At the tawdry, extravagant heart of the Regency period - nine scandalous, politically fascinating years from 1811 to 1820 - lies the bitter mismatch between the Prince and Princess of Wales.

The Prince Regent, later George IV, separated privately from Caroline of Brunswick within a year of their marriage in 1795. They remained separated until her death in 1821, but the mockery of their marriage resisted the most strenuous efforts to dissolve it. Barred from the Regent's court, Queen Caroline travelled through Europe with a small court of her own. Her story - of a long, courageous fight by an extraordinary individual to see justice done in the face of overbearing authority - is compellingly told by Flora Fraser. This astonishing book culminates with the Queen's trial in the House of Lords for adultery and exclusion from her bigamous husband's Coronation.