In 1810, King George III was certified absolutely stark raving bonkers, so completely and utterly mad that anyone who didn't know who he was could have been excused for thinking he spent years making hats as a living.
So it was that in that year his son, George, the Prince of Wales, became the Prince Regent - a regent being someone who acts as Head of State because the real Head of State is too young, not present, or too ill to rule. He was King in all but name.
Now, many of the Prince Regent's exquisite furniture is up for sale - but you'll need a fair bit of cash if you want to buy any of it.
The secret bookcase - like something from James Bond - that was in fact a secret doorway to his mistress Maria Fitzherbert's room next door can be yours if you have £60,000 to £80,000 going handy.
The bookcase, which was located at Devonshire House in London's Piccadilly, is one of the star items in a very British Sotheby’s sale of property owned by the Devonshire family in October, expected to raise £2.5million.
The Prince Regent was a frequent visitor to Devonshire House, the home where Georgiana, fifth Duchess of Devonshire (an ancestor of Princess Diana), held court in the late 18th century.
The bookcase was later was moved to Chatsworth House, the Devonshires’ Derbyshire seat, when the London mansion was sold and demolished in 1920 to make way for Green Park Tube station.
The Sotheby's sale is a result of a huge clear out at the large estate.
Also up for sale are two of a set of ten George III painted beech and cane chairs by François Hervé that Georgiana chose herself, est. £1,200-£1,800; a beautiful snuff box with a miniature of Georgiana and her beloved daughter Little G, and a magnificent carved white marble chimneypiece by William Kent, circa 1735. It is estimated to sell for £200,000-£300,000.
Maria Fitzherbert was introduced to the Prince of Wales in 1784, becoming his most high profile mistress. The couple married in December 1785. The marriage, though, was considered invalid under the Royal Marriages Act 1772 because it had not been approved by the Prince's father King George III and the Privy Council.
By the 1790s, the wayward young George, Prince of Wales ran up huge debts (he loved gambling, drinking and womanising) but his father refused to aid him unless he married his cousin, Caroline of Brunswick, whom the Prince hated. In 1795, the Prince of Wales admitted defeat and they were married on 8 April 1795.
Prince George, Prince of Wales, became Prince Regent - king in all but name - in 1810 when his father, King George III, was certified insane. George III died in 1820 leading to the Prince Regent becoming King George IV.
In 1821, George IV had what probably remains the most lavish coronation ever held in Britain. George's coronation was a magnificent and expensive affair, costing about £243,000 (£18,994,000 in today's prices). For comparison, his father's coronation in 1761 had only cost about £10,000, equal to £1,457,000 today. Despite the enormous cost, it was a popular event - people were blown away by the sheer beauty of the event.
Absent from George IV's coronation was his hated wife Caroline of Brunswick, whom George did not allow to attend. She was prevented from entering Westminster Abbey by prize fighters dressed as pages!
George IV was not a popular monarch, in fact he was probably the most hated of all British monarchs, but he was a very extravagant monarch who probably contributed more to the arts than any other British monarch. The Regency Period was a golden era in British history. He was friends with such people as the dandy Beau Brummel and architect John Nash. His reign (as Prince Regent) also saw London and Paris competing with each other over beauty, so George IV got John Nash to re-design and re-build parts of central London - the result was beautiful Regent Street and Regent's Park.
In more recent times the Prince Regent has been played by Hugh Laurie in Blackadder, who caricatured him as a bit dim.
Revealed: How George IV used a trick bookcase to have trysts with his mistress (and now you can buy it for £80,000)
By Beth Hale
15th July 2010
Daily Mail
When the Prince of Wales approached the mahogany bookcase at Devonshire House, reading was usually the last thing on his mind.
For the elegant piece of furniture was in fact a secret door which led to an adjoining bedroom where the future George IV would meet his mistress.
Its historic role in a royal affair makes it one of the star items in a Sotheby’s sale of property owned by the Devonshire family in October, expected to raise £2.5million.
Enlarge
The lovers: The Prince Regent, later King George IV, and Mrs Fitzherbert. To meet with his mistress he would pass through a secret door in a bookcase which led to an adjoining bedroom
Height of secrecy: The bookcase through which the Prince Regent passed to visit his mistress at Devonshire House. It is expected to sell for £60,000-£80,000
The Duke's Russian sleigh from his days as the Ambassador Extraordinary for the court of St James to the Russian Empire
The prince was a frequent visitor to the decadent Piccadilly mansion where Georgiana, fifth Duchess of Devonshire, held court in the late 18th century.
