The Prince Regent
| Television series | |
|---|---|
| German title | The Prince Regent |
| Original title | Prince Regent |
| Country of production | United Kingdom |
| original language | English |
| year | 1979 |
| length | 50 minutes each |
| Episodes | 8th |
| genre | History , drama |
| Director | Michael Simpson, Michael Hayes |
| music | Carl Davis |
| First broadcast | September 4 - October 30, 1979 (UK) on BBC1 |
| German-language first broadcast |
May 5, 1982 on BR |
| occupation | |
| |
The Prince Regent is a television series produced by the BBC, which was broadcast for the first time in Great Britain from September 4, 1979 and in Germany for the first time from May 5, 1982. It depicts the life of the Prince of Wales and later King George IV from when he came of age in 1784 to the time of his reign until shortly after the beginning of his reign as king in 1821. The series captivates with its authenticity and factual accuracy as well as its polished Dialogues, puns and excellent acting. The scripts for the individual episodes were written by Ian Curteis (episode 5), Reg Gadney (episode 6, 7 and 8), Michael Hayes (episode 4), Nemone Lethbridge (episode 2) and Robert Muller (episode 1 and 3).
Episode guide
1. Mad for Love (1784–1785)
London in 1784: George, Prince of Wales, is a handsome but also vain daredevil, bon vivant and playboy and has just come of age at the age of 21. Due to his extravagant lifestyle, the prince is heavily indebted - much to the displeasure of his father, King George III Children (two others had died in infancy). In addition, the Prince of Wales is close friends with the prominent, radical-liberal Whig politician Charles James Fox, whom his father despises as the "king of gamblers and prince of the rebels". Fox and the Prince, in turn, make George III. responsible for the loss of the North American colonies , while the king suspects the growing power of parliament.
At this time, the Prince of Wales is having fun with the four years older actress and poet Mary Robinson , whom he calls "Perdita" - based on a character in Shakespeare's "Winter Tale" - and leaves his residence at Carlton House for huge sums of money Remodeling architects Henry Holland . Disapproving of this waste, the king rejected the prince's wish to complete his military training in Hanover and instead sent his second-born son Frederick, the Duke of York, there.
At a ball in Carlton House, the Prince of Wales inflames for six years older, twice divorced, wealthy Catholic commoner Maria Fitzherbert. She initially refuses his invitations to an intimate dinner five times, but then invites him to her next evening party , where he professes his love for her. However, Fitzherbert's virtue forbids her to become his mistress, whereupon George decides to marry her. His friend Fox strongly advises him against it, because firstly a Catholic woman is unthinkable as the wife of the Prince of Wales in Protestant England, secondly any marriage that the prince enters into before his 25th birthday without his father's consent would be declared invalid and thirdly he would forfeit his right to the throne.
The wish of the disappointed prince to lead a secluded life abroad in order to use this opportunity to reduce his mountain of debt at the same time, is shown by George III. back brusquely as France could take advantage of an open rift between the King and the Prince of Wales. Instead, he exhorts his son to give up his "vicious and extravagant life" and strive to regain the people's affection, "for when it is lost it cannot be regained."
Maria Fitzherbert has since decided to leave England to end the difficult situation, but is met by the Prince's stable master, Lt. Colonel Lake, who fears that George might harm himself, was just brought in and brought back to London. Now Maria finally agrees to marry George, but the wedding must take place in complete secrecy and in the presence of only a few witnesses (including a certain Orlando Bridgeman) at Red Rice House. The prince doesn't even teach his close friend Fox about it. An Anglican Reverend named Robert Burt, who had just been released from prison, performs the prohibited marriage in exchange for a bishopric.
On the way to the wedding after the wedding, a carriage wheel breaks in the village of Hammersmith , but George reassures Maria: “Even in Hammersmith, sweetest of women, there will be an inn somewhere that will welcome impatient lovers. And always remember: Even until the end of your days you will, no you have to remember it as the happiest, sweetest night of your life. "
2. Put Not Your Trust in Princes (1787–1789)
In London, rumors about the secret marriage of the Prince of Wales to the Catholic Maria Fitzherbert spread to the House of Commons, where Fox - who is indeed still being lied to by the Prince about the marriage - rejects allegations made by MP John Rolle.
