Who was 'Silly Billy'?

‘Silly Billy’ is a common nickname for someone who behaves foolishly, and is particularly appropriate if their name happens to be William. The nickname appears to originate in the 18th century, but I have found three different royal Williams who earned it: Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester; King William IV; and Prince William of Orange. But which one was the original ‘Silly Billy’?

Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (1776-1834)

Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester
from A Biographical Memoir of Frederick,
 Duke of York and Albany
by John Watkins (1827)

The Duke of Gloucester was a cousin of George IV and was a very pompous man, who demanded great respect for his royal status. He was widely known for his lack of intelligence. As Captain Gronow records:

His Royal Highness, who was in the habit of saying very ludicrous things, asked one of his friends in the House of Lords, on the occasion when William IV assented to Lord Grey's Proposition to pass the Reform Bill ‘coute qui coute’, ‘Who is Silly Billy now?’ This was in allusion to the general opinion that was prevalent of the Royal Duke's weakness, and which had obtained for him the sobriquet of ‘Silly Billy’.1

Whilst confirming that the Duke knew that he was widely known as ‘Silly Billy’, this anecdote implies that he thought his cousin, William IV, was proving as great a fool as he by his political actions.

A Reformer’s Petition

The Petition, advertised in The Satirist (1831)
© The Trustees of the British Museum

A contemporary cartoon from 1831 seems to support this. It depicts William IV sitting on a carved chair and wearing a fool’s cap. Kneeling in front of him is Brougham, presenting ‘A Reformer’s Petition’, with the words:

“Dread Liege I have the honour to present a humble petition, signed by all the inhabitants of St Luke’s Bedlam, and Hoxton praying Reform and that they may be let loose.”

The King says: “Ah! – this touches us nearly it must be considered of – These long existing abuses must be abolished.” 

Behind the king, the Duke of Gloucester, wearing a top hat, bends forward to say: “Who’s Silly Billy now?”2

William IV, Duke of Clarence (1765-1837)

William IV
From The History of the Life and Reign of William IV
by Robert Huish (1837)

Many sources suggest that the phrase ‘Silly Billy’ was originally coined for William IV. Plantagenet Somerset Fry’s book, Kings and Queens of England, suggests that he earned this nickname because, as a young man, he was very excitable and rather tactless. Evidence seems to suggest that his behaviour was very wild and ridiculous at times and that possibly he was afflicted with the same mental instability as his father, George III.

There is an anecdote in circulation that when William became king, his first remark to his Privy Council who were kneeling before him was “Who is ‘Silly Billy’ now?” but I have failed to find an original source for this and the documentary evidence seems to put the words into the mouth of the Duke of Gloucester rather than William IV as mentioned above.

“One of the silliest old gentlemen”

However, there is no doubt that William IV behaved, at times, in a very silly manner. Greville declared in his memoirs that King William’s 

...ignorance, weakness, and levity put him in a miserable light, and prove him to be one of the silliest old gentlemen in his dominions; but I believe he is mad... and he reported that the King had made a number of speeches, so ridiculous and nonsensical, beyond all belief but to those who heard them, rambling from one subject to another, repeating the same thing over and over again, and altogether such a mass of confusion, trash and imbecility as made one laugh and blush at the same time. He goes on to say that: The Government and their people have now found out what a fool the King is…they find him rather shuffling and exceedingly silly.3

Prince William of Orange (1792-1849)

A third William who lived during the Regency period and was not known for his wisdom was Prince William of Orange, who was briefly engaged to Princess Charlotte. Parissien describes him as:

a short and skinny and indecisive youth (and later in life a notoriously dull drunk) invariably known as ‘Silly Billy’.4

Prince William of Orange served on the Duke of Wellington’s staff in the British Army in the Peninsular War but here his nickname was ‘Slender Billy’, referring to his youth rather than his stupidity. He commanded the Dutch-Belgian forces under Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo, where he was injured, but although “not deficient in personal courage”, it is believed that his inexperience was responsible for errors which cost the lives of many men.

So who was the original ‘Silly Billy’?

All three Williams were known for their lack of wisdom, but I believe that the Duke of Gloucester was probably the original ‘Silly Billy’. Both in Gronow’s reminiscences and in the satirical cartoon, the Duke is acknowledged as ‘Silly Billy’. 

 

However, Greville’s memoirs suggest that William IV deserved the nickname as much as the Duke by his increasingly eccentric behaviour. It is unsurprising that the nickname has become associated with William IV given the importance of his standing compared to his relatively unknown cousin.

Rachel Knowles writes clean/Christian historical romance set in the time of Jane Austen. She has been sharing her research on this blog since 2011. Rachel lives in the beautiful Georgian seaside town of Weymouth, Dorset, on the south coast of England, with her husband, Andrew.

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1. Gronow, Captain, The Reminiscences and Recollections of Captain Gronow (1900).
2. The Petition, a satirical print (1831) © British Museum.
3. Greville, Charles CF, The Greville Memoirs, edited by Henry Reeve (1874).
4. Parissien, Steven, George IV, The Grand Entertainment (2001).

Sources used include:
Fry, Plantagenet Somerset, The Kings & Queens of England & Scotland, (1990)
Greville, Charles CF, The Greville Memoirs, edited by Henry Reeve (1874)
Gronow, Captain, The Reminiscences and Recollections of Captain Gronow (1900)
Hibbert, Christopher, George IV (1972, 1973)
Huish, Robert, The History of the Life and Reign of William IV (1837)
Parissien, Steven, George IV, The Grand Entertainment (2001)
Purdue, AW, William Frederick, Prince, second Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (1776-1834), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, online edition (2009)

Princess Charlotte (1796-1817) Part 2: 1813-1817

Princess Charlotte
from Huish's Memoirs of her late
royal highness Charlotte Augusta (1818)

Princess Charlotte enters society

Having lived the first seventeen years of her life in virtual seclusion, Princess Charlotte was allowed, at last, to appear in public. Perhaps this was in response to her mother’s anxious letter to the king; perhaps it was to distract her from the disappointment of having her request to set up her own establishment refused.

Whatever the reason, on 5 February 1813, Charlotte was present at a fete held by her father, the Regent, at Carlton House, dressed in richly embroidered white lace over white satin, and adorned with diamonds. Soon after, she was seen at the opera with the Duchess of York, and the following year, she was formally presented to the queen at a drawing room.

Captain Hesse

Around this time, rumours abounded concerning Charlotte’s supposed relationship with Captain Charles Hesse, an army lieutenant who was said to be the illegitimate son of the Duke of York. The Princess of Wales had allegedly promoted the relationship, though more to antagonise the Regent than to bring about Charlotte’s happiness, and had arranged for them to meet at her home in Kensington.

The Regent was alarmed by this seemingly wayward behaviour and when her governess, Lady de Clifford, resigned, most probably as a result of the Hesse affair, she was replaced by the Duchess of Leeds, with Cornelia Knight as lady companion, and they were given strict instructions not to let Charlotte out of their sight. Unfortunately, his fears led George to act unfeelingly, cruelly denying his daughter the recommended visit to the seaside for her health in July 1813, refusing to believe that she was really ill.

George IV
from La Belle Assemblée (1830)

“Silly Billy”

Despite the obvious failure of his own arranged marriage, George was now determined to promote one for his daughter. The chosen bridegroom was Prince William of Orange, an unprepossessing and indecisive young man who had served on the Duke of Wellington’s staff in Spain. He had subsequently been given a command at Waterloo which he had fulfilled with notorious incompetence. Unsurprisingly, he was often given the nickname, “Silly Billy”. When Charlotte discovered that she was expected to live largely in Holland, she was horrified, and on 10 June 1814, she told Prince William that she would not marry him and the proposed marriage had to be abandoned.

Charlotte runs away

The Regent was furious at Charlotte’s disobedience. He dismissed Cornelia Knight and the Duchess of Leeds and virtually all her servants and created a whole new household for his daughter. Dismayed, Charlotte ran away to her mother at Connaught House, but she was obliged to return in disgrace to Warwick House with the Duke of York.

Renewed seclusion

As a result, her conduct was severely monitored. She was sent to live at Cranbourne Lodge in Windsor Park, her correspondence was stopped and she was only allowed to see people connected with the Regent’s party, to the great concern of the Duke of Sussex who questioned this seeming incarceration in the House of Lords. Suffering from ill-health, she was sent to Weymouth to recuperate.

A happy marriage

The marriage of Princess Charlotte
 to Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg
from La Belle Assemblée (1816)

The Regent was determined that his daughter should marry as soon as possible. Charlotte was adamant in her decision not to marry Prince William of Orange, but instead fell in love with Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, a German prince, whom she had met at the home of the Duchess of Oldenburgh. Encouraged by the Duke of Kent, George eventually agreed to the match and the couple were married at Carlton House on 2 May 1816. They resided at Marlborough House in London and Claremont Park in Esher, Surrey, and lived together in obvious mutual affection.

Death of the Princess

After two miscarriages, Charlotte became pregnant again, but the joyful anticipation came to an abrupt end when she died on 6 November 1817, having given birth to a stillborn boy the previous evening.

Princess Charlotte
from The Ladies' Monthly Museum
In memoriam (1817)

A country in mourning

Funeral procession of Princess Charlotte at Windsor from Memoirs
of her late royal highness Charlotte Augusta by R Huish (1818)

The whole country went into mourning. Her funeral was held on the morning of 19 November, when her remains were laid to rest in the Royal Mausoleum in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. A public subscription was initiated by the Duchess of York for a commemorative monument and over £12,000 was raised by the adoring public. 

 

The Regent, however, in typical egocentric fashion, declared that the monument should be erected in the St George’s Chapel and not in Hyde Park in London, to the outrage of public who had funded it.

Read about Charlotte's unhappy childhood

Sources used include:
Hibbert, Christopher, George IV (1972, 1973)
Huish, Robert, Memoirs of her late royal highness Charlotte Augusta (1818)
Parissien, Steven, George IV, The Grand Entertainment (2001)