Perdita's Prince

Georgian Saga #6

by Jean Plaidy

George III, fighting madness and the loss of the American colonies, has a domestic crisis as well. The 17-year-old Prince of Wales, fighting the puritanical decorum of his parents' court, is about to begin his career of womanizing, gambling and consorting with the king's political enemies.

At the Drury Lane Theatre, the prince is enchanted by popular actress Mary Robinson in the role of Perdita in "A Winter's Tale." Although she is older, married and a mother, the Prince sets her up as his mistress. Mary has had many adventures, and is not averse to the attentions of the young price despite much opposition from those around them.

Like most royal scandals however, the affair doesn't last. George has no notion of fidelity and soon loses interest in her, but she won't let him escape without a fight. The affair is used to advantage by the King's political opponents, while the Prince moves on to newer, more flamboyant dalliances, happily anticipating the unbridled indulgence his 21st birthday will permit.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, 18th Century, Romance, Royalty, Novels

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Eleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt (56 million) and Philippa Carr (3 million). Lesser known were the novels Hibbert published under her maiden name Eleanor Burford, or the pseudonyms of Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow and Ellalice Tate. Many of her readers under one penname never suspected her other identities.
-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Christine Cazeneuve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now if you read my reviews, than you know that Jean Plaidy is my favorite historical fiction author. This book is the 6th in the Georgian Saga series. Although it's titled Perdita's Prince - which would make one believe it is about the future George IV - it is more about Perdita (Mary Robinson who was a play actress). Some reviewers complained that Plaidy repeats herself in this book (and others as well). I believe it is so that each book could be read as a standalone (also imagine when you were reading the series when written and had to wait in between books!). I don't mind it at all. So let's get to the three rating - highly unusual for me for a Plaidy book. I just couldn't connect well with this one. I want to read about the Prince of Wales (afterall it's what the series is to be about) and not the trials and tribulations of his mistress. Perhaps if I liked Perdita it might have made a difference. On to book #7.

[Lisa Bywell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regency excellence.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Story


The 6th book in Plaidy's Georgian series, Perdita's Prince deals with the brief affair between the actress Mary Robinson (known as `Perdita' for her most famous role, in The Winter's Tale) and George IV, then still Prince of Wales.



The Good


Plaidy's fluid, easy-to-read style are on display here, and there are some memorable characterizations and vignettes.



The Bad


The storyline is pretty thin. I got the impression that Plaidy had little affinity for her main character, finding her a bit of a vain and self-centred poseur.Maybe because of this, the story goes off on too many tangents - one minute we're reading about Richard Brinsley Sheridan, the next about Charles James Fox, the next about Queen Charlotte, the next... well, you get the picture. And nobody is up to much.

The same can be said of the epilogue, which covers - in a very few pages - the rest of Perdita's life after the end of her most famous affair. It feels like a Cliff's notes summary of the action and could have been eliminated entirely.



Historical Accuracy


There are a number of little inaccuracies (for instance, Banastre Tarleton didn't become a general until quite late in his relationship with Robinson) and one very odd choice. Plaidy has Elizabeth Armitstead serving as Perdita's personal maid through most of the book. It's well attested that Armitstead started off as a courtesan, was very successful at it, made a fortune, had a brief career as an actress, and ended her life married to politician Charles James Fox. Although there was a rumor to the effect that she had begun her career as a dresser either to Perdita or the actress Frances Abington, by the time Perdita became the mistress of the Prince of Wales she was already well-established in her own right as a high class courtesan /actress/political-hostess-of-a-sort. Plaidy's decision to have her as a sly, conniving lady's maid is therefore bizarre, and serves the sole purpose of adding an unnecessary and implausible secondary character to the story.

[Kellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy Jean Plaidy’s books, I have copies of almost all of them. I do wish she had not repeated herself so much. Many books tell the same stories over again and repeat what she’s written in a previous book. This one repeated much of what she wrote in The Third George. She also gets stuck on trivia...how many times do we have to read a character was known for her long eyelashes or that Queen Charlotte had a wide mouth? That being said, I do like her writing style for the most part.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read dozens of historical fiction by Jean Plaidy. This is one that I did not enjoy. I'm determined to read all of them so, I finished it. It had way too little history and way too much about the Prince of Wales' personal relationships. It was really about Perdita not 'Perdita's Prince' as the title indicates.

[Patricia Reynolds. candy Buckmaster. Josie Webber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jean Plaidy is a little old fashioned

Once you get past this though she gives a great depiction of our history. I have already downloaded the next in the series. If you plan to read them all there is a box set

[Lynn Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

George III, fighting madness and the loss of the American colonies, has a domestic crisis as well. The 17-year-old Prince of Wales, fighting the puritanical decorum of his parents' court, is about to begin his career of womanizing, gambling and consorting with the king's political enemies.

At the Drury Lane Theatre, the prince is enchanted by popular actress Mary Robinson in the role of Perdita in "A Winter's Tale." Although she is older, married and a mother, the Prince sets her up as his mistress.
Like most royal scandals however, the affair doesn't last. George has no notion of fidelity and soon loses interest in her, but she won't let him escape without a fight. The affair is used to advantage by the King's political opponents, while the Prince moves on to newer, more flamboyant dalliances.

I am not a fan of George IV and this has not altered my view of him either. He is a spoilt, selfish egoist who has no respect for his parents and regularly spits his dummy out! I felt for Queen Charlotte who clearly continued to love her eldest son despite his contempt for her. His only interest in politics was about what the opposition party could do for him in relation to removing power from his father to himself. He had no political insight or intelligence in my view.