Going through my excellent High Society in the Regency Period book, I recalled passages on the Prince Regent. Remembering JA's loathing of him (rightly so), I cannot recall JA's real opinion on Princess, later Queen, Caroline of Brunswick. The Prince Regent delivered one of my favorite Regency era quotes on first seeing her - "Harris, I am not well. Pray get me a glass of brandy." Classic!

Regency society and history tells us that Princess Caroline was fat, ugly, vulgar and coarse - hardly Princess of Wales material. The only reference to Princess Caroline that I remember JA making is writing that she pitied her, but that was only because she had the Prince Regent for a husband.

To be honest, I haven't read all of JA's letters (shock, horror in a JA fan, I know), but is there any other documented evidence that tells us of JA's opinion of Princess Caroline? Did she think her fit for the position she was in? Aside from pity for Caroline for her husband, did JA ever venture an opinion on her?

One more thing - perhaps we could suggest that King George III was cruel in making the match between them, but aside from increasing The Prince Regent's income and the fact that Princess Caroline was German, was there any other reason for their marriage? Was there any other eligible match for the Prince Regent at the time?