Meanwhile, the prince's debts, according to the treasurer of the royal household, Lt. Col. Hatham at £ 269,878, six shillings and seven and a half pence. In order to show the king his will to save, George decides to move to a small farmhouse in Brighton with Maria .
In Brighton, amorous George is humble and close to the people, but also soon gets bored - especially after not only Hatham visits him three months later, who tells him that the king is more sympathetic to him because of a small debt reduction, but also Sheridan with two other friends who tell him about the merrymaking of London. George then decides, against Mary's will, to return to London - mainly to ask the king to repay his debts and to increase his appanage.
In London, Fox and Sheridan try in vain to persuade the Prince to stay in Brighton for a few more months, hoping that he will get tired of Marias and part with her. Instead, George goes to Windsor Castle , where during a Shakespeare recitation by the actress Mrs. Siddons , signs of the king's insanity first become noticeable in front of the assembled company.
The Prince of Wales asked the independent MP, Nathaniel Newham, to ask Parliament to raise his salary. When Fox is again asked by John Rolle at the relevant House of Commons meeting whether there has been a marriage between the Prince and Mrs. Fitzherbert, he again indignantly rejects this "rumor". After reading the report on Fox's speech, Maria feels betrayed and humiliated - in her opinion, George deliberately misled his friend Fox for an additional £ 10,000 a year to pay off his debt. She then leaves him.
Meanwhile, Fox is told by Orlando Bridgeman, who witnessed the wedding between George and Maria, that he was misinformed about the marriage. Fox is shaken and disappointed by the breach of trust by the Prince of Wales, and because this ends his political career for the time being, he goes into exile in Italy - at least until the situation changes in his favor.
Meanwhile, Lady Frances Jersey and Tincture of Opium comfort George over the separation from Mary. Lake informs him that his wife is still a welcome guest at social occasions, so that respectable society apparently accepts marriage. Filled with hope, he meets her at Lake's suggestion on the sidelines of a soirée of the Duchess von Gordon and a reconciliation ensues - but although Maria assures him of her love, she also confesses to him that she no longer trusts him.
George is overjoyed that Maria has come back to him, but does not give up his liaison with Lady Jersey because of it. When he and his brother Frederick, who has returned from Hanover, visit the king in Windsor, both of them notice his confused mental state - George III. babbles about a non-existent flood in London - before being hastily complimented out by her mother, Queen Charlotte. George III shortly thereafter, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Pitt and on behalf of the Queen, the "specialists" Reverend Francis Willis and his son, Dr. John Willis, treated with sometimes brutal methods. The two stipulate that only they treat the king and that their methods must not be questioned at any time, and that the king must not receive any visits - not even from the royal family - during the entire treatment.
In the uncertainty about the state of health of the king, Sheridan suggests that the prince introduce a motion for regency in parliament so that the state and government remain capable of acting. Soon after, George consults with Charles Fox, who has rushed back from Italy, who proposes replacing Pitt with MP Portland as Prime Minister, whom Fox believes he can control the cabinet. In the subsequent conversation with the prince, Pitt accepts the necessity of transferring the reign to him - with the restriction, however, that the prince cannot raise anyone independently, give anyone peer dignity or award any awards. This means that George has decided in favor of the Fox plan.
As the prince waits with Fox and Sheridan for the vote in the House of Lords, a message arrives from Windsor: The king is better! George is devastated: "I really don't want my father to be sick, but ...!"
3. The Bride from Brunswick (1793–1795)
England is at war with revolutionary France and the Prince of Wales' finances are still in shambles - as is his still secret marriage to Maria Fitzherbert. Therefore, he is now signaling to his father that he is ready to marry appropriately - above all, so that his debts can be paid off. The delighted George III. chooses his niece Caroline of Braunschweig as bride and sends Harris, Lord of Malmesbury, to Germany to inspect the princess and, if necessary, to bring her to England. While Lady Jersey - still the prince's mistress - initially approves the king's choice of bride, she rejects Queen Charlotte due to Caroline's bad reputation. When George visits his wife not only to get her silent consent for his planned official marriage, but also asks her whether she would still see him for intimate meetings afterwards, Maria Fitzherbert angrily throws him out of the house.