In a corner of the bedroom he used was the bookcase. A special clip concealed in one of the figures of bearded men on the front caused the central panel to swing out. Stepping inside, the prince found himself in a small bathroom from where it was possible either to slip down a stairway and out of the house, or go through another door into the Yellow Bedroom.
In the Yellow Bedroom was another dual-purpose piece of furniture – a ‘faux’ chest of drawers – through which the prince would pass to rendezvous with his Catholic mistress and later secret wife Maria Fitzherbert.
The Ballroom at Devonshire House: Highlighted items are associated with Georgiana and include chairs and settees on which she would have sat or reclined, flirting with admirers
Close up: A giltwood centre table and a carved giltwood fauteuils from the Ballroom
The bookcase is now shielded by curtains but was previously loaded with shelves and fronted by a glass or brass grille. It was moved to Chatsworth House, the Devonshires’ Derbyshire seat, when the London mansion was sold and demolished in 1920 to make way for Green Park Tube station.
Georgiana, 5th Duchess of Devonshire, recently portrayed on film by Keira Knightley, personally witnessed Mrs Fitzherbert’s agreement to marry the desperate prince.
The marriage was deemed illegal and the prince later married the Protestant Caroline of Brunswick, whom he abhorred. He became king in 1820 and died ten years later.
A snuff box with a miniature of Georgiana and her beloved daughter Little G, and a magnificent carved white marble chimneypiece by William Kent, circa 1735. It is estimated to sell for £200,000-£300,000
House clearance: Chatsworth in Derbyshire where the attic, roughly the size of two tennis courts, was bulging at the seams with 18th century treasures from Devonshire House
Designed by Thomas Hope and crafted by Marsh and Tatham, the bookcase is expected to fetch up to £80,000 at the sale. The chest of drawers which also provided a secret door is estimated at £12,000 to £18,000.
Two of a set of ten George III painted beech and cane chairs by François Hervé that Georgina chose herself, est. £1,200-£1,800
Other items from the Chatsworth attic range from a bronze candelabrum estimated at £50,000; a marble fireplace from the salon at Devonshire House (£300,000); giltwood centre table (£6,000); six giltwood chairs (£25,000); Russian sleigh (£3,000); and a rickety old pram estimated at £20.
Many pieces were chosen by Georgiana, who was born a Spencer in 1757 at Althorp, Northampton, the ancestral home of Princess Diana.
Her marriage to William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire, a close friend of the then Prince of Wales, was an alliance between two of the richest families of the day.
But there were three people in the marriage as the duke’s mistress – also married – moved in with the couple to form a menage a trois.
When the present 12th Duke took over Chatsworth on the death of his father six years ago, he found the attics near to overflowing.
‘I have had the pleasure of stepping-back in time – revisiting the history-of my family through these artefacts and seeing treasures from Devonshire House that have been hidden for nearly a century,’ he said.
Proceeds from the sale will go toward projects at Chatsworth and other family estates.
The most lavish coronation Britain has ever witnessed, 1821
George IV's Coronation crown was adorned with 12,314 hired diamonds. The new king acquired the Hope diamond which was stolen from the French crown jewels in 1812. It is supposed to be cursed. George IV's coronation was so lavish as he wanted it to outdo that of his enemy Napoleon in 1804. In fact, the coronation was held in the year that Napoleon died in British captivity.
George, the Prince Regent,became King George IV on the death of his father King George III on January 29th 1820. His Coronation was not held until July 19th 1821. George IV greatly enjoyed planning a ceremony. His Coronation would be his grandest. The new king selected costumes for all the participants that were inspired by Tudor styles. He spent 24,000 pounds on a Coronation robe of crimson velvet with gold stars and ermine trim costing 855 pounds with a train that stretched 27 feet. His Coronation crown was adorned with 12,314 hired diamonds. The new king acquired the large blue diamond, which would become known as the Hope diamond. It had been looted from the French crown jewels in 1792. The gem turned up in England as a recut stone, after the statute of limitations had run out in 1812, in the possession of a diamond merchant. George IV purchased the stone in 1820.
