In 1800, the Pope declared that Maria Fitzherbert's marriage to the heir to the English throne was legal in the eyes of God and that it was alright for them to get back together again. There were big celebrations in Brighton (even the poet Lord Byron was invited) as the couple marked their reunion.
The fashionable seasons in Brighton were not spring and summer, as they were later and are now. People of importance would rent houses in Brighton during autumn and winter, although the Prince clearly took his holidays earlier in the year. The important visitors included members of the royal family and the aristocratic classes, senior government officials, businessmen from London and people who could afford the expensive cost of stagecoach travel.
In 1804, Steine House (pictured above) - now the Young Men's Christian Association and a hostel for the homeless - was built for Maria Fitzherbert. The couple were to enjoy happy years in one another's company until 1811.
George and Maria are lucky not to have lived in the 21st century, when they would have had the tabloid press following their every move. Certainly, Brighton knew of their unofficial relationship, but it was not something that was advertised up and down the land.
People did get to hear about Napoleon Bonaparte, who crowned himself Emperor of France at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris France in 1804. It was up to the media of the day to tell people of the power and ambitions of the French Emperor so that armies could be raised to fight against him.