Arriving at the coarse, rustic Brunswick court, Malmesbury, whom Caroline calls only Harris or "Lord Marmelade" for the sake of simplicity, very soon realizes that the princess' behavior is not befitting of a future Queen of England and is in this view of the Duke's mistress Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand , Madame de Hertzfeld, confirmed. Nevertheless, he describes them in a diplomatically benevolent letter to the Prince of Wales. Caroline herself also doubts whether she will feel comfortable at the London court - she fears envy and resentment, has little use for the rules of conduct recommended by Malmesbury and is not exactly happy that Lady Jersey has been the mistress of her future husband for many years. Nevertheless, she is disgruntled and makes her way to England with Malmesbury.
When she arrives in Greenwich , however, Caroline is not greeted by the Prince of Wales, who is unable to receive her, but by an impertinent Lady Jersey, who has succeeded in appointing George as First Maid of the future Princess of Wales.
The first meeting between the bride and groom goes very badly: Caroline is appalled by the corpulence of her future husband and the rude behavior of the entire royal family towards her, while George simply finds the Brunswick princess ugly and immediately demands brandy. He writes to Maria that he will always see her as his true wife. The Prince of Wales can only get married in St. James's Palace after 12 glasses of maraschino liqueur, and he spends the wedding night in a frenzy under the fireplace.
4. The Trouble with Women (1795–1797)
The wedding of the Prince of Wales to Caroline will be celebrated in grand style and the new Princess of Wales is enjoying the cheers of the people. Her joy is only clouded by her constantly drunk husband and his arrogant mistress, Lady Jersey. Maria Fitzherbert, on the other hand, retires to the country for some time after Frederick, the Duke of York, told her about the prince's true feelings for his wife.
George III is very pleased with his daughter-in-law, and when Prime Minister Pitt reports to him that Parliament has approved the increase of the Prince of Wales' pension to £ 125,000 - almost a doubling - of which £ 30,000 annually to pay off £ 620,000 of his debt are to be diverted, he thinks this plan is "fabulous" as it guarantees the prince's continued dependence on the king and the government.
Meanwhile, Fox advises George to befriend his popular wife, and so he apologizes to her for his past behavior and the two endeavor to have an heir.
The Duke of York visits Maria in the country and informs her that she will receive an annual pension of £ 3,000 from the king for her discretion - but she is bitter and insists on her rights as the prince's wife. Frederick reassures her by assuring her that London society is impatiently awaiting her return.
When Caroline insults Lady Jersey once again and proudly indicates to her that she is pregnant, the mistress hopes that she will soon be in higher favor with the prince again. She tells George about Caroline's insulting remarks about herself and the prince and gives him a letter from Caroline's to Madame Hertzfeld in Braunschweig, which she has intercepted. Thereupon George has his wife locked up and checked in her chambers until the child is born, and ends the friendship with her that was briefly attempted.
After the birth of his daughter Charlotte Augusta, the king demands more children - and above all a son, for which the Prince of Wales is to receive further funds to repay his debts from Parliament. George is desperate and feels sold to the “stinking German cow”. Lady Jersey hopes to regain the love of the prince, but George still thinks only of his secret wife Maria. He drew up a will in which he bequeathed all of his property to Mrs. Fitzherbert, but bequeathed only one shilling to his "so-called wife" Caroline. The upbringing of his daughter should accordingly be entrusted to his parents and sisters - Caroline should have nothing to do with it.
The prince wants to formally separate from Caroline, but the politically weakened Fox advises him against it for political reasons - the public would disapprove of it. Thereupon Lady Jersey promises George to speak up with Prime Minister Pitt for his wish. The latter then proposed separate budgets, and the king finally agreed to this compromise.
George organizes a house for his wife in Blackheath - near the Royal Naval College , he points out, to appeal to Caroline's interest in young men in neat uniforms. Caroline accepts, but insists on her position as Princess of Wales and the rights associated with it, and also demands the dismissal of Lady Jersey as First Chamberlain - which she accepts with pleasure. George also suggests in a letter to Caroline that she could meet her intimate needs privately.