Caroline of Brunswick, the estranged wife of the King, was prevented from entering Westminster Abbey on the occasion of the Coronation by prize fighters dressed as pages. They had been hired by her vengeful husband who feared she would make a scene at his Coronation. Though George IV had been unable to obtain the divorce he wanted, the trial had ruined the Queen's reputation. Between the King's efforts and a general lack of support from the crowd she was unable to effect an entry into either Westminster Abbey or Hall.
Attending the Coronation was the King's herb woman and her six beautiful young attendants dressed in white who strewed the way with herbs and flowers in accordance to centuries-old tradition that was a precaution against Plague. They led the procession from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey.
King George IV was dressed in the sumptuous coronation clothes and robe wearing a brown wig topped with a black Spanish hat surmounted by sprays of ostrich feathers and a heron's plume. His 27 foot train, yes, 27 foot, was held by pages. The King ordered the pages to hold the train well spread out so that people could see the gold embroidery well. A cloth of gold Coronation Canopy was carried just behind the King by the barons of the Cinque Ports. The Canopy was held just behind George IVth to enable those in windows overlooking the route to see him.
Following the ceremony in Westminster Abbey the Coronation procession of King George IV now wearing his crown wended its way to Westminster Hall on the raised and canopied processional way.
"The awning over the platform on which the Coronation procession is to pass, is of Russia duck, and 2,000,000 yds. will be required to complete it. "
Crowds lined the streets to watch the parade pass. Wealthy spectators could book seats on platforms erected for the occasion.
"Ten thousand Guineas were given by a person for the fronts of four houses, in Palace-yard, to hire for seeing the Coronation. He must have lost considerably, as places were to be had on the day so low as ten shillings and sixpence and even seven shillings and Sixpence."
Soldiers both on foot and on horseback lined the route.
Georgiana, 5th Duchess of Devonshire, recently portrayed on film by Keira Knightley (pictured here with Ralph Fiennes as the Duke of Devonshire in the 2008 film The Duchess), personally witnessed Mrs Fitzherbert's agreement to marry the desperate prince
dailymail.co.uk
So it was that in that year his son, George, the Prince of Wales, became the Prince Regent - a regent being someone who acts as Head of State because the real Head of State is too young, not present, or too ill to rule. He was King in all but name.
Now, many of the Prince Regent's exquisite furniture is up for sale - but you'll need a fair bit of cash if you want to buy any of it.
The secret bookcase - like something from James Bond - that was in fact a secret doorway to his mistress Maria Fitzherbert's room next door can be yours if you have £60,000 to £80,000 going handy.
The bookcase, which was located at Devonshire House in London's Piccadilly, is one of the star items in a very British Sotheby’s sale of property owned by the Devonshire family in October, expected to raise £2.5million.
The Prince Regent was a frequent visitor to Devonshire House, the home where Georgiana, fifth Duchess of Devonshire (an ancestor of Princess Diana), held court in the late 18th century.
The bookcase was later was moved to Chatsworth House, the Devonshires’ Derbyshire seat, when the London mansion was sold and demolished in 1920 to make way for Green Park Tube station.
The Sotheby's sale is a result of a huge clear out at the large estate.
Also up for sale are two of a set of ten George III painted beech and cane chairs by François Hervé that Georgiana chose herself, est. £1,200-£1,800; a beautiful snuff box with a miniature of Georgiana and her beloved daughter Little G, and a magnificent carved white marble chimneypiece by William Kent, circa 1735. It is estimated to sell for £200,000-£300,000.
Maria Fitzherbert was introduced to the Prince of Wales in 1784, becoming his most high profile mistress. The couple married in December 1785. The marriage, though, was considered invalid under the Royal Marriages Act 1772 because it had not been approved by the Prince's father King George III and the Privy Council.
By the 1790s, the wayward young George, Prince of Wales ran up huge debts (he loved gambling, drinking and womanising) but his father refused to aid him unless he married his cousin, Caroline of Brunswick, whom the Prince hated. In 1795, the Prince of Wales admitted defeat and they were married on 8 April 1795.
