The newly-styled Prince Regent formally took the reins from his father on 7 February 1811. For a more dutiful and committed heir to the throne, the regency might have acted as a valuable training ground. As it was, what George termed \u201cplaying at king\u201d was not at all to his taste. He had spent most of his 48 years running up colossal debts and indulging his passion for \u201cwine and women\u201d \u2013 in short, enjoying one long party. \u201cI much doubt\u2026whether all the alcohol in the world will be able to brace his nerves up to the mark of facing the difficulties he will soon have to encounter\u201d, remarked one acquaintance.<\/p>\n
- Read more | The illness and decline of George III<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
They were right. The nine years of George\u2019s regency saw him lurch from one disaster to the next. The death of his only legitimate child, Princess Charlotte<\/a>, in 1817 prompted an unprecedented outpouring of grief among his people, which quickly turned to bitter fury against her father for failing to show adequate sorrow. The Prince Regent\u2019s popularity plummeted further as a result of the outbreaks of violence and threats to the established order in the wake of Britain\u2019s victory at the battle of Waterloo in 1815, which had brought to a victorious end the long-running war with France. By the summer of 1819, the government had grown so nervous that its response to a large but mostly peaceful demonstration at St Peter\u2019s Field in Manchester was to order the local magistrates to break it up with force \u2013 with Prince George\u2019s blessing. Cavalry charged into the 60,000-strong crowd with sabres drawn, killing several people, including a young child who was knocked to the ground. In the climate of bitter retribution that followed, Prince George became a figure of hate and was \u2018hissed by an immense mob\u2019 outside the door of his London home, Carlton House.<\/p>\n
Little wonder that when the Prince Regent finally ascended the throne upon the death of his father in January 1820, few people rejoiced. In fact, there was such widespread loathing for the new King George IV<\/a> that the monarchy itself looked set to crumble into the dust.<\/p>\n
George IV is one of the worst examples of a successor in the long history of the British crown. If a manual of \u2018do\u2019s\u2019 and \u2018don\u2019ts\u2019 for heirs to the throne was ever compiled, he could supply most of the latter <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>
George IV is one of the worst examples of a successor in the long history of the British crown. If a manual of \u2018do\u2019s\u2019 and \u2018don\u2019ts\u2019 for heirs to the throne was ever compiled, he could supply most of the latter. But there are other royal heirs who have made a mess of things \u2013 as well as those who have made a dazzling success of the opportunity that being a successor represents. So, if you fancy trying on a crown for size, read on for an essential guide to the pitfalls and potential involved\u2026<\/p>\n
Do\u2026<\/h3>\n
Start your training early<\/strong><\/h3>\n
One of Britain\u2019s most celebrated monarchs is Henry V, hero of the battle of Agincourt<\/a> in 1415. He was not born to be king but had learned his craft shortly after turning 13 in September 1399. It was at that time that his father had ousted the inept and increasingly tyrannical Richard II from the throne with the unanimous support of parliament to become Henry IV<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Henry V, king of England returning to London, England after being victorious in the battle of Agincourt. (Photo by Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n The younger Henry gained valuable experience in government during his father\u2019s bouts of physical and mental incapacity and led a council of advisers who had been elected to manage the kingdom\u2019s affairs. Bursting with ideas and energy \u2013 and with a wealth of military and political experience to draw upon \u00ad\u2013 Prince Henry presented an appealing alternative to a king who had never quite shaken off the stain of usurpation. A French chronicler recounted a story of how the prince had once taken his father\u2019s crown from his bedside to see how it fitted. By the time of Henry IV\u2019s death in March 1413, his son was more than ready to take the throne and quickly proved a far more able leader than his father ever had.<\/p>\n
Learn from your predecessor\u2019s mistakes<\/h3>\n
More than any other monarch, Elizabeth I<\/a> had learned from the mistakes of her predecessors, her half-sister \u2018Bloody\u2019 Mary<\/a> in particular. First and foremost, the new queen had been given a stark lesson in the disaster that could ensue from taking a husband, particularly if he was a foreigner. Mary\u2019s marriage to Philip of Spain<\/a> had been so unpopular with her subjects that it had sparked rebellion. Elizabeth had also witnessed the dangers of pursuing a highly dogmatic and uncompromising policy, no matter how close to her heart it might be. The reigns of both her siblings had pulled England first one way, then another, leaving a kingdom that was even more deeply divided than it had been during their father Henry VIII\u2019s Reformation<\/a>.<\/p>\n
