Variety.—Used as Prince of Wales. The Prince of Wales' plumes, within a princely coronet, and flanked by the initials "G. P." for "Georgius Princeps."
Motto.—Ich dien.
[Musgrave. Antiquitates Britanno-Belgicae. Exeter, 1719.]
George, Electoral Prince of Hanover, afterwards Prince of Wales (born 30th October 1683, died 25th October 1760), was the only son of George I., and succeeded his father on the throne of England in 1727.
In 1753 an Act was passed "For the purchase of the Museum or Collection of Sir Hans Sloane and of the Harleian Collection of MSS.; and for providing one General Repository for the better reception and more convenient use of the said Collections, and of the Cottonian Library." In 1757 King George II. added to these "Foundation Libraries" of the British Museum, the old Royal Library of England, which had been largely brought together by Henry, Prince of Wales. The old Royal Library underwent several vicissitudes after the death of Prince Henry. It was kept at St. James's Palace. When it was at length incorporated with the Sloane and Cotton collections it numbered altogether about fifteen thousand volumes, manuscripts, and printed books.
On 2nd September 1705, Prince George, then Electoral Prince of Hanover, married Wilhelmina Caroline (born 1st March 1683, died 20th November 1737), the eldest daughter of John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Anspach. Queen Caroline made herself as important in Court and political affairs as she had already done as Princess, and allied herself strongly with Sir Robert Walpole, then Minister of State, and her power became very great, as the King gave way to her wishes almost invariably. Both George II. and Queen Caroline disliked their eldest son Frederick. During the King's several absences in Hanover, Queen Caroline acted as Regent, to the great annoyance of the Prince of Wales.