Prince George, Prince of Wales, became Prince Regent - king in all but name - in 1810 when his father, King George III, was certified insane. George III died in 1820 leading to the Prince Regent becoming King George IV.
In 1821, George IV had what probably remains the most lavish coronation ever held in Britain. George's coronation was a magnificent and expensive affair, costing about £243,000 (£18,994,000 in today's prices). For comparison, his father's coronation in 1761 had only cost about £10,000, equal to £1,457,000 today. Despite the enormous cost, it was a popular event - people were blown away by the sheer beauty of the event.
Absent from George IV's coronation was his hated wife Caroline of Brunswick, whom George did not allow to attend. She was prevented from entering Westminster Abbey by prize fighters dressed as pages!
George IV was not a popular monarch, in fact he was probably the most hated of all British monarchs, but he was a very extravagant monarch who probably contributed more to the arts than any other British monarch. The Regency Period was a golden era in British history. He was friends with such people as the dandy Beau Brummel and architect John Nash. His reign (as Prince Regent) also saw London and Paris competing with each other over beauty, so George IV got John Nash to re-design and re-build parts of central London - the result was beautiful Regent Street and Regent's Park.
In more recent times the Prince Regent has been played by Hugh Laurie in Blackadder, who caricatured him as a bit dim.
Revealed: How George IV used a trick bookcase to have trysts with his mistress (and now you can buy it for £80,000)
By Beth Hale
15th July 2010
Daily Mail
When the Prince of Wales approached the mahogany bookcase at Devonshire House, reading was usually the last thing on his mind.
For the elegant piece of furniture was in fact a secret door which led to an adjoining bedroom where the future George IV would meet his mistress.
Its historic role in a royal affair makes it one of the star items in a Sotheby’s sale of property owned by the Devonshire family in October, expected to raise £2.5million.
Enlarge
The lovers: The Prince Regent, later King George IV, and Mrs Fitzherbert. To meet with his mistress he would pass through a secret door in a bookcase which led to an adjoining bedroom
Height of secrecy: The bookcase through which the Prince Regent passed to visit his mistress at Devonshire House. It is expected to sell for £60,000-£80,000
The Duke's Russian sleigh from his days as the Ambassador Extraordinary for the court of St James to the Russian Empire
The prince was a frequent visitor to the decadent Piccadilly mansion where Georgiana, fifth Duchess of Devonshire, held court in the late 18th century.
In a corner of the bedroom he used was the bookcase. A special clip concealed in one of the figures of bearded men on the front caused the central panel to swing out. Stepping inside, the prince found himself in a small bathroom from where it was possible either to slip down a stairway and out of the house, or go through another door into the Yellow Bedroom.
In the Yellow Bedroom was another dual-purpose piece of furniture – a ‘faux’ chest of drawers – through which the prince would pass to rendezvous with his Catholic mistress and later secret wife Maria Fitzherbert.
The Ballroom at Devonshire House: Highlighted items are associated with Georgiana and include chairs and settees on which she would have sat or reclined, flirting with admirers
Close up: A giltwood centre table and a carved giltwood fauteuils from the Ballroom
The bookcase is now shielded by curtains but was previously loaded with shelves and fronted by a glass or brass grille. It was moved to Chatsworth House, the Devonshires’ Derbyshire seat, when the London mansion was sold and demolished in 1920 to make way for Green Park Tube station.
Georgiana, 5th Duchess of Devonshire, recently portrayed on film by Keira Knightley, personally witnessed Mrs Fitzherbert’s agreement to marry the desperate prince.
The marriage was deemed illegal and the prince later married the Protestant Caroline of Brunswick, whom he abhorred. He became king in 1820 and died ten years later.
A snuff box with a miniature of Georgiana and her beloved daughter Little G, and a magnificent carved white marble chimneypiece by William Kent, circa 1735. It is estimated to sell for £200,000-£300,000
House clearance: Chatsworth in Derbyshire where the attic, roughly the size of two tennis courts, was bulging at the seams with 18th century treasures from Devonshire House
Designed by Thomas Hope and crafted by Marsh and Tatham, the bookcase is expected to fetch up to £80,000 at the sale. The chest of drawers which also provided a secret door is estimated at £12,000 to £18,000.
