The Trial of Queen Caroline 1820

The Trial of Queen Caroline in 1820 was the defining political scandal of George IV's reign: the king attempted to divorce his estranged wife Caroline of Brunswick by presenting a Bill of Pains and Penalties to the House of Lords, accusing her of adultery. The proceedings became a public sensation and a focus for popular opposition to the king, with crowds cheering Caroline through the streets. Hayter documented the proceedings in a large-scale historical painting that recorded the Lords assembled in judgment, capturing the constitutional drama of a trial that the government ultimately had to abandon when support collapsed.

Hayter's panoramic composition includes precise portraits of the numerous peers and legal figures involved in the trial. The careful rendering of the House of Lords interior and the individual likenesses demonstrates his skill as a documentary painter of contemporary events.