A Royal Scandal

The Independent; London; June 15, 1996; Gerard Gilbert;

OK, then. What does this remind you of? An ageing bachelor Prince of Wales is pressurised into marrying a young bride he hardly knows - even though he is passionately devoted to his mistress. The marriage quickly fails, and the Princess finds herself isolated. Emboldened by the fact that she is mother of the heir to the throne, she starts to fight back, and a vicious wrangle - over houses and titles - ensues, fought mainly through the newspapers.

This particular failed royal marriage happened 200 years ago, when George, later George IV, agreed to take Caroline of Brunswick as his lawful wedded wife (he already had an unlawfully wedded wife in Catholic-born Maria Fitzherbert). It's all dramatised in A Royal Scandal (Sun BBC1), with Richard E Grant as George, the unfamilar but lively-faced Susan Lynch as Caroline, and the rather more familiar Michael Kitchen, Frances Barber and Denis Lawson in support. Surprisingly, this all goes beyond just a few spooky parallels with Charles and Di, thanks to a breezy script and a suitably manic performance from Grant - George as a sort of Hanoverian Withnail.

Many thanks to Deb for digging out this review.