Two of a set of ten George III painted beech and cane chairs by François Hervé that Georgina chose herself, est. £1,200-£1,800
Other items from the Chatsworth attic range from a bronze candelabrum estimated at £50,000; a marble fireplace from the salon at Devonshire House (£300,000); giltwood centre table (£6,000); six giltwood chairs (£25,000); Russian sleigh (£3,000); and a rickety old pram estimated at £20.
Many pieces were chosen by Georgiana, who was born a Spencer in 1757 at Althorp, Northampton, the ancestral home of Princess Diana.
Her marriage to William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire, a close friend of the then Prince of Wales, was an alliance between two of the richest families of the day.
But there were three people in the marriage as the duke’s mistress – also married – moved in with the couple to form a menage a trois.
When the present 12th Duke took over Chatsworth on the death of his father six years ago, he found the attics near to overflowing.
‘I have had the pleasure of stepping-back in time – revisiting the history-of my family through these artefacts and seeing treasures from Devonshire House that have been hidden for nearly a century,’ he said.
Proceeds from the sale will go toward projects at Chatsworth and other family estates.
The most lavish coronation Britain has ever witnessed, 1821
George IV's Coronation crown was adorned with 12,314 hired diamonds. The new king acquired the Hope diamond which was stolen from the French crown jewels in 1812. It is supposed to be cursed. George IV's coronation was so lavish as he wanted it to outdo that of his enemy Napoleon in 1804. In fact, the coronation was held in the year that Napoleon died in British captivity.
George, the Prince Regent,became King George IV on the death of his father King George III on January 29th 1820. His Coronation was not held until July 19th 1821. George IV greatly enjoyed planning a ceremony. His Coronation would be his grandest. The new king selected costumes for all the participants that were inspired by Tudor styles. He spent 24,000 pounds on a Coronation robe of crimson velvet with gold stars and ermine trim costing 855 pounds with a train that stretched 27 feet. His Coronation crown was adorned with 12,314 hired diamonds. The new king acquired the large blue diamond, which would become known as the Hope diamond. It had been looted from the French crown jewels in 1792. The gem turned up in England as a recut stone, after the statute of limitations had run out in 1812, in the possession of a diamond merchant. George IV purchased the stone in 1820.
Caroline of Brunswick, the estranged wife of the King, was prevented from entering Westminster Abbey on the occasion of the Coronation by prize fighters dressed as pages. They had been hired by her vengeful husband who feared she would make a scene at his Coronation. Though George IV had been unable to obtain the divorce he wanted, the trial had ruined the Queen's reputation. Between the King's efforts and a general lack of support from the crowd she was unable to effect an entry into either Westminster Abbey or Hall.
Attending the Coronation was the King's herb woman and her six beautiful young attendants dressed in white who strewed the way with herbs and flowers in accordance to centuries-old tradition that was a precaution against Plague. They led the procession from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey.
King George IV was dressed in the sumptuous coronation clothes and robe wearing a brown wig topped with a black Spanish hat surmounted by sprays of ostrich feathers and a heron's plume. His 27 foot train, yes, 27 foot, was held by pages. The King ordered the pages to hold the train well spread out so that people could see the gold embroidery well. A cloth of gold Coronation Canopy was carried just behind the King by the barons of the Cinque Ports. The Canopy was held just behind George IVth to enable those in windows overlooking the route to see him.
Following the ceremony in Westminster Abbey the Coronation procession of King George IV now wearing his crown wended its way to Westminster Hall on the raised and canopied processional way.
"The awning over the platform on which the Coronation procession is to pass, is of Russia duck, and 2,000,000 yds. will be required to complete it. "
Crowds lined the streets to watch the parade pass. Wealthy spectators could book seats on platforms erected for the occasion.
"Ten thousand Guineas were given by a person for the fronts of four houses, in Palace-yard, to hire for seeing the Coronation. He must have lost considerably, as places were to be had on the day so low as ten shillings and sixpence and even seven shillings and Sixpence."
Soldiers both on foot and on horseback lined the route.
Georgiana, 5th Duchess of Devonshire, recently portrayed on film by Keira Knightley (pictured here with Ralph Fiennes as the Duke of Devonshire in the 2008 film The Duchess), personally witnessed Mrs Fitzherbert's agreement to marry the desperate prince
dailymail.co.uk
Last edited: