Loyal Opposition? P rince F rederick and Parliament (1729–51)

This article seeks to reappraise the role of P rince F rederick as a parliamentarian and also to reconsider the size and significance of his association in both L ords and C ommons. Previous studies of P rince F rederick and of the so‐called L eicester H ouse grouping have tended to emphasize the prince's limitations as a political figure of real weight, to play down the extent of his activities as a parliamentary figure in his own right and have also paid scant attention to the role of the house of lords in L eicester H ouse's schemes. By reconsidering some of the major political dramas of the 1730s and 1740s, this article aims to redress the balance, arguing that P rince F rederick was an active member of the L ords and that his association, though fluid, was more coherent and significant than is usually acknowledged.