![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Portrait of Elizabeth. (Photo by Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n Committed protestant though she was, Elizabeth appreciated the need for compromise and forged a settlement that appeased both sides of the religious divide. Above all, the new queen had seen the damage that could be done by disregarding popular opinion. Mary had woefully lacked what we might call \u2018PR skills\u2019. By contrast, her sister would become one of the most brilliant propagandists in royal history. She started as she meant to go on. Just days after inheriting the throne, Elizabeth ordered the following inscription to be added to her late sister\u2019s tomb:<\/p>\n
\u2018Marie now dead, Elizabeth lives, our just and lawful Queen<\/em><\/p>\n
In whom her sister\u2019s virtues rare, abundantly are seen.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n
- Read more | How Elizabeth of York paved the way for her granddaughters to rule<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
Distance yourself from an unpopular predecessor<\/h3>\n
There have been many examples in the history of the British crown of a monarch marking the beginning of their reign by distancing himself from the one before.\u00a0 Sometimes, this has been to justify the deposition of their predecessor or to establish a new dynasty. Neither was true of Henry VIII<\/a>, yet he went to greater lengths than any other king before him to prove how different he was to his father, Henry VII<\/a>. This was a shrewd move: by the time of the elder Henry\u2019s death in April 1509, he was widely despised for his grasping, miserly and suspicious nature. The contemporary Italian scholar Polydore Vergil observed that Henry\u2019s subjects \u201cconsidered they were suffering not on account of their own sins but on account of the greed of their monarch\u201d, who devoted much of his reign to filling the royal coffers. By contrast, his son was open-handed, gregarious, and kept one of the most splendid courts in Europe. Courtiers were quick to draw a contrast between the new king\u2019s youthful exuberance and his dour old father:<\/p>\n
\u201cOur eclipsed sun now cleared is from the clerk<\/em><\/p>\n
By Harry our King the flower of nature\u2019s work.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
The physical opposite of his slight, emaciated father, the 17-year-old Henry VIII was a strapping six foot two \u2018Adonis\u2019 who excelled at sports, music and dancing. To signal the fresh new beginning that his reign represented, he had two of his father\u2019s most despised officials, Richard Empson and Edmund Dudley, put to death on trumped-up charges of treason in August 1510. Although this was welcomed by Henry VIII\u2019s new subjects, they should perhaps have taken it as a warning of what lay ahead.<\/p>\n
Work with the system<\/h3>\n
Principles are all very well, but when it comes to the succession, pragmatism is often the more sensible option. Few kings appreciated the need for compromise more than Charles II<\/a>, who ascended the throne in 1660 \u2013 11 years after the execution of his father, Charles I<\/a> during the English Civil War. Parliament had invited him to restore the monarchy after Oliver Cromwell<\/a>\u2019s Commonwealth failed to survive his death. But there were strings attached: the new king was made painfully aware that political power now rested firmly with parliament, not the crown. The \u2018Merrie Monarch\u2019 was more than content with this situation: he had other, more pleasurable diversions to fill his time \u2013 notably the string of glamorous mistresses who adorned his court, as well as trips to the theatre, horseracing, and an endless stream of parties. Not so his brother and successor, James II, whose uncompromising nature swiftly alienated parliament and led to his expulsion from the throne in 1688, a little under four years after he had inherited it.<\/p>\n
- Read more | Monarchy timeline: from Hastings to the Windsors in 122 moments<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
Don\u2019t\u2026<\/h3>\n
Become a playboy prince<\/h3>\n
On paper, being first-in-line to the throne is an appealing prospect. A prince of Wales has all the privilege and popularity associated with being a future king and little of the onerous responsibility. But would-be playboy princes beware: over-indulging in the pleasures that this carefree life has to offer can seriously damage your credibility as king.<\/p>\n
