?No more to be said?? Reactions to the death of Frederick Lewis, prince of Wales

Abstract

The untimely death of Frederick, prince of Wales, in 1751 has inevitably had an impact on the way in which he has been treated by historians. While some have considered the influence his opposition grouping at Leicester House had on the policies of his son, George III, most have been happy to rely on a few wellknown sources in considering the immediate repercussions of his death. This article seeks to reappraise the reaction to Prince Frederick's unexpected demise by considering the politics behind the ceremonial of his funeral, the debates in parliament over the drawing up of the Regency Bill, and the wider public response as revealed in newspapers, sermons and verse.

The Religious Retinue of Leicester House: Chaplains of Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales, 1729‐51

“…Many politicians made this allusion during the debates on the regency bill after Frederick's death, yet the most probable perpetrator of the broadside was the prince's confidant John Perceval, Lord Egmont. 51 In a Royal Martyr sermon, Frederick's chaplain Leonard Howard decried Constitutional Queries as a despicable libel and he censured an opposition that stemmed from 'faction and discontent'. 52 He also dismissed the concept of a loyal opposition.…”