George sends Col. Lake to Maria with a love present in the hope of being able to resume his previous love affair with her, but she refuses. Thereupon the Prince of Wales decides against all reason to publicly confess to his marriage to Mrs. Fitzherbert. When asked by the Duke of York to dissuade him from this insane idea, Maria finally agrees to meet in the presence of a trusted friend, and at the prince's heartbreaking pleas she agrees to return to him - provided that Rome or the Catholic Church recognizes her marriage performed by an Anglican priest as valid.
5. Father and Son (1801–1806)
George III suffered a relapse of his mental illness for the first time in 13 years. With the consent of Queen Charlotte and the Duke of York and against the objection of the royal personal physician Dr. Gisbourne, father and son Willis, take charge of the king again. William, Duke of Clarence, reports the relapse to his older brother George, who is hoping for a new initiative to petition for his reign. But neither the Prime Minister-designate Addington can take action, since his appointment by the sick king is pending, nor the outgoing, William Pitt. Meanwhile, father and son Willis control the king and, through him, the government, on the one hand threatening the monarch with barbaric treatment methods and on the other hand not letting him sign certain documents because they "would upset him too much".
When the king is feeling a little better, the Duke of York advises giving him a public reception - not least to prevent the Prince of Wales as regent, because Frederick loves his brother George, but does not think he is capable to rule. The prince is, of course, furious about it. But after Queen Charlotte and Frederick - as well as the whole assembled company - had already waited two hours for the king and suddenly Dr. John Willis informs the Queen about another relapse of her husband, which is why he could not attend the reception, the Queen insists on going to him with her sons Frederick and William. Shaken by the condition of the straitjacketed monarch, the Duke of York dismisses father and son Willis on the spot.
Soon after the king's recovery, a stroll leads to a superficial reconciliation between him and the Prince of Wales, with George III. not only demands the end of his relationship with Mrs. Fitzherbert, but also that his son visits the Princess of Wales more often, which the prince reluctantly agrees to do.
Meanwhile , Princess Caroline's lover George Canning warns her not to spread further indiscreet rumors about her husband, the Prince of Wales, as this could weaken her position and give her husband grounds for a legal separation, which she does not only to be divorced from George, but also to lose their beloved daughter Charlotte.
When Queen Charlotte and Prime Minister Addington re-order the treatment of the king by the two Willis because they fear a relapse, George III refuses. unceremoniously to sign documents. The threat of strike works - the king is soon free again and George is once again deprived of all hope of reign.
Over dinner, George and his friends await the outcome of a military debate in Westminster. But when Fox and Sheridan come in, they don't bring the news George had hoped for that he will be called to the council of war. While Frederick was confirmed as Commander-in-Chief, Clarence became Admiral and his two other brothers Kent and Cumberland were appointed generals, the Prince of Wales was again given no high command. George is beside himself, takes his anger out on Maria and turns to the gentle Lady Hertford, who comforts him with the prospect of “other ways to get to military command”. In order to have a free hand for his liaison with Lady Hertford, George soon afterwards offers Maria an annual pension and a house in Weymouth - she accepts the annual pension, but not the house, and promises George that she will "no longer bother him with her presence" .
While Caroline amuses herself with a large group of children whom she has brought to Blackheath for the entertainment of her daughter Charlotte, and with George Canning, the King, who still loves his daughter-in-law, appears unannounced. When Caroline tells him that she wants to adopt a little boy named Willy Austin, Lady Douglas, who is also present, quietly remarks to Canning: "We all know why - or not?" The King heard this remark and harshly confronts Lady Douglas . After her evasive answer - she only said that Willy Austin was such a lovely child, that he had such a fine face and even looked like the Princess of Wales - the king went to the little one and looked at him closer, but came to that Conclusion that Willy is not Caroline's son and contradicts a little later also from his son William, the Duke of Clarence, mentioned rumors in this regard. The real reason for Williams' visit - to ask again for a military command for the Prince of Wales - is finally rejected by the King. Thereupon George publishes the private letters written by the king to him in this matter in a newspaper, which causes the monarch not only to outburst of anger, but also to a relapse of his illness and to make him go blind.
