As we know, the Hannover Cousins gave the Hohenzollerns a run for their money when it came to dysfunctional father/son relationships, with G1/G2, G2/Fritz of Wales and G3/G4 being the most infamous combinations. From what I heard re: Fritz of Wales and future G3, I had the impression they might be the rare exception, helped do doubt by the fact that Fritz of Wales died just when future G3 was entering his teenage years, i.e. Fritz of Wales missed out on the phase where rebellion against one's parents is most likely. But that was mostly a guess, as I haven't yet read a biography of G3, though I mean to in the long run. The only thing I did know about Fritz of Wales' parenting was that he wanted his kids to speak English first (as opposed to himself) and to garden as a hobby, with each given a bit of land to cultivate (since this became one of G3's big passions, it seems to have worked as intended.
Well, now it turns out there is a great archive which has transcribed and digitized Georgian papers galore - heavy emphasis on G3, but they say there is a bit from G1, G2 and G4 as well. (Am very amused the various subsections bear titles from either Hamilton lyrics or from The Madness of George III (by Alan Bennett, the play) dialogue. Anyway, I've just started to explore, but there is a very touching letter by Fritz of Wales to his son written when future G3 was ten years old. (Fritz of Wales would die three years later and as this letter is a "just in case I'm not around when you reach your majority" thing, might have had an inkling he wasn't the healthiest?). The transcription is here.
Some fascinating details: G1 is referred to by Fritz of Wales as "my Grand-Father, and Best Friend", and the monarch future G3 is supposed to model himself after. Now given that Fritz of Wales actually did see his grandfather during his childhood and youth, as opposed to his parents, when growing up in Hannover because G1 went visiting ever so often, it makes sense they had a relationship, plus G1 did fight for Fritz of Wales' interests when the matter of whether or not to separate Hannover and GB and which son would get what came up. But of course the irony is that part of the reason why Fritz of Wales first had no and then a terrible relationship with G2 and Caroline was G1's fault, it was G1's idea that a seven years old child would be left behind in Hannover, after all. Anyway, this testimony to G1 being a good granddad to a legitimate offspring of his is still remarkable.
Fritz of Wales mentions he gives this letter to his wife, G3's mother, and the mention here and in other parts is always affectionate, so hopefully despite the fact he put her through a ghastly birth to annoy his parents, he otherwise proved to be an okay husband.
Breaking Fritz of Wales' spectacular breakup with Hervey in mind, this passage about friendship is interesting:
Flatterers, Courtiers or Ministers, are easy to be got, but a true Friend is difficult to be found. The only rule I can give You to try them by is, if they will tell you the Truth, and will venture for Your Sake that of Your Family or that if Your People (which three things I hope you will never separate, nor ought they ever to be separate) to risk some moments of disagreeable Contradictions to your Passions, through which they may lose Your Favour, if You are a Weak Prince; but will settle themselves firmer in it, if you turn out that man, which I hope God will make You.
The biggest difference between Fritz of Wales political opinions and those in the political testament of Fritz of Prussia comes when he talks about war:
If you can be without War, let not Your ambition draw you into it. A good deal of the National Debt must be pay’d off, before England enters into a War: At the same time never give up Your Honour nor that of the Nation. A Wide and Brave Prince, may often times, without Armies put a Stop to the Confusion, which the Ambitious neighbours endeavour to create. Tis not allways Armies or Fleets that will do this. Many times tis done only by the Weight of his Authority which can be got no other way, than by a Wise Settled and Steady Conduct. The unsteady measures, you See, My Son, have Sullied and hurt the Reign of Your Grandfather. Let your Steadiness retrieve the Glory of the Throne. I Shall have no regret never to have wore the Crown, if you do but fill it worthily:
Now, quoted at the website's description of the letter already and in line with Fritz of Wales being aware that his German origins and first 20 something years in Hannover will always work against him in the minds of at least some of his British subjects is this:
Convince this nation that you are not only an Englishman born and bred, but that you are also this by inclination, and that as You will love Your Younger Children next to the Elder born, so you will all your other Countries, next to England.
