A Primer on the Regency Era Royal Family
Before we meet the members of the Regency Era Royal Family, I should really explain what is meant by “The Regency”. In last week’s post about Regency Peerage and Precedence, and indeed the rest of the Regency Primer Series, I apologize for assuming that everyone just knows what’s meant when I say, “The Regency”.
Formally, “The Regency” refers to the period of British history from 1811 until 1820. After King George III slipped into permanent madness when his favorite daughter, Princess Amelia died on November 2, 1810, he was deemed unfit to rule and his son, George, Prince of Wales, was installed as the king’s proxy as Regent until his own coronation after his father’s death in 1820.
The “Regency Era” is usually used to describe a wider time period characterized by distinct trends in architecture, fashion, literature, political relations and culture that spans from 1795 until 1837 (the latter part of the reign of George III and the reigns of his sons George IV, as Prince Regent and King, and William IV) when Queen Victoria was crowned.
The Regency Era Royal Family
George, Prince of Wales, Prince Regent from Feb 1811 until his coronation as King George IV Jan 1820 and reigned until 1830
Wife: Caroline, Princess of Wales (married 1795)
Children: Charlotte (born 1796, married 1816, died 1817 in childbirth)
Frederick, Duke of York (married 1791)
Wife: Frederica, Duchess of York
William, Duke of Clarence (King William IV 1830-1837)
Wife: Adelaide, Duchess of Clarence (married 1818)
Children: (10 bastards by Mrs. Jordan)
Charlotte (born & died 1819)
Elizabeth (born 1820, died 1821)
Charlotte, Princess Royal
Edward, Duke of Kent (married 1818)
Wife: Victoire, Duchess of Kent
Children: Victoria (born 1819, Queen Victoria of England 1837)
Princess Augusta
Princess Elizabeth
Ernest, Duke of Cumberland (married 1815, King Ernest of Hanover 1837)
Wife: Frederica, Duchess of Cumberland
Children: George (born 1819, King of Hanover 1851)
Augustus, Duke of Sussex (married 1793, but the marriage was never approved by the king, so it violated the Royal Marriage Act, which removed his children from the royal succession; received the title Duke of Sussex in 1801
after parting with his wife)
Wife: Lady Augusta DeAmeland (she was awarded use of this surname in 1801)
Children: Mister Frederick DeAmeland (born 1794)
Miss Emma DeAmeland (born 1801)
Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (married 1818)
Wife: Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge
Children: George (born 1819)
Augusta (born 1822)
Mary (born 1833)
Princess Mary
Princess Sophia
Octavius (died age 3)
Alfred (died age 2)
Princess Amelia (died Nov 2, 1810)
More information regarding a variety of other Regency-themed topics can be found on my Regency Resource page. If you’d like more information on a specific place or topic, please let me know in the comments section below.
