Lucy Worsley's Royal Myths & Secrets

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In December 1785, a rather unusual royal wedding took place. Can I have the rings, please? (upbeat music) -

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The groom was the Prince of Wales, George, the heir to the British throne. I know pronounce you, man and wife. (upbeat music) George has just got married to the love of his life, Maria Fitzherbert. She is six years older than him, and she has been married twice before. These things needn't be obstacles to true love, though. Yet there is something a bit strange about this ceremony. It's all happening so secretly, in Maria's own drawing room. None of his family have turned up, and that chaplain is a bit dodgy. He's got a criminal record for unpaid debt. My most fervent wish is realized my darling. You're my wife. The wife of my heart, and my soul and in the eyes of heaven will ever be. (trumpet music) It's a bit sad, because they may be married in the eyes of heaven but not in the eyes of the law. Legal impediment number one, the King, the Princes father hasn't given his permission for the marriage. Legal impediment number two, Maria is a Catholic. (instrumental music) -

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This could cause a huge constitutional problem. Under The Act of Settlement, the husband of a Catholic could never become King. So George wanted to keep his wedding a secret from the public and the British Parliament. (soft music) But that was going to be difficult. (soft music) Caricatures were filled with images of the couple cavorting together. (soft music) And soon Members of Parliament were demanding to know if the Prince had forfeited his right to the throne. (soft music) Whig MP, Charles James Fox, a close friend of the Prince stood up in Parliament to answer them. Folks said that this rumored marriage not only could never have happened legally, but in fact had never happened in any way whatsoever. And that to suggest otherwise was a malicious falsehood. (soft music) -

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George had lied to Fox, and told him that the marriage would never happen. And that's because George wasn't just the Prince of Wales, he was also the Prince of fibs. (soft music)