13. The Prince Regent pressured his only legitimate daughter to marry
Princess Charlotte of Wales, the Prince Regent’s daughter through his own forced marriage, began to feel pressure from her father to marry in 1815. The Regent’s choice for a son-in-law, Prince William of Orange (later King of the United Netherlands) was willing, but in a replay of history, his daughter was not. The Prince Regent saw the marriage as advantageous, since his daughter would inherit the throne from him. A marriage would thus unite Great Britain and the Netherlands, strengthening British influence on the continent. Charlotte reluctantly agreed, then changed her mind, announcing instead her desire to marry Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, heir to the throne of Belgium.
Her father isolated her, banishing her to Cranbourne Lodge until she came to her senses. From her isolation, she wrote the Prince Regent, “No arguments, no threats, shall ever bend me to marry this detested Dutchman”. In the end, with the support of most of the Royal family, she prevailed. Charlotte and Leopold wed in Carlton House in May, 1816, the bride wearing a £10,000 dress. She died in childbirth in November 1817, having delivered a stillborn boy. Her death caused national mourning in Great Britain, where the people had considered her potential reign as Queen hopefully. Charlotte’s death left the Prince Regent with no legitimate heir, and still in a marriage marked with mutual hatred between husband and wife.