GEORGE (AUGUSTUS FREDERICK) IV., King of Great Britain, the eldest son of George III., was born on the 12th of August 1762, exactly forty-eight years (making allowance for the difference of style) after the accession of the house of Hanover. On the 17th he was created by letters patent Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester, and was baptised the next day. He was made a knight of the Garter December 20th, 1765, and a few months afterwards was appointed by a king's letter, addressed to the lord mayor, captain-general of the Honourable Artillery Company of the city of Loudon. The Prince of Wales was educated along with his next brother, Prince Frederick, bishop of Osnaburg (afterwards Duke of York), in great privacy, and on a system of strict discipline. In April 1771, Lord Holderuesse was appointed governor, Mr. Smelt sub-governor, Dr. Markham, bishop of Chester (afterwards archbishop of York), preceptor, and Mr. (afterwards Dr.) Cyril Jackson sub-preceptor to the two princes. In 1776 however all these persons euddenly resigned their offices, for some cause which has never been satisfactorily explained. The common account is, that they found some political works which they considered objectionable put into the haude of the boys by the directions of the king. Their successors were, for the first few days, Lord Bruce (immediately afterwards created earl of Aylesbury), and then the Duke of Montague, as governor; Lieutenant-Colonel Hotham as sub-governor; Dr. Hurd, bishop of Lichfield and Coventry (after wards of Worcester), as preceptor ; and the Rev. William Arnold as sub-preceptor.
The prince, notwithstanding murmurs and remonstrances, of which notice began to be taken in the public prints, was kept by his father in a state of unmitigated pupilage till he was nearly eighteen, his seclusion being divided between Buckingham House, Kew, and Windsor. It was not till the year 1780 that the princes began to appear much in public. From this time the life of the Prince of Wales for many years belongs for the most part to the Chronique Scandalev4e ; bnt among the various persons of both sexes with whom he was connected, there are a few names that may be said to have already become historic, and that cannot altogether be passtd over. The first of his many connections of a similar nature that became notorious was with Mrs. Mary Robinson, then an actress and the wife of an attorney. This lady (whose maiden name was Darby, whose early years were superintended by Mrs. Hannah More, who in the latter part of her life became the mistress of Colonel Tarleton, aud died at Englefield Greeu, at the age of forty-two, in 1800, after having made herself well known by her novels and verses, as well as by her adventures) has told her own story in her own way in her Memoirs,' published after her death by her daughter. She was four years older than the prince, and already of damaged reputation, when she first caught his attention, in 1780, while acting Perdita in the Winter's Tale ;' her influence lasted for not quite two years.
In December 1780, on the departure of the Bishop of Osnaburg for Germany, where he remained for seven years, a separate establishment on a small scale was formed for the prince; and having now become legally his own master, he was from this time much in the public eye. It was now that he entered upon his intimacy with Charles Fox, Sheridan, and other leaders of the Whig party, who happened acci dentally to be also among the most distinguished patrons of the fashionable gaiety and licence of the day. One of the persons also with whom he formed the closest friendship about this time was the afterwards notorious Duke of Orleans, then styled the Duo de Chartres, who paid long visits to London in 1783 and several following years.
With these associates the prince indulged without restraint his pro pensities for gambling, horseracing, and other kinds of extravagance and dissipation. Ho also adopted warmly and openly the politics of his Whig companions, and this at once placed him in direct opposition to his father's government. In April 1783 however his friends, under the name of the Coalition Ministry, forced themselves into power, and on the opening of parliament, on the 11th of November following, the Prince of Wales was introduced with great ceremony into the House of Lords as Duke of Cornwall, and took his place among the supporters of the new administration. They had, immediately after entering npon their places, laid before the king the claims of the prince for an augmented establishment and allowance. The ministers demanded 100,0001. a year, but the king would not consent to more than 50,0001., with an allowance of 60,0001. as an outfit ; the prince had besides abnut 14,0001. a year as duke of Cornwall. At the same time Carlton House was assigned to him as a residence. He stood by his friends on their expulsion a few mouths afterwards, and took an active part iu the private movements that were entered into without success for their reinstatement. In 1786 the subject of the prince's pecuniary embarrassments, which had become extremely pressing, was first mentioned in the House of Commons by his friend Sheridan, sod this led to a negotiation with the king, who however, after keeping expectation in suspense for some time, finally refused to sanction any measures of relief. In these circumstances the prince resolved to break up his establishment, and to limit his expenditure to 5000/. A year, reserving the rest of his income for the payment of his debts. It was a short time before this that he had formed the most celebrated and lasting of his female attachments, that namely with Mrs. Fitz herbert, the daughter of a Roman Catholic gentleman of Shropshire, who had already been married first to Mr. Weld of Lulworth Castle, and secoudly to Colonel Fitzherbert. The particulars of this marriage are sufficiently noticed under FrrzWsitneIIa, Mama, voL ii. coL 920. By the terms of tho Royal Marriage Act, the marriage of the prince with her, in whatever circumstances it took place, could not have been legal; but the point which occasioned the greatest publio outcry was the fact of Mrs. Fitzherbert being a Roman Catholic, and as such, a person by marrying whom the prince by the Act of Settlement would have become incapacitated to inherit the crown. The state of the prince's pecuniary affairs was again brought before parliament in April 1787 by Alderman Newnham, one of the members for London; and on this occasion Mr. Fox came down to the house, and, on the express authnrity of the prince, characterised the supposed marriage with Mrs. Fitzherbert as a thing which not only had not happened, but which was oven impossible to have happened. To a farther question he answered, "That he denied the calumuy as false in tote, in every sense of fact as well as law ;" he added that he spoke from direct authority. There can be no question that Mr. Fox had been made to believe that not even any ceremony of marriage had ever been performed. It is said that 31r8. Fitzherbert, upon learning what had taken place, insisted, as the condition on which she would consent again to see the prince, that Mr. Fox's declaration should be as publicly and authoritatively retracted as it had been made; but it was found, after some attempts, that this could not be managed, and the lady soon afterwards yielded the point. She would never however speak to Mr. Fox again, who also complained strongly of the equivocating manner in which the priuce expressed himself on the subject.