Editing George II of Great Britain (section)

===Political opposition===
Banned from the palace and shunned by his own father, the Prince of Wales was identified for the next several years with opposition to George I's policies,<ref>Trench, pp. 67, 87.</ref> which included measures designed to increase religious freedom in Great Britain and expand Hanover's German territories at the expense of Sweden.<ref>Thompson, pp. 48–50, 55.</ref> His new London residence, [[Leicester House, Westminster|Leicester House]], became a frequent meeting place for his father's political opponents, including [[Sir Robert Walpole]] and [[Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend|Lord Townshend]], who had left the government in 1717.<ref>Trench, pp. 79, 82.</ref>

The King visited Hanover again from May to November 1719. Instead of appointing George to the guardianship, he established a regency council.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 71.</ref> In 1720, Walpole encouraged the King and his son to reconcile, for the sake of public unity, which they did half-heartedly.<ref>Thompson, p. 57; Trench, pp. 88–90; Van der Kiste, pp. 72–74.</ref> Walpole and Townshend returned to political office, and rejoined the ministry.<ref>Black, ''George II'', p. 52; Thompson, p. 58; Trench, p. 89.</ref> George was soon disillusioned with the terms of the reconciliation; his three daughters who were in the care of the King were not returned and he was still barred from becoming regent during the King's absences.<ref>Trench, pp. 88–89.</ref> He came to believe that Walpole had tricked him into the rapprochement as part of a scheme to regain power. Over the next few years, he and Caroline lived quietly, avoiding overt political activity. They had three more children: [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland|William]], [[Princess Mary of Great Britain|Mary]], and [[Louise of Great Britain|Louisa]], who were brought up at Leicester House and [[Richmond Lodge]], George's summer residence.<ref>Black, ''George II'', p. 54; Thompson, pp. 58–59.</ref>

In 1721, the economic disaster of the [[South Sea Bubble]] allowed Walpole to rise to the pinnacle of government.<ref>Trench, pp. 104–105.</ref> Walpole and his Whig Party were dominant in politics, as the King feared that the [[Tories (British political party)|Tories]] would not support the succession laid down in the [[Act of Settlement]].<ref>Trench, pp. 106–107.</ref> The power of the Whigs was so great that the Tories would not hold power for another half-century.<ref>Thompson, p. 45; Trench, p. 107.</ref>