He had married a sister-in-law of the King of Prussia, and lived much in Berlin, where he was intimate with the leaders of the military party, who were the centre of reactionary influences in that country, chief among them being his brother-in-law, Prince Charles of Mecklenburg.
In private life the Duke was bluff and soldier-like, of rather a bullying turn, and extraordinarily indifferent to the feelings of others.

"Ernest is not a bad fellow," his brother William IV.

said of him, "but if anyone has a corn, he will be sure to tread on it." He was very unpopular in England.
On the death of William IV.

he succeeded to the throne of Hanover, and from that time seldom visited England.

His first act on reaching his kingdom was to declare invalid the Constitution which had been granted in 1833 by William IV.