But he also pleads for Hannover not to be forgotten:
Be allways kind to the Electorate. Remember your Father, whom you love, was born there, and was allways vastly beloved, by that poor faithfull People. A particular Mark of which they gave me, by lending me a very considerable sum to pay off part of my Debt in England; Which I expect for my Blessing, you will repay, whenever the Crown comes to you, conformably to what is Solemnly Stipulated in the Instruments I have Signed and put into the hands of the Creditors. Remember this, my son, and, if possible, pay this Sum within the year.
Fritz of Wales also thinks that Hannover should be separated (as intended in G1's will which G2 surpressed, to the great ire also of SD, remember) from GB in the long term, i.e. specifically in the case of G3 should be ruled by one of his younger siblings, because:
When England and Hannover are joined together every malevolent Spirit in Europe, that cannot reach England, ventures to lift up his hands against Hannover: All which will cease the moment these Countries are separated.
Thinking of the FW/G2 almost duel here, Fritz of Wales? (He either was very recently in GB or was still in Hannover when that started, I believe.) Certainly G2 never got over his suspicion Fritz of Prussia might get grabby with Hannover one day, and there was that RP between Heinrich and AW where Heinrich played Fritz and did just that... Anyway, in rl, Hannover would not get separated from GB until Victoria became Queen, because due to the Salic law she could not become Electress of Hannover, so one of G3's still surviving sons got the job. (And promptly became the most loathed Hannover sovereign in eons by ignoring the constitution and thus incurring the protest of the "Göttingen Seven", including the brothers Grimm.) But all in all, Fritz of Wales comes across as someone who has definite ideas and ideals about how to be King who are anything but silly or frivolous; a counterpoint to his image in vengeful Hervey's memoirs, I'd say.
The letter starts: To my Son George As I have always have had the tenderest Paternal Affection for You, I cannot give You a Stronger proof of it, than in leaving this Paper for You in Your Mother’s hands, Who will read it to You from time to time and will give it to you when you come of Age or when you get the Crown.
Given that G3 kept the letter (and thus it's in his personal papers), presumably Princess Augusta did just that.
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Fritz of Wales to G3
Date: 2024-05-30 04:13 pm (UTC)Well, now it turns out there is a great archive which has transcribed and digitized Georgian papers galore - heavy emphasis on G3, but they say there is a bit from G1, G2 and G4 as well. (Am very amused the various subsections bear titles from either Hamilton lyrics or from The Madness of George III (by Alan Bennett, the play) dialogue. Anyway, I've just started to explore, but there is a very touching letter by Fritz of Wales to his son written when future G3 was ten years old. (Fritz of Wales would die three years later and as this letter is a "just in case I'm not around when you reach your majority" thing, might have had an inkling he wasn't the healthiest?). The transcription is here.
Some fascinating details: G1 is referred to by Fritz of Wales as "my Grand-Father, and Best Friend", and the monarch future G3 is supposed to model himself after. Now given that Fritz of Wales actually did see his grandfather during his childhood and youth, as opposed to his parents, when growing up in Hannover because G1 went visiting ever so often, it makes sense they had a relationship, plus G1 did fight for Fritz of Wales' interests when the matter of whether or not to separate Hannover and GB and which son would get what came up. But of course the irony is that part of the reason why Fritz of Wales first had no and then a terrible relationship with G2 and Caroline was G1's fault, it was G1's idea that a seven years old child would be left behind in Hannover, after all. Anyway, this testimony to G1 being a good granddad to a legitimate offspring of his is still remarkable.
Fritz of Wales mentions he gives this letter to his wife, G3's mother, and the mention here and in other parts is always affectionate, so hopefully despite the fact he put her through a ghastly birth to annoy his parents, he otherwise proved to be an okay husband.
