An already wealthy man with a large income, the 2nd Duke of Buckingham could have lived comfortably. He was, however, a fraudster, unable to stick to anything except wasting his and other people's money. His lifestyle was to bring his family, and Stowe, to the brink of ruin.

His own obsessions, such as the Buckinghamshire Yeomanry, eclipsed his interest in the estate and in his family - he even gave away his son's christening cup as a prize in a horse race at Stowe. On inheriting Stowe in 1839, he sold 1,000 paintings, only to replace them with even more works of art.

The 2nd Duke financed a programme of repairs only by lying to his creditors for years about the state of his finances. He had no understanding of the landscape and erected fences wherever he pleased, even turning the elegant Bourbon Tower into a mock fort, complete with cannon and rifle range beside it.

Ancestors of the 2nd Duke had been so proud of Stowe that they actively encouraged the visiting public, while he kept them at bay. Royalty, however, was another matter. In the early 1840s, the Duke of Cambridge (an uncle of Queen Victoria) and his son Prince George, the Dowager Queen Adelaide (William IV's widow), the King of Hanover and the Duchess of Gloucester all came to stay. His crowning moment came when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert stayed at Stowe in 1845.

For years, however, he had been living far beyond his means and had been secretly plotting to steal the inheritance of his own son to prop up his finances. He had also completely refurnished the house for his regal visitors and laid on a spectacular but costly welcoming parade. In August 1847, the 2nd Duke ran out of luck as bailiffs for his creditors seized his assets and he fled abroad.