Georgianengland Stories

In this biographical series that begins in 1784, twenty-one-year-old George, Prince of Wales-- the eldest son of King George III and heir to the British throne-- spends his youth idly by keeping countless mistresses, drinking profusely, and making friends with the radical Whig Opposition, much to the dismay of his father and the conservative Tories. While the Prince of Wales is handsome, witty, and intelligent, he is also vain, haughty, and melodramatic. However, his Whig friends overlook his vices in the hopes that their political alliance with him will one day be in their favor, as they hope to one day retake the government from the Tories. The Prince of Wales gets himself into even more difficulties with an illegal marriage, accumulating debts, and an evermore distant relationship with his parents. This finally culminates in the Regency Crisis of 1788: when King George III suffers through a serious mental illness, the Prince of Wales' true disposition is finally revealed before the public eye.

Adapted from the short story of the same name by Anna Jane Brittain. BEN Just a little while longer. (BEN leans forward and kisses VICTORIA. Final blackout. END OF PLAY.)

I awoke from a deep, deep sleep in one of the guest bedrooms of my manor. I recognized the room because I remembered the mural on the ceiling of enchanting little painted cherubs. I was lying down, slightly propped up by a collection of pillows, but I felt arms around my waist and a head rested on my ribs. I looked down at the figure to whom the arms and head belonged and saw my husband, still in his nightshirt. He heard my head shift to look at him, and he sat up, his face red and still wet with tears. He simply leaned over and gave me a kiss on my forehead and resumed his position next to me. "Just a little while longer."