The Changing Nature of the British Monarchy, 1784–1810

Abstract

Many of the qualities which contributed towards more sympathetic internal perceptions of the British monarchy during the latter years of George Ill’s reign were already in place before 1784 or even before 1760.¹ A good case can be made for the view that the espousal of domestic virtues, the association with charitable causes and greater accessibility to a wider public without any sacrifice of dignity had already been begun by Frederick, Prince of Wales. No doubt George Ill’s identification with some of the qualities which had been credited to his father helped to explain the displays of popular goodwill which accompanied his accession. Whether Prince Frederick as King would have fulfilled these expectations, or disappointed those who invested high hopes in him, must remain — as with James I’s eldest son Prince Henry or even with Edward VIII — a matter for speculation. However, by the mid-1760s there is evidence that George Ill’s early popularity had faded and that — especially in London — he had become a much more controversial figure. Only with the general election of 1784 was it clear that the King had recovered much of the reputation for virtue which he brought to the throne in 1760. But his post-1784 popularity was of a qualitatively different order from that of 1760. At the beginning of his reign he could pose as the ‘patriot’ king, above party, faction or interest group; he had little known political ‘form’.