the Six Daughter's of George III" I was surprised that this book was a little harder to get through. There isn't much attaching you to the story of Caroline ... she was mistreated and she acted wrecklessly (for someone in the royal family), but other than that there isn't much story. The names were a bit confusing as well. I found it to be an interesting read nonetheless giving some insight into another royal figure of the past.

[Jodi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Flora Fraser's book "Princesses," about the sisters of George IV. I read this one about Caroline, the wife of George IV, as an obvious follow-up. I thought the overall story was interesting, but the historical narrative (details of Caroline's travels, details of the divorce hearings in the House of Lords) was dry. I found it more educational than entertaining.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book after renting the movie "The Madness of King George." The Caroline in question is the acknowledge wife of the ne'er-do-well Prince of Wales portrayed by Rupert Everett in the film. Intrigue, court politics and smear campaigns abound in this biography. Caroline is brought into the marriage to provide a legitimate heir, but is quickly pushed aside by her husband, who has been "unofficially" married to a Catholic (thereby unsuitable) woman. It is impossible not to draw comparisons to Charles and Diana. In fact, I'm sure the publisher was counting on it for book sales. Frasier, the daughter of noted biographer Antonia Frasier, is a compelling writer, aptly incorporating historic fact and primary source material into her narrative. There are even political cartoons of the day lampooning the sordid lives of the royal family. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

[Helen Azar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice biography of the much maligned Queen Caroline, the consort of George IV... A sympathetic account of her as a human being, which presents her as a sensitive woman and a far cry from the parody she tended to be often presented as.

[Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting bookand well researched - but at 3/4 of of the way through it was a pretty tough slog. Excruciating details on the actions of the House of Commons around 1820 caused my mind to wander. No doubt about itCaroline got a bum deal - it's not always good to be Queen!

[₵oincidental Ðandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The acrimonious marriage of Queen Caroline & George IV makes that of the most recent Prince & Princess of Wales seem like child's play; One can't help contrasting & comparing the two while reading this book.

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the story of Queen Caroline's life would be interesting. Unfortunately, Flora Fraser's telling of the story was far from interesting. I was ready to be done with this book about 150 pages prior to it ending on page 466.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

An average biography, but an interesting subject.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

The affairs! The divorce! The continental travels with sleazy lovers followed by an unexpectedly early death! The DPOW of her time!

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The life and drama of the Prince of Wales (George IV) and Caroline of Brunswick makes the current generations of Hanovers in British royalty look calm and staid. A good book.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm afraid I only read 44% of this book. This is an era in which I have a particular interest but I found this book quite disappointing.

While the author clearly disapproves of the Caroline, George IV's Queen Consort, there is little evidence of actual critical thinking. A good biography has to be more than the reporting of the events of a life and what other people have written about that life. What is the context in which those critical opinions are developed and embedded? What would a modern person think of that critique and how relevant would it be?

Princess Caroline was brought up in a particular context in middle Europe. It clearly gave her little preparation to be married to George, Prince of Wales, later the Prince Regent and then King George IV. No one can doubt from the plethora of contemporary evidence, and modern reviews, the Prince/Regent/King was an intelligent man capable of great charm but had little care for others and was self-centred to an almost dangerous degree.
While the author records opinions regarding this, there is little discussion of this or the xenophobia of the English population, which is even deeper among the Haut Ton; the highest echelon of society. Although there is an acknowlegement of the French Revolution, followed by the Napoleonic Wars, there is no discussion of how these titanic wider issues may have impacted upon the English opinions of the Princess.

Furthermore, although the book is peppered with citations making it appear to be a scholarly work, the author frequently makes assumptions about the Princess' behaviour or motivations, and those of others such as her daughter, the Princess Charlotte, towards her, based on the writing of a single author, even if that author clearly has murky or negative motivations for their opinions.

As I was already aware of many of the larger looming events of the Princess's life and the attitudes of the British public and the haute monde towards her, I was keen to know more about the details and to develop a more nuanced understanding of how she lived affected her world and vice versa. After 340 something pages, I don't think this is the book to provide that nuanced understanding.

