The Social Rules Of Regency England

From aristocratic foibles to the complicated rules surrounding courtship, we explore the dos and don’ts of Regency society

- Sophie Beal

In the early 19th century, after serious bouts of illness, King George III became increasingly unstable, before descending into permanent mental illness in 1810. The following year, his son George, Prince of Wales, was sworn in as ‘Prince Regent’ to rule in place of his ailing father.

A man of extravagant tastes, the Prince was hugely influential over the Arts and upper-class society. The so-called Regency period officially began when George became Prince Regent, but his influence was felt earlier, and unofficially the period covers a longer span, from 1780 through his reign as George IV until the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837. Although the era was one of immense political and economic turbulence – the country was living through the Napoleonic Wars – it was also a time of cultural refinement, thanks in no small part to the Prince Regent himself.

George was known for his excesses, but he was also a passionate connoisseur and a generous patron of the Arts, and with his influence and encouragement the country underwent a mini-Renaissance. Fine arts, literature and architecture flourished.

The Prince’s influence also extended to men’s fashion: he stopped powdering his hair to protest against the powder tax introduced in 1786 and, to minimise his obesity, took to wearing darker colours, high necks and pantaloons instead of breeches – and the gentlemen of England followed suit.

This combination of hedonism and culture is reflected in the building of the ornate Carlton House, George’s London residence for several decades, and the magnificent Brighton Pavilion, built complete with domes and minarets as an opulent seaside retreat. Here he could meet discreetly with his mistress Maria Fitzherbert, twice-widowed and six years his senior, whom he secretly married in 1785.