Marriage of George, Prince of Wales, and Caroline of Brunswick
- When
- 1794–1796
- Where
- Brunswick and Britain (diplomatic context); Brunswick and Cuxhaven; Chapel Royal, St James's Palace, London; London, following the wedding; Carlton House, London
- Episodes
- 5
On 8 April 1795 George, Prince of Wales, married his first cousin Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace. The match followed a 1794 engagement and parliamentary pressure over George's debts, but the union quickly failed: the couple separated after the birth of Princess Charlotte in 1796.
Episodes
- Engagement of George and Caroline
Caroline was engaged in 1794 to her first cousin George, Prince of Wales, whom she had never met, deemed a Protestant of royal birth.
- Caroline's Voyage to Britain
Lord Malmesbury arrived at Brunswick in November 1794 to escort Caroline; she left Cuxhaven aboard the Jupiter on 28 March 1795.
- Marriage at the Chapel Royal
George and Caroline married on 8 April 1795 at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace, London, after the Prince acquiesced to his father's condition.
- Wedding Night Accounts
George wrote of conquering his aversion to Caroline's person; Caroline claimed he was drunk and passed the bridal night under the grate.
- Birth of Princess Charlotte and Separation
Caroline bore Princess Charlotte at Carlton House on 7 January 1796; the couple were formally separated after the birth and lived apart thereafter.
Background and detail
Background. Caroline, daughter of Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, and Princess Augusta of Great Britain, was engaged in 1794 to her first cousin George, Prince of Wales, whom she had never met. She seemed eminently suitable: a Protestant of royal birth whose marriage would ally Brunswick and Britain. George III refused to aid his son's mounting debts unless he married Caroline.
Journey and Wedding. Lord Malmesbury arrived at Brunswick on 20 November 1794 to escort Caroline to Britain; she and Malmesbury left Cuxhaven aboard the Jupiter on 28 March 1795. Caroline and George were married on 8 April 1795 at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace, London.
Aftermath. The marriage was unhappy from the outset: George wrote of conquering his aversion, and Caroline claimed he spent much of the bridal night drunk under the grate. Gossip about the troubled union circulated, and after the birth of their only child, Princess Charlotte, at Carlton House on 7 January 1796, the couple formally separated and lived apart thereafter.
People involved
- George, Prince of Wales · Groom; eldest son and heir apparent of George III, later King George IV
- Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel · Bride; princess of Brunswick and George's first cousin, later Queen consort
- Lord Malmesbury · Envoy who escorted Caroline from Brunswick to Britain
- George III · King of Great Britain whose refusal to pay his son's debts prompted the marriage
Sources
- Caroline of Brunswick Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-22
- George IV Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-23
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.