When Lady Douglas published the rumor that Willy Austin was Caroline's own son, conceived with a “servant”, in the “London Chronicle”, George once again sensed a chance to get rid of his hated wife. Through his brother William, he received a written statement from Lady Douglas, according to which Caroline had told her in the fall of 1801 that she was four months pregnant and had shown her the one-month-old baby Willy Austin the following February, whose father she did not know.
When William reads this statement to his sick father, the King, the latter is deeply shaken and instructs Prime Minister Grenville to set up a commission of inquiry under his chairmanship, which should also include Lord Chancellor Erskine and Lord Chief Justice Edinburgh.
6. God Save the King (God Save the King) (1806-1811)
The Commission of Inquiry into the Conduct of the Princess of Wales begins its work and is the first to question Lady Douglas, according to whose report the Princess had intimate relations with Naval Officer Sir Sidney Smith, George Canning, the servant Mr. Cole and many others and about the little Willy Austin is her son.
While Caroline continues her liaison with Canning, Prime Minister Grenville's investigation found that the princess “has no bad character” but is merely “generous in nature” and “countless violations of what might be called 'good manners' “And that Willy Austin is not her son either. All in all, there is insufficient evidence to justify a recommendation to Parliament to dissolve her marriage to the Prince of Wales. George III accepts that the princess is guilty of "recklessness and viciousness" and therefore prohibits her from any contact with the royal family.
George, however, is outraged by his confidante, Lady Hertford, and his brothers Frederick and William, “that this discreet investigation is the greatest, the most monumental and the most successful diabolical act of hypocrisy ever approved by English jurisprudence in the History of this country ”and sees herself as“ the victim of her sexual wanderlust ”. But, George continues, although he himself, God and the world know that, no one will tell the truth "because she is popular with the people." Lady Isabelle Hertford, with whom George maintains a tender friendship and who is also the official guardianship for Maria Fitzherbert's ward Minny Seymour, appeals to his intelligence, insight, generosity and imagination. George goes to himself and turns to his old and meanwhile terminally ill friend Charles Fox, who wishes him the same peace of mind that he himself has sometimes encountered.
In order to restore her reputation, Caroline takes advice from the rising politician Spencer Perceval, who recommends that she place herself under the protection of the king and be reconciled with him in order to dispel all doubts about her innocence in public. Against the opposition of George and the Queen, the King grants his daughter-in-law the requested audience and she appears at George III's birthday reception, where symptoms of his mental illness appear again and George's youngest sister Amelie shows signs of tuberculosis.
Due to the death of Princess Amelia, the king's health continues to deteriorate and he slips more and more into madness. Prime Minister Perceval informed Queen Charlotte that the doctors could no longer help the king and that, in view of the Napoleonic threat from the continent, he was forced to propose the Regency Law to parliament. The Queen assures him of her support, and George is finally at the goal of his wishes. In an "intoxicating and exuberant ceremony", the Prince of Wales took office as regent on February 5, 1811.
7. Milk and Honey (1811–1817)
Princess Charlotte Augusta, daughter of the Prince and Princess of Wales, is in love. The chosen one is the charming, dashing young hussar Charles Hesse. While her father thinks Hesse is a womanly hero and a villain and Charlotte Augusta forbids contact with him because of this, her mother Caroline is very taken with the young handsome boy and soon begins an affair with him herself.
Queen Charlotte complains to the prince about the easy-going behavior of his daughter and urges George to marry her off to a man of her rank. George is now beginning to guide Charlotte Augusta's upbringing in an orderly manner. So he replaces the previous incompetent governesses of the princess, Lady de Clifford and Ms. Udney, with Miss Cornelia Knight and the singing teacher Charlottes, Ms. Lindley, who - just like the princess - stutters.
The Prince of Wales, suffering from gout due to his excessive eating and drinking, asks his confidante, Lady Hertford, for advice on how to get rid of his hated wife, and she recommends the shrewd Lord Chancellor and coal manufacturer Lord John Eldon , whom George then requests to make Caroline leave England. However, Eldon initially met opposition from the Prime Minister, Lord Liverpool, and Caroline's adviser Henry Brougham .
