Scandal and Politics: In the News on September 5, 1820

In the year 1820, the Woodstock Observer was one of the major sources of news for the town of Woodstock. This weekly paper was only four pages in length, and on September 5, 1820, the first two pages of the paper were essentially devoted to one story – the royal scandal in Britain that had been brought to light through the introduction of the “Pains and Penalty” bill. 

It is perhaps not surprising that there would be such interest in British “affairs,” for at that time, many of those living in America had formerly been British subjects. Undoubtedly, many still felt a certain bond toward Britain, as well as a fascination with the country’s politics, particularly when those politics involved the royals, who were some of the most recognized celebrities of the day.

In 1820, King George III (who had been Britain’s monarch during the Revolutionary War) passed away. His son, Prince George, became King George IV, and his daughter in law, Caroline, became the queen consort. King George IV was not happy in his marriage, so at his behest the “Pains and Penalty” bill was introduced to the British Parliament in an attempt to circumvent the law and provide grounds for the King to divorce his wife.

Why was King George IV so determined to divorce Caroline? The problems for the couple began some twenty-five years earlier, in 1795, when Prince George married his first cousin Caroline of Brunswick. He had not met Caroline before and had only seen her picture in miniature. Upon meeting her, he was clearly displeased with the match; however, he was also deeply in debt and the marriage promised to provide monetary relief, so he went through with the marriage for financial and political reasons. Shortly after the couple’s marriage, it became increasingly obvious that the Prince was “entangled with a number of enchanting Circes who flitted about the Court of St. James,” and that he wanted to distance himself from his new wife.

Soon after the birth of the couple’s daughter in 1796, Caroline and George separated. In a letter to Caroline, George noted “nature has not made us suitable to each other. Tranquil and comfortable society is, however, in our power; let our intercourse, therefore, be restricted to that…” Caroline eventually left England and went to live in Continental Europe, where she established a life separate from that of her husband. This new life included a man of “lowly-birth” that she promoted to be the head of her household and with whom she supposedly had an affair.

After the death of King George III in January of 1820, Prince George became King George IV. As King, he refused to recognize Caroline as his queen and he tried to prevent her from being recognized as Britain’s queen in other countries as well. Caroline, aware of the changes to her status, returned to England. George was not pleased with her arrival and wanted a divorce. However, his advisors were concerned that any divorce proceedings would likely bring George’s adulterous indiscretions to light. Since he was unable to divorce his wife without one of them admitting to adultery, he tried instead to have his marriage to Caroline annulled and Caroline stripped of her title by introducing the “Pains and Penalties” bill. Through this bill, Parliament could impose penalties without a legal trial, thereby attempting to discredit Caroline while preventing the King’s behavior from being scrutinized.

For several weeks, in the Woodstock Observer, the press broadcast the Parliament’s proceedings and all the tawdry details that had been gathered by the King’s staff in an attempt to find cause and justify the King’s desire to have his marriage to Caroline annulled.

Ultimately, the King’s attempts to publicly discredit his wife backfired, as the British people were generally sympathetic with Caroline and disliked King George IV both because of his lavish spending and his treatment of his wife. Given the bill’s unpopularity and the possibility of failure, it was withdrawn. However, Caroline was barred from the coronation of her husband, which took place the following year in July of 1821. She fell ill and died a couple weeks after the ceremony. Although the cause of her death is unknown, there were rumors that she had been poisoned.

Portrait of Caroline in her wedding dress.