Rituals of Royal Masculinity in Eighteenth-Century Britain: Frederick, Prince of Wales, Takes a Mistress

Although scholars have examined the history of middling and elite masculinity in eighteenth-century Britain, few consider how ideals of manhood shaped the representation and perception of early Georgian rulers. This article re-examines the relationship of Frederick, Prince of Wales, with his publicly recognized mistress, Anne Vane, as a symbolic rite of passage that helped enhance his manly prowess, prestige and position at court. Their affair included social rituals of deference and patronage through which the Prince asserted his maturity, independence from his parents and rank as heir to the throne. Through an analysis of little-studied contemporary scandal literature about Frederick and Vane, this essay argues that royal mistresses were generally accepted figures at the eighteenth-century British court and that expressions of extramarital sexuality were tolerated as a component of youthful elite masculinity. Published discussions of the Prince’s intimacies were central to his emerging reputation as an accessible regal figure and recognizable personality, and masculine images of rulers appealed to men and engaged gendered forms of allegiance.