Meanwhile, George chooses Prince William of Orange as the future husband for his daughter Charlotte, but already at the first meeting of the two on the occasion of George's birthday party on August 12, 1813, Charlotte loses all interest in the giggling and uncultivated young man. Instead, she falls in love with Prince Leopold von Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld , who is also present , to whom she soon writes, meets with him and uses this opportunity to show him her favorite pets, a pair of turtles named "Milk" and "Honey" . Charlotte and Leopold confess their "infinite love" to each other. Charlotte herself asks her old grandfather, the king, for his support, and he promises to "serve" the boring Wilhelm. To her father's annoyance, Charlotte breaks her engagement to Wilhelm, but after a brief resistance, George also gives her his blessing for the planned relationship with Leopold.
The Princess of Wales finally leaves England for Italy with her young lover Hesse under the code name "Countess von Wolfenbüttel" due to the reprisals that Lord Eldon has instigated against her, and George is in seventh heaven when he joins the royal family can announce not only the upcoming marriage of his beloved Charlotte-Augusta with Prince Leopold, but also the arrival of Carolines in Italy. And when her daughter's wedding is celebrated in London, her mother is having fun in the Villa d'Este on Lake Como with the Italian Baron Bartolomeo Pergami and the servant Teodoro Majochhi, while Hesse leaves her in disgust.
Princess Charlotte-Augusta soon becomes pregnant, and the aged George III. predicts the birth of a boy. At the beginning of November 1817 the Prince of Wales received desperate news from Prince Leopold at a hunting party that the birth was extremely difficult and that he was afraid for the life of his beloved wife. George hurries back to London full of fear, but Leopold can only tearfully tell him that Charlotte gave birth to a dead boy and died a little later in childbirth.
8. Defeat and Victory (1820-1821)
Queen Charlotte died on November 17, 1818, and George III on January 29, 1820.
The Prince of Wales, now King George IV, receives Prime Minister Lord Liverpool and Lord Chancellor Eldon and presents the two of them with scandalous reports from the English ambassadors across Europe about the unrestrained behavior of his wife Caroline. George desperately wants a divorce, for which the Queen would have to be brought to justice - whereas Liverpool and Eldon claim their popularity with the people in the meeting. They therefore decide to bring in Caroline's advisor, Brougham - to get the Queen to forego both a return to the UK and her royal rights in exchange for an increase in her annual allowance to £ 50,000, which the Queen did - in trust in love of the English people - rejects. Instead, she appoints her advisor Brougham - whom Caroline is personally disgusted with - as her First Crown Attorney and returns to England under his protection and to the cheers of the people. The popular unpopular George IV has Caroline's name deleted from the liturgy of the Church of England , which triggers protests in the population.
In response to the King's request for a divorce, Lord Liverpool is proposing, for political reasons, to avoid a trial and instead hold a debate on the Queen's conduct in the House of Lords, which should lead to a bill on the deprivation of her rights. However, only foreigners like Pergami should accuse Carolines as lovers or foreign witnesses testify to her adultery.
The hearing in the House of Lords begins on August 17, 1820, under the presidency of Lord Chancellor Eldon. Sir Robert Gifford represents the state and accuses the Queen of repeated adultery with Pergami in Milan, Naples and on the boat "Polacca" which ran out of Jaffa. The defense attorney Carolines Brougham, however, unmasked Teodoro Majocchi, who appeared as a witness, as untrustworthy and paid for by the Queen's opponents, as did the witness Pietro Cucchi because of his repeatedly repeated answer "Non mi ricordo" - "I can't remember". In his defense, Brougham portrayed Caroline as a deserted, lonely and needy woman and stressed that there was no evidence of repeated adultery.
Lord Liverpool warns the King that, in view of the popularity of his wife with the common people as well as the respectable middle class, he would not pass the bill to the House of Commons if there was only a narrow majority in the House of Lords, otherwise he would be defeated, his resignation and foresees a Whig government. In the House of Lords, the law to withdraw the queen's title for Caroline and to dissolve the marriage with the king is rejected.