Breaking Fritz of Wales' spectacular breakup with Hervey in mind, this passage about friendship is interesting:
Flatterers, Courtiers or Ministers, are easy to be got, but a true Friend is difficult to be found.
The only rule I can give You to try them by is, if they will tell you the Truth, and will
venture for Your Sake that of Your Family or that if Your People (which three things I hope
you will never separate, nor ought they ever to be separate) to risk some moments of
disagreeable Contradictions to your Passions, through which they may lose Your Favour, if
You are a Weak Prince; but will settle themselves firmer in it, if you turn out that man,
which I hope God will make You.
The biggest difference between Fritz of Wales political opinions and those in the political testament of Fritz of Prussia comes when he talks about war:
If you can be without War, let not Your ambition draw you into it. A good deal of the
National Debt must be pay’d off, before England enters into a War: At the same time never
give up Your Honour nor that of the Nation. A Wide and Brave Prince, may often times,
without Armies put a Stop to the Confusion, which the Ambitious neighbours endeavour to
create. Tis not allways Armies or Fleets that will do this. Many times tis done only by the
Weight of his Authority which can be got no other way, than by a Wise Settled and Steady
Conduct.
The unsteady measures, you See, My Son, have Sullied and hurt the Reign of Your
Grandfather. Let your Steadiness retrieve the Glory of the Throne. I Shall have no regret
never to have wore the Crown, if you do but fill it worthily:
Now, quoted at the website's description of the letter already and in line with Fritz of Wales being aware that his German origins and first 20 something years in Hannover will always work against him in the minds of at least some of his British subjects is this:
Convince this nation that you are not only an Englishman born and bred, but that
you are also this by inclination, and that as You will love Your Younger Children next to the
Elder born, so you will all your other Countries, next to England.
But he also pleads for Hannover not to be forgotten:
Be allways kind to the Electorate. Remember your Father, whom you love, was born there,
and was allways vastly beloved, by that poor faithfull People. A particular Mark of which
they gave me, by lending me a very considerable sum to pay off part of my Debt in England;
Which I expect for my Blessing, you will repay, whenever the Crown comes to you,
conformably to what is Solemnly Stipulated in the Instruments I have Signed and put into
the hands of the Creditors. Remember this, my son, and, if possible, pay this Sum within the
year.
Fritz of Wales also thinks that Hannover should be separated (as intended in G1's will which G2 surpressed, to the great ire also of SD, remember) from GB in the long term, i.e. specifically in the case of G3 should be ruled by one of his younger siblings, because:
When England and Hannover are joined together every malevolent Spirit in Europe, that
cannot reach England, ventures to lift up his hands against Hannover: All which will cease
the moment these Countries are separated.
Thinking of the FW/G2 almost duel here, Fritz of Wales? (He either was very recently in GB or was still in Hannover when that started, I believe.) Certainly G2 never got over his suspicion Fritz of Prussia might get grabby with Hannover one day, and there was that RP between Heinrich and AW where Heinrich played Fritz and did just that... Anyway, in rl, Hannover would not get separated from GB until Victoria became Queen, because due to the Salic law she could not become Electress of Hannover, so one of G3's still surviving sons got the job. (And promptly became the most loathed Hannover sovereign in eons by ignoring the constitution and thus incurring the protest of the "Göttingen Seven", including the brothers Grimm.) But all in all, Fritz of Wales comes across as someone who has definite ideas and ideals about how to be King who are anything but silly or frivolous; a counterpoint to his image in vengeful Hervey's memoirs, I'd say.
The letter starts: To my Son George
As I have always have had the tenderest Paternal Affection for You, I cannot give You a
Stronger proof of it, than in leaving this Paper for You in Your Mother’s hands, Who will
read it to You from time to time and will give it to you when you come of Age or when you
get the Crown.
Given that G3 kept the letter (and thus it's in his personal papers), presumably Princess Augusta did just that.