From the first biography of George IV in 1831 to the
last in 2001, Mad King George's son has commonly been
held up to ridicule as a weak, selfish, and incompetent
spendthrift, barely tolerated by his ministers, loathed
by most of his family, and dependent on the emotional
support of grasping mistresses. However, acclaimed
historian Tom Ambrose--author of ''Godfather of the
Revolution: The Life of Phillipe Egalite, Duc
D'Orleans''--has uncovered new details on ''Prinny''
that suggests that, for all his faults, George IV just
may have been the most humane and amusing of all British
monarchs, notwithstanding his love of the high life.
Central to the story is the vast array of friends that
populate a remarkable reign as Prince Regent and King.
If Prinny, as they knew him, was so grotesquely foolish,
how did he amass such a fascinating (and loyal) group of
friends? Could any other British ruler count among his
friends the country's most brilliant playwright (Richard
Sheridan), or the wiliest statesman (Charles Fox), or
the greatest political philosopher (Edmund Burke), not
to mention perhaps the biggest loveable rogues' gallery
London ever saw? The truth was that Prinny's occasional
buffoonery and imposing girth made him the perfect
target for political satirists and cartoonists--at their
zenith during his reign--and his high qualities have
been consistently overlooked. This warm, funny, and
affectionate portrait displays George at his very best:
delighting some of the finest minds of his generation,
easily winning over his subjects and his family as well
as treating his lovers with care and concern--and
roistering with all his pals. |
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