Take Edward VII, for example. Better known as \u2018Bertie\u2019, he was the eldest son and heir of Queen Victoria and her beloved husband, Albert<\/a> \u2013 both of whom took a dim view of his bohemian lifestyle. This included regular trips to the opera, theatre, and gambling halls \u2013 both in Paris and London \u2013 in the company of a string of mistresses. \u201cI never in my life met with such a thorough and cunning lazybones,\u201d sneered his scornful father. Thanks to his mother\u2019s extraordinary longevity, Bertie waited longer for the throne than any other heir apparent in British history (his record was overtaken by King Charles III<\/a> \u2013\u00a0then Prince Charles \u2013 in 2011).<\/p>\n
By the time Victoria died<\/a> in January 1901, her 59-year-old successor had grown so used to his indulgent lifestyle that becoming king held little appeal. After waiting so long to be king, he only reigned for nine years and was plagued by ill health throughout most of that time, dying of severe bronchitis in May 1910. The same was true of Edward VIII<\/a>, who had a riotous time as Prince of Wales but upon succeeding his father George V in January 1936, complained: \u201cBeing a Monarch\u2026can surely be one of the most confining, the most frustrating, and over the duller stretches, the least stimulating jobs open to an educated, independent-minded person.\u201d He abdicated after just 10 and a half months.<\/p>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>King Edward VII, also known as \u2018Bertie\u2019. The son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. (Photo by Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n Try to seize power too early<\/h3>\n
King John<\/a> usually tops the polls of Britain\u2019s worst monarchs \u2013 for good reason. As the youngest of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine\u2019s five sons, he had little hope of ever enjoying any real power, let alone the crown itself. When he was a teenager, his father had given him the nickname \u2018Lackland\u2019, but in fact John had been his favourite and he had been anxious to provide for him. Henry\u2019s efforts on behalf of his youngest son had encouraged his greed and ambition, not to mention his treachery against his elder brothers. By the time his brother Richard \u2018the Lionheart\u2019 ascended the throne in September 1189, John\u2019s other three brothers were dead so he was next in line to the throne. Impatient to get his hands on it, he immediately began plotting to overthrow Richard, including forging a secret pact with the king of France. None of his schemes amounted to anything, but fate delivered the crown into his hands when Richard was shot with a crossbow bolt while suppressing a rebellion in Aquitaine in spring 1199. Thanks to his treacherous activities before becoming king, John was deeply unpopular from the off and failed to win over his subjects during his 17-year reign (not that he tried too hard).<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Allow others to take control<\/h3>\n
History is littered with examples of royal heirs surrounding themselves with favourites. \u201cPrinces\u2026raise some persons to be, as it were, companions and almost equals to themselves, which many times sorteth to inconvenience\u201d, remarked the courtier and philosopher Francis Bacon. The sensible ones shake them off once they come to the throne and get down to the serious business of running the country.<\/p>\n
Not so Edward II<\/a>. As Prince of Wales, he had formed a passionate attachment to a young gentleman named Piers Gaveston. When King Edward I got wind of his son\u2019s \u201cimmoderate\u201d feelings towards his favourite, he banished Gaveston abroad. This worked little effect. One of Edward II\u2019s first acts after inheriting the throne in 1307 was to recall his cherished companion and shower him with honours and titles. Gaveston\u2019s overbearing arrogance soon courted widespread resentment and lost the king the love and respect of his people. In June 1312, the royal favourite was captured by a group of powerful magnates and summarily executed. Rather than taking this as a salutary warning, Edward II proceeded to cast about for a replacement \u2013 with disastrous results. His promotion of Hugh Despenser and his son of the same name \u2013 both equally rapacious and corrupt \u2013 courted widespread resentment and led to the king\u2019s overthrow. He was forced to abdicate when his wife Isabella<\/a> and her lover Roger Mortimer led a rebellion with considerable support from England\u2019s powerful nobles. The beleaguered king had no choice but to hand the reins of power to his 14-year-old son, Edward III, who steered well clear of favourites and went on to become one of England\u2019s most successful rulers.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Disrespect the previous regime<\/h3>\n
- Read more | Monarchy timeline: from Hastings to the Windsors in 122 moments<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
- Read more | How Elizabeth of York paved the way for her granddaughters to rule<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
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