Caroline triumphs, while George, resigned, even wants to renounce the throne as king in favor of his younger brother Frederick, the Duke of York, and retire to Hanover alone. However, George can finally be persuaded by his confidante, Lady Hertford, to reconsider an abdication.
And so George IV gave a confident dinner speech before a festive evening party at court and remembers an important characteristic of his people: “The English were always best when they had to face defeat in the miserable face. How so? Because only then will we get the chance to achieve the greatest victory. This nation will always be up to date when its head is in the clutches of defeat. And she has now realized that I am defeated. So she expects my victory. And I will achieve a victory: my coronation! ”With the words“ Have a good time! ”He leaves the table company to go to sleep.
A narrator speaks the last words: “George IV was crowned on July 19, 1821. Caroline turned up uninvited at the coronation at Westminster Hall. But the master of ceremonies had the right to reject guests. So she was told to go again - and she went. George IV died on June 26th, 1830. His brother William became the line of succession, later his niece Victoria - and everything changed. "
Awards and reception
At the BAFTA Awards in 1979, the series was nominated in the categories of equipment (Barry Newbury, Barrie Dobbins), costumes (Raymond Hughes) and television camera (Rodney Taylor) and received the award for the best make-up (Toni Chapman).
The high-quality series all about love and succession to the throne follows the tradition of the classic “ Ich, Claudius, Kaiser und Gott ”. Demanding and at the same time entertaining quality television, as it is hardly produced today. (DVD cover text)
The music
The music for the television series “The Prince Regent”, which was designed for a large orchestra and features some virtuoso wind solos, comes from the well-known American composer Carl Davis, who lives in London, and was recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra . A version entitled "The Prince Regent Suite" was released on CD by EMI in 1988, newly recorded by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra , the four pieces of which are presented here:
The opening theme, one of Davis' best musical motifs, underlines the fireworks scenes in the opening credits of the individual episodes with the portrait of the prince and his Royal Pavilion in Brighton recreated from flames and particularly illustrates the good-natured joviality of the protagonist of the series. "Bride from Brunswick" is a countryman and at the same time a very subtle character drawing of the vulgar, gross, not too attractive, but constantly eating and always the disgust of the Prince of Wales aroused Princess Caroline, in which she is very appropriately embodied by the bassoon . “Melancholy Serenade” appears as a theme whenever the prince has to cope with a stroke of fate again - which is very often the case due to his intrigues and extravagances. A sad-melancholy-sounding cello is accompanied by the pizzicato of the strings and almost takes on the character of a gavotte, even if it is danced clumsily. "Chains of Duty" portrays the increasing burden of responsibility and the prince's inability to cope with it. It is an orchestral version of the G minor Chaconne by George Frideric Handel (HWV 486), which in turn is very appropriate, since King George III. was obsessed with Handel's music. (Translation from the English booklet to the CD).
In addition to the music composed by Davis especially for the series, contemporary pieces of music from the 18th century appear in almost all episodes, such as B. excerpts from Handel's water music or the famous symphonia "Arrival of the Queen of Sheba" from his opera Solomon , which is one of the favorite pieces of George III. of this is performed on the harpsichord at every possible opportunity . In contrast to his father, who loves the music of Handel, who died many years earlier, the Prince of Wales prefers that of his contemporary Joseph Haydn , which also creates the contrast between the dwindling world of George III in the 18th century. and that of his son's looming early 19th century.
Accordingly, the Prince of Wales himself sits at the cello in episode 3 and, together with Joseph Haydn, who is currently in London, plays the fortepiano and a violinist at the end of the last movement of Haydn's Trio No. 32 in A major, Hob, entitled "Allegro" XV: 18. And in episode 7, George as the newly crowned Prince Regent conducts a small chamber music ensemble consisting of a string quartet and a transverse flute, which plays the end of the last movement from Haydn's Symphony No. 94 "Surprise", entitled "Finale: Allegro di molto" .
DVD edition
On October 17, 2016, an English-language DVD edition was published on 2 DVDs, and on June 15, 2018, a German-language edition of the series was published on 3 DVDs.
Web links
- The Prince Regent in the Internet Movie Database (English)