Trial by Media: The Queen Caroline Affair

Sympathy for the Queen

As the trial captivated the nation, public opinion encompassed diverse perspectives. While vilifying, lampooning images supported the ouster of the Queen, Caroline’s plight alternatively served both radical causes and the defense of women’s rights. These causes demanded more sympathetic media portrayals, which artists and publishers likewise produced for public consumption, especially following  her premature death within a year of the divorce proceedings Flattering images of a dignified and beloved queen embellished keepsakes such as collectible boxes and modest printed portraits for domestic display. Her passing was lamented with respectful images of the funeral procession and laudatory accounts of her life and death.