By the end of 1810, Britain stood at a crossroads. King George III, after 50 years on the throne, had descended into permanent insanity. His son, George, Prince of Wales, was subsequently appointed as Prince Regent under the Regency Act of 1811. This marked the beginning of a period that became one of the most fascinating and transformative in British history. The Regency era was a time of flourishing art and culture, with literary icons such as Jane Austen and William Wordsworth, and artists such as John Constable, creating some of their most memorable works. Meanwhile, the Prince Regent’s lavish and scandalous lifestyle embodied the spirit of the age, known for its dazzling balls, elegant fashion and romance. Yet, behind all this glitz and glamour, the nation grappled with political turmoil, domestic discontent, war and a thriving criminal underworld. In the Book of Regency Britain, join us as we delve into the complex reality of this iconic and intriguing era.
WELCOME TO REGENCY BRITAIN
THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE • King George III, remembered as the Mad King, lost his wits and his power, launching Great Britain into a glittering Regency
The Modern Diagnosis • Modern doctors have their own thoughts on exactly what caused King George III’s madness
THE PRINCE OF PLEASURE • The Prince Regent, later King George IV, left a legacy characterised by greed and laziness, yet his reign also saw a flourishing in the worlds of art and culture
The Dandy and the Regent
THE QUEEN OF HEARTS • When the Prince of Wales married Caroline of Brunswick, things started badly and went swiftly downhill!
The Lost Princess • When the ill-fated couple’s only child died, even that became a weapon for the Prince of Wales
Non Mi Recordo • Being the star witness in a case of royal divorce isn’t all fun and games
THE ORIGINAL PEOPLE’S PRINCESS • Nearly 200 years before Princess Diana, another princess symbolised the cult of celebrity, with both her short life and untimely death obsessed over by the press
The common touch • Did a shepherd really write a poem about Princess Charlotte?
Arranging a marriage • Charlotte’s love life intrigued the press, but infuriated her father
HOW TO ‘MAKE IT’ IN REGENCY LONDON • Our guide to surviving the social season in one piece
BEHIND THE GLITZ AND GLAMOUR • Historian Catherine Curzon tells us what the social season was really like
RUNNING AWAY TO GRETNA GREEN • Why did Regency Britain see such a boom in elopements and what was the lure of Gretna Green?
REGENCY Style • Unravel the real-life fashions of the era
Neoclassicism and Fashion • How fashionable young men took their leads from the ancient past
“Regency With a Twist” • How do Netflix’s Bridgerton outfits compare to real Regency fashion?
SCANDAL, SATIRE AND THE PRESS • Uncover the rise of the press and tabloids in the Regency era
The Caricatures of George IV • No-one provided more material for Britain’s satirists than the Prince Regent himself
SEX, LIES AND DUELS • Welcome to the scandals that besmirched the great and good of Regency Britain
THE REGENCY UNDERWORLD • As populations boomed in a time with almost no official policing, a powder keg of crime exposed Regency Britain’s dark side
Snatching Bodies In Scotland • Uncover the gruesome and illicit profession of grave robbing
THE TORIES IN POWER • During the turbulent years of the Regency era, the Tories and the Whigs did battle across the Commons chamber
The Cato Street Conspiracy • In 1820, an audacious plot aimed to wipe out the Prime Minister and his cabinet
MURDER OF THE PRIME MINISTER • How Spencer Perceval lost his life at the hands of a calculated...