tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022318990784415929.post2398824926343348867..comments2023-10-20T11:17:47.246-04:00Comments on Two Nerdy History Girls: King George IV & the paparazzi of his dayUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022318990784415929.post-49766061239232200552011-09-16T13:53:08.752-04:002011-09-16T13:53:08.752-04:00It's interesting but I think some monarchs hav...It's interesting but I think some monarchs have "star quality." That's notoriously hard to pin down, but Queen Elizabeth I and Henry VIII had it. <br /><br />To sum it all up in a very simplistic way, they were rich, powerful, gorgeously dressed, fun-loving, clever, ruthless and ready to take what they wanted. <br /><br />None of the other monarchs you mention seemed larger than life , and I think Edward VII was actually repulsive in a sort of watery, drippy way.Jenny Woolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16881781466502273314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022318990784415929.post-90079749875267831022011-09-15T15:56:48.878-04:002011-09-15T15:56:48.878-04:00Probably the reason for this was the proliferation...Probably the reason for this was the proliferation of the printing press for which we all give thanks. And of course a century of upheaval had weakened royal power to do a red queen "off with their head" every time someone criticized the monarchy. Indeed, the inability to dispose of his critics while he lived life in such a fishbowl could well have provoked George to outrageous antics and capricious expenditures with the thought that if he could not please, at least he could irritate.Marilu Vealehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02548028266395433961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022318990784415929.post-66048795538719399772011-09-15T12:28:04.648-04:002011-09-15T12:28:04.648-04:00I’ve always had a soft spot for Prinny and think h...I’ve always had a soft spot for Prinny and think he gets a very raw deal from many historians. They skip over the years where he was “the first gentleman of Europe” and obfuscate his contributions to art and culture in favor of showing him as an elderly, fat buffoon with a penchant for older, fatter women.Isobel Carrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03153722955365985930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022318990784415929.post-54068158490203552162011-09-15T09:05:46.390-04:002011-09-15T09:05:46.390-04:00Well, Charles II did manage to bring some peace to...Well, Charles II did manage to bring some peace to England with the Restoration, even though his foolish brother didn't have the sense to follow in his footsteps. He may have "showered his favorites with riches" but never to the extravagant level George showed in his spending. And one could argue that chartering the Royal Society benefitted the country far more than building the Brighton Pavilion did.<br /><br />I wouldn't care to try to defend either Edward VII or Henry VIII, but I can't feel much sympathy for George IV. After all, it isn't as if he didn't do the things that were being caricatured. You play, you pay.Jane Onoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022318990784415929.post-32617164260085067102011-09-15T07:00:43.712-04:002011-09-15T07:00:43.712-04:00The beauty of the caricatures for me though is in ...The beauty of the caricatures for me though is in the wealth of extraneous social and costume detail to be found in them. Hard lines for Prinny, but hey, he knew the likes of Cruikshank were out there. If you don't want it published, don't do it. Same as with the paparazzi today.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03121102757759349165noreply@blogger.com