. Historical portraits ... the lives of Fletcher .. . ashfulness, gave him an air of haughtiness,which hindered his personal popularity. Physically he was activeand was a good horseman. In 1616 he was created Prince of Wales,but he made no appearance in public affairs until 1623, when hewent to Madrid to woo the Infanta Maria of Spain. He was alreadyentirely under the influence of Buckingham, whose meteoric natureexercised over him as much ascendancy as any one ever was able toexercise. Charles imagined himself to be genuinely in love withthe Princess, and on one occasion caused her gre
. Historical portraits ... the lives of Fletcher .. . ashfulness, gave him an air of haughtiness,which hindered his personal popularity. Physically he was activeand was a good horseman. In 1616 he was created Prince of Wales,but he made no appearance in public affairs until 1623, when hewent to Madrid to woo the Infanta Maria of Spain. He was alreadyentirely under the influence of Buckingham, whose meteoric natureexercised over him as much ascendancy as any one ever was able toexercise. Charles imagined himself to be genuinely in love withthe Princess, and on one occasion caused her great alarm by romanti-cally descending upon her from a high wall, while she was walkingin her garden. Neither she nor Philip IV ever favoured thematch, and the political and religious objections to it were in factinsuperable. Hence Charles returned, angry and empty-handed,after seven months of wearisome negotiation and unrequited court-ship. Though his father still lived, he and Buckingham nowvirtually ruled England. He threw himself into the latters schemes. (/2 > -J cZC o u in CHARLES I 83 for the reconquest of the Palatinate, and was in no wise disillusionedb^ the failure of Mansfelds expedition. On March 27,1625, Charlesbecame King, and Buckinghams influence remained unabated ; inJune, Henrietta Maria of France, the Queen whom Buckinghamhad chosen for him, landed in England. Yet under the sameinfluence Charles soon became estranged from his wife, and under-took, in addition to a war with Spain, a fruitless and dishonourablewar with France. The quarrel with his first three Parliaments indefence of his minister when impeached, and of the general policywhich that minister had advocated, was the most serious result ofthis unhappy friendship. Friendship it undoubtedly was, and notdependence. Charles never really took good advice from any one;and there is no lack of evidence that, where Buckinghams advicewas good, as it sometimes was, the young King rejected it. AfterBuckinghams
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