Royal Marriages Act

Royal Marriages Act, 1772. Prompted by the unsanctioned marriage of George III's brother Henry, duke of Cumberland, an Act was passed in 1772 making it illegal in future for any member of the royal family under the age of 25 to marry without the previous consent of the monarch, all such marriages to be declared null and void. The Act created problems for the future George IV when he married Mrs Fitzherbert in 1785 at the age of 23, and is still in force.