On our Royal and political London walks we pass St James’s Palace and we take a walk through St James’s Square. Both of these feature in the story we tell about one of the early Hanoverians - Frederick Prince of Wales.
It was quite common amongst the Hanoverians for the eldest son to hate his father and for the father to reciprocate these feelings of loathing. What made Frederick unique was that, in addition to his father detesting him, most of the other members of his family hated him as well!
According to his father, George 11, “My dear first-born is the greatest ass, and the greatest liar, and the greatest canaille, and the greatest beast in the whole world, and I heartily wish he was out of it.” Queen Caroline, Frederick’s mother, shared her husband’s, opinion of their child.
In all fairness Frederick wasn’t that bad. He had a certain charm about him,was fond of music and the arts and, generally speaking, was a good husband to his wife Augusta, a sister of the Duke of Saxe-Gotha.
George II deliberately kept his son short of money, and would not allow him to take part in public life. HOwever, in the end Frederick had as big a political following in England as his father.
When George I came to England with his son, Prince George, young Frederick was left in Hanover to represent the Elector and his family. Even though they were apart father and son quarrelled.
Frederick, or “Fritz,” as he was called, had always understood that one day he would marry Sophia Dorothea Wilhelmina, the Princess Royal of Prussia. He was eager for the marriage to take place, but Frederick William of Prussia, who regarded George II as “a comedian,” opposed the match.
George II, who called the Prussian “the Archbeadle of the Holy Roman Empire,” was equally against the alliance. Frederick had the utmost contempt for this quarrel between the two fathers, and blamed his own.
Frederick came to England in 1728, and was soon popular with the English people. He actually received a greater welcome than was usually accorded to his father.
Fritz soon forgot his love for Sophia in the whirl of English politics. He found himself the tool of the opposition to Robert Walpole’s administration. The crafty politicians fanned the flames of the young man’s hatred for his father, and actually approved of the petty annoyances to which he sub¬jected his father and mother.
The Prince’s greatest friend was George Doddington, afterwards Lord Melcombe, who induced him to establish a Court in opposition to his father. Assisted by the Whigs Pulteney, Carteret, Chesterfield and Cobham, and the Tories Bolingbroke and Wyndham, Fritz contrived one intrigue after another to undermine his father’s position.
One section of society installed Fritz as the patron of literature, another ruse that widened the breach between father and son, for the King had a contempt for literature.
The poet Pope wrote verses about the Prince’s dog, and Bolingbroke composed for his future guidance “The Patriot King.’ Pitt had an office in the Prince’s household, and his maiden speech
When the King and Queen began to patronize Handel, who was producing operas at the Haymarket, Fritz went into opposition and gave his support to Buononcini whose operas were being performed at Lincoln’s Inn Fields.
Society took sides, each side supporting its particular champion.
George II was often away at Hanover, and it was during those periods that Fritz took an opportunity to make himself still more popular with Londoners.
A big fire occurred in the Temple. Frederick promptly got out of bed and directed the work of the fire-fighters. The crowd were so impressed that they shouted “Crown him!”
The Prince, becoming more and more concerned about his debts, approached his father and demanded an allowance of £100,000. George II offered £5o,000. Fritz appealed to Parliament, and the motion for the addition was lost through the secession of some Tories who had promised him their support.
Then occurred one of the most discreditable of the Prince’s actions.He was so indignant at the refusal to grant him the £100,000 that he hurried off to Hampton Court, his parent’s residence, and carried off his wife —then about to give birth to a child — to St. James’s Palace. His object was to prevent the baby being born in the presence of the Queen.
When the full story of this episode was told, London did not approve of what Fritz had done. There was no provision at St. James’s Palace for the princess, who had to be put to bed without proper sheets, tablecloths being used instead,
When the Queen at last went to see her grandchild she was led to exclaim : “God bless you, poor little creature, you have come into a disagreeable world.”
Whether it was remorse or whether Frederick merely desired to impress the crowds is not certain, but on the occasion of the Queen’s visit he knelt down in the mud at St. James’s to ask her blessing.
The ill-temper of the Prince gradually disgusted many of his political supporters. Bolingbroke even apologized to the King for his son’s actions.
But George would, accept no excuses and ordered Frederick to leave St. James’s Palace for Norfolk House, which stood in St James’s Square, the site of which we cover on our Piccadilly London walk. His ‘friends were also banned from the Court.
Frederick died suddenly on March 20th 1751, due, it is believed, to an abscess caused by the blow of a tennis ball.
There was no pomp at the funeral in Henry VIPs Chapel, at Westminster Abbey. There was no organ, no anthem.
The country as a whole had tired of his squabbles with his father and only thwits gave him any form of epitaph with the lines:
Here lies poor Fred
who was alive and is dead
there’s no more to be said.
Tags: Frederick Prince of Wales, George 11, Hampton Court, Hanoverians, London walks, Norfolk House, Royal London, St James's Palace
