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  William, Duke of Clarence, also William IV, King of Britain and Ireland (1765–1837): A midshipman in the navy at the age of thirteen, the Duke of Clarence eventually became in turn rear admiral, vice admiral, admiral and finally, in 1811, admiral of the fleet. Like many of his brothers he was terrible with money and his private life was not exemplary, although he was devoted to his mistress, the actress Mrs Jordan, with whom he had ten illegitimate children known as the FitzClarences. She died in 1816 and, after Princess Charlotte’s death in 1817, the Duke joined the rush to provide a new heir to the throne, marrying Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen in 1818 in a childless but happy union. Known as the ‘Royal Tar’ and ‘old Tarry Breeks’, the Duke was often vulgar, thought nothing of talking aloud during church and swore like a trooper, but he was also affable and unpretentious and generally well-liked. In 1830 he became King William IV, the ‘sailor king’, and in many respects proved to be a surprisingly able monarch.

  Edward, Duke of Kent (1767–1820): Like his brother Frederick, the Duke of Kent also went into the army but proved so pedantic that he caused a mutiny in Gibraltar. He was recalled from the post and promoted to field marshal. After Princess Charlotte’s death he ended relations with his mistress of twenty-seven years, Madame St Laurent, and married Victoria of Saxe-Coburg with whom, in 1819, he fathered the new heir to the throne, Princess Victoria.

  Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (1771–1851): Trained in the Hanoverian army, the Duke of Cumberland saw much active service and eventually transferred to the British army where he became a field marshal. A brave and able commander, he lost an eye during a battle in 1794 which did not help to endear him to a public already inclined to dislike him. His popularity in Britain was not helped by rumours that he had murdered his valet and fathered a child on his sister Sophia. In 1837 he became King of Hanover by right of heredity and enjoyed popular support in that kingdom until the end of his life.

  Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex (1773–1843): More interested in books and music than most of his siblings, Sussex was a placid individual, though a staunch liberal and a kind uncle. When his niece, Princess Charlotte, fled from Carlton House to her mother’s residence at Connaught Place, after refusing to marry the Prince of Orange, Sussex responded immediately to her cry for help and played a conciliating and supportive role in resolving the issue.

  Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (1774–1850): The youngest of seven sons, Cambridge was also in the military, though with a less colourful career than any of his brothers. Conservative in both his domestic life and his politics, unlike his brothers, Cambridge was restrained in his spending and eschewed keeping a mistress. He did, however, scramble to marry and produce an heir after the death of Princess Charlotte, marrying Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassell with whom he had two daughters and a son.

  Octavius (1779–1783): His father, George III, said of him, ‘There will be no heaven for me if Octavius is not there.’ Died in infancy.

  Alfred (1780–1782): He died in infancy.

  Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg (1790–1865): Leopold first came to England in 1814 as part of the Russian royal entourage visiting for the Peace Celebrations. A younger son of Prince Francis of Saxe-Coburg, he was a pleasant, serious and handsome man whose lack of fortune did not initially recommend him to the Regent as a suitable husband for his daughter Charlotte. The couple were married in 1816, however, and Leopold was devastated by Charlotte’s death the following year. He remained in England for many years but in 1831 was elected King of Belgium. He eventually married Marie-Louise of Orléans, daughter of Louis Philippe of France.

  Princess Charlotte and Prince Leopold.

  Charlotte Augusta Matilda, the Princess Royal (1766–1828): Known in the family as the Princess Royal (to avoid confusion with her mother from whom she took her name), Princess Charlotte was a shy, quiet woman who endured a constricted childhood in the strait-laced royal household dominated by her dictatorial mother and conservative father. Neither of her parents encouraged her to marry and denied her the opportunity to do so, despite offers from scions of several royal houses. Eventually in 1797, after much delay, she was finally allowed to wed the Prince of Württemberg.

  Princess Augusta Sophia (1768–1840): Princess Augusta was a lively and engaging child who captured the affections of those who knew her. She suffered from her parents’ repressive attitudes, however, and her hopes for marriage and an independent life were blighted when she fell in love with an English army officer. They never married but maintained a relationship until her lover’s death in 1828.

  Princess Elizabeth (1770–1840): Known to her sisters as ‘Fatima’ because of her liking for food, Princess Elizabeth was a plump, spirited young woman who was often ill as a child and probably suffered from a milder form of the family malady. She wanted to be married, but a promising relationship with Louis Philippe, the exiled eldest son of the Duke of Orléans was thwarted by the Queen. She eventually married Frederick, Prince of Hesse-Homburg, established a new home in Europe and lived happily ever after with ‘her Fritz’.

  Princess Mary (1776–1857): Generally held to be the beauty of the family and known as ‘dearest Minny’, Princess Mary was a much-loved and caring sister. She was a comfort to her mother which may have been why, of all the royal sisters, Mary gained the Queen’s approval of her marriage to her cousin William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester (illegitimate son of George III’s brother). Mary was the longest-lived of George III’s children; she attended the Great Exhibition of 1851, knew all of Queen Victoria’s offspring, and died at the age of eighty.

  Princess Sophia (1777–1848): Another of the royal sisters to suffer from the family malady was Princess Sophia. Intelligent and beautiful, she never married. Sophia suffered bouts of ill health and depression throughout her life yet, although she was disliked by her mother, her sweet disposition made her the favourite of many.

  Princess Amelia (1783–1810): The youngest of fifteen, Princess Amelia was born after her brothers Octavius and Alfred, both of whom died in infancy. Loved by everyone, she was her father’s favourite and her death in 1810 was believed to have contributed to the King’s final descent into madness.

  INFLUENTIAL WOMEN

  Jane Austen (1775–1817): An English novelist, Austen was born in Steventon, Hampshire, the second youngest of seven siblings. Her father was rector at Steventon where they lived until she was twenty-five after which the family moved to Bath and then Chawton. Austen began writing as a child and developed a keen eye for human foibles and the vagaries of English class and society. Her incisive and witty novels about ordinary people have made her one of the world’s best-known authors. Four of her six novels were published anonymously before her death in 1817 and the last two appeared posthumously in 1818. Austen died in her sister Cassandra’s arms in Winchester on 18 July 1817.

  Jane Austen.

  Frances (Fanny) Burney, Madame D’Arblay (1752–1840): English novelist and dramatist Fanny Burney’s first novel, Evelina, was published anonymously in 1778. Her father was a music historian and composer whose ambitions caused him to press his daughter to accept a position in the royal household where she served as second keeper of the robes to Queen Charlotte until ill health forced her to retire. In 1793 she married a French refugee, General D’Arblay, and travelled with him to France. The D’Arblays were interned by Napoleon from 1802 to 1812 and were in Brussels during the Battle of Waterloo, accounts of which may be read in her well-known Diaries. Madame D’Arblay spent some time in Bath where Fanny, Lady Spenborough, encountered her buying ribbons in a shop in Gay Street in Bath Tangle.

  Fanny Burney.

  Mary Anne Clarke (1776–1852): Beautiful and determined, Mary Anne Clarke was the daughter of a London stonemason and became mistress to the Duke of York. He established her in a house in Gloucester Place but also made available a second house at Weybridge—not far from Oatlands where he spent weekends with his wife. The cost of keeping up two households far exceeded her annual £1,000 allowance s