This Guy Sucked George IV with Madeleine Pelling
Dec 25, 2025
Cultural historian Madeleine Pelling joins to delve into the tumultuous life of George IV, exploring why his extravagance and failures paint a portrait of toxic masculinity. From his scandalous secret marriage to Maria Fitzherbert to his disastrous union with Caroline of Brunswick, she highlights George's obsession with image and public scandal. Madeleine also critiques his tone-deaf cultural insensitivity during his Scotland tour and connects his reign to broader themes of power and male leadership, showing how history repeats itself.
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Party Prince Over Statesman
- George IV embodied the 'party prince' stereotype who neglected royal duty for self-fashioning and pleasure.
- Madeleine Pelling argues his decade-long regency revealed a habit of privileging personal image over governance.
Secret Marriage That Sparked Scandal
- George secretly married Maria Fitzherbert in breach of the Royal Marriages Act, creating a national scandal and lifelong shadow.
- Madeleine Pelling explains the illegal marriage ruined Maria's prospects and intensified public distrust of George.
Disastrous Marriage To Caroline
- George's arranged 1795 marriage to Caroline of Brunswick was a catastrophe from the first meeting and they quickly separated.
- Madeleine Pelling recounts their drunken wedding, humiliating consummation, and decades-long estrangement.