[Sarah W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, I wouldn't select Caroline of Brunswick to be my best friend. Still, the literal trial she faced from an adulterous husband who had the gall to accuse her of adultery after making her life miserable for over twenty years has enough sexist undertones to make me furious. Caroline and her husband George IV of Great Britain (perhaps better known as the Prince Regent) are both frustrating figures. Temperamentally unsuited to each other, the couple managed to not get along in a rather spectacular fashion. This biography of Queen Caroline chronicles the struggles of that unhappy marriage against the background of Europe during the Napoleonic wars. The era is fascinating and Caroline's story is but one of many interesting tales to emerge from the early nineteenth century. If you're intrigued as I am about this period, this is definitely a good book to read.

[Patrice Doten · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extensive, balanced, exhaustive account of Queen Caroline's early life, disastrous marriage to the horrid Prinny, scandalous travels abroad, trial, and eventual death. She's not a person for whom I can feel a lot of sympathy, but there's no doubt she was treated monstrously by her husband and his government, once he became Regent (and, later, king). She'd likely have become much more respectable had she been shown more kindness and attention by those whose duty it was to provide.

The text, because it's so thorough, is fairly dense, so probably not ideal for readers wanting an overview or quick read. But it's relatively approachable for all that and has an excellent bibliography. I enjoyed and recommend it for anyone interested in this part of British history and not intimidated by scholarly works.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this biography while watching season 4 of "The Crown" was a good reminder that there was a worse match in the history of the Princes and Princesses of Wales than Charles and Diana, and it was that of George III's son and heir to Caroline of Brunswick.

So the premise of this biography of Caroline was good, but the author could have down with 100 fewer pages to tell the story, and not get as bogged down in the various accusations the Prince of Wales / Prince Regent / George IV brought against his wife in vain attempts to get rid of her. Most made for tedious reading, although the fact that Caroline was being used as a pawn in the political rivalry between Tories and Whigs was in and of itself interesting.

[Andrew Knowles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a detailed account of the life and loves of Caroline of Brunswick, wife of the George, Prince of Wales, later Prince Regent and George IV.

It opens at the end, with a detailed description of her attempts to enter Westminster Abbey for the coronation of her husband, George IV. She failed, and died just a few weeks later.

The book details her life, from childhood in Germany through to her escape into Europe where she lived for many years. It details the Delicate Investigation into her love life, and her trial in the House of Lords. George IV wanted the marriage dissolved, but this never happened.

The battle between Caroline and her husband was an ongoing saga throughout the Regency period, providing plenty of colourful material for the media of the day.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Caroline, quite the tragic figure in a way although, she was able to live part of her life on her own terms. Fraser, provides a well-researched and primary source-documented book on Caroline blemishes and all. Anyone interested in Regency English history would enjoy this book.

[Felicity · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this is the slowest I have ever read a book. It is...fine. I usually love historical biographies but there is a significant over emphasis on excessive citations etc, to the detriment of telling what should be an utterly fascinating and compelling story.

[Lorrie Dewar]

This was a mostly fun book to read. After her husband, George IV, mentally divorced her, she was determined to live her life the way she wanted. There were sad moments, but mostly the ways she got back at her husband.

[Jerry Landry · Rating 4 out of 5]

While a little dry at times for the casual reader, this was a fascinating book on an interesting Queen of England (albeit to the reluctance of her husband) that I had heard nothing about previously. If you're interested in British royal history, this might be one that you'll want to check out.

[Julian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting, she was a colourful and much misunderstood character. George IV comes out of it with no glory at all. Very thoroughly researched in detail and objectively written.

[Chels S]

Exhaustive account of wicked people's boring escapades.

[Ken Sampson · Rating 4 out of 5]

[18 Aug 1999] An interesting and informative read.

[Carolyn Ogle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A long book that takes time to read but fascinating insight into the life and times of this Queen overlapping with notes of o- level political history!

[Betty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Incredibly well researched... maybe even too much detail.