Royalty, Celebrity, and the Press in Georgian Britain, 1770-1820

Abstract

This article argues that the British press created a sense of celebrity around the royal family in the late eighteenth century by providing the British public with extensive information on the private lives of royalty. Analysing newspaper articles and printed images, it examines three case studies from the period: scandalous royal romances, the madness of George III, and the tragic death of a princess. These case studies highlight the increasing exposition of the private as well as public and political aspects of royalty at the intersection of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The article explores how intense media coverage of private royal matters created a discernible culture of “modern celebrity” in relation to the royal family in this era, a culture which ran counter to the official, traditional image of the monarchy. It considers the extent to which this media coverage forged emotional connections between the royal family and the British public, as well as examining the negative impact that media exposure could have on perceptions of the monarchy.