George IV of the United Kingdom

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George IV (George Augustus Frederick; August 12, 1762 – June 26, 1830) was George IV
king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Hanover from January King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland;
29, 1820 until his death. He had earlier served as The Prince Regent when his
King of Hanover
father, George III, suffered from a relapse into insanity from an illness that is now
suspected to have been porphyria. The Regency, George's nine-year tenure as
Prince Regent, which commenced in 1811 and ended with George III's death in
1820, was marked by victory in the Napoleonic Wars in Europe.

George was a stubborn monarch,

often interfering in politics,
especially in the matter of Catholic
emancipation, though not as much
as his father. For most of George's
regency and reign, Lord Liverpool
controlled the government as Prime Minister.

George is remembered largely for the

Contents extravagant lifestyle that he maintained as Portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence, 1816
1 Early life prince and monarch. He had a poor Reign January 29, 1820—June 26, 1830
2 Regency crisis of 1788 relationship with both his father and his
Coronation July 19, 1821
wife, Caroline of Brunswick, whom he even
3 Marriage Predecessor George III
forbade to attend his coronation. He was a
4 Regency patron of new forms of leisure, style and Successor William IV
5 Reign taste. He commissioned architect John Consort Caroline of Brunswick
6 Legacy Nash to build the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, Issue
and the re-building of Windsor Castle. He
6.1 George IV in popular culture Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales
was largely instrumental in the foundation
of the National Gallery, London and King's Full name
7 Other information
College London. George Augustus Frederick
7.1 Titles Titles
7.2 Styles Early life HM The King
7.3 Honors Upon his birth at St James's Palace, London HRH The Prince Regent
7.4 on August 12, 1762, he automatically HRH The Prince of Wales
Honorary military appointments became Duke of Cornwall and Duke of HRH The Duke of Cornwall
Rothesay; he was created Prince of Wales Royal House House of Hanover
7.5 Arms
and Earl of Chester a few days afterwards.
7.6 Ancestors Royal anthem God Save the King
On September 18 of the same year, he was
baptized by Thomas Secker, Archbishop of Father George III
8 Notes
9 References Canterbury.[1] His godparents were the Duke Mother Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (his uncle), the Duke August 12 1762
10 Credits Born
of Cumberland (his great-uncle) and the St James's Palace, London
Dowager Princess of Wales (his Baptised September 18, 1762
grandmother).[2] George was a 26 June 1830 (aged 67)
talented student, quickly learning to Died
Windsor Castle, Berkshire
speak French, German and Italian in
July 15, 1830
addition to his native English.[3] Buried
St George's Chapel, Windsor
The Prince of Wales turned 21 in
1783, and obtained a grant of
£60,000 from Parliament and an
annual income of £50,000 from his
Como Lucia melhorou suas Dores
father. He then established his
Conversamos com o Dr. Lair Ribeiro para conhecer
residence in Carlton House, where he melhor o Colágeno Tipo 2
[4]
lived a profligate life. Animosity
developed between the prince and ABRIR
Ad
his father, a monarch who desired
more frugal behavior on the part of
the heir-apparent. The King, a
political conservative, was also
alienated by the Prince of Wales's
adherence to Charles James Fox and
other radically-inclined politicians.[5]

Soon after he reached the age of 21,

the Prince of Wales fell in love with a
Roman Catholic, Maria Anne
Fitzherbert, who was a widow twice
over; her first husband, Edward Weld,
died in 1775, and her second
husband, Thomas Fitzherbert, in
1781.[6] A marriage between the two
was prohibited by the Act of
Settlement 1701, which declared
those who married Roman Catholics
ineligible to succeed to the Throne.[7]
In addition, under the Royal
Marriages Act 1772 the Prince of
Wales could not marry without the
consent of the King, which would
have never been granted.[8]
Nevertheless, the couple contracted
a marriage on 15 December 1785 at
her house in Park Lane, Mayfair.
Legally the union was void as the King's assent was never requested.[9] However, Mrs. Fitzherbert believed that she was the Prince of
Wales's canonical and true wife, holding the law of the Church to be superior to the law of the State. For political reasons, the union
remained secret and Mrs. Fitzherbert promised not to publish any evidence relating to it.[10]

The Prince of Wales was plunged into debt by his exorbitant lifestyle. His father refused to assist him, forcing him to quit Carlton House
and live at Mrs Fitzherbert's residence. In 1787, the Prince of Wales's allies in the House of Commons introduced a proposal to relieve
his debts with a parliamentary grant. The prince's personal relationship with Mrs Fitzherbert was suspected, but revelation of the illegal
marriage would have scandalized the nation and doomed any parliamentary proposal to aid him. Acting on the prince's authority, the
Whig leader Charles James Fox declared that the story was a calumny.[11] Mrs Fitzherbert was not pleased with the public denial of the
marriage in such vehement terms and contemplated severing her ties to the prince. He appeased her by asking another Whig, Richard
Brinsley Sheridan, to restate Fox's forceful declaration in more careful words. Parliament, meanwhile, was sufficiently pleased to grant
the Prince of Wales £161,000 for the payment of his debts, in addition to £60,000 for improvements to Carlton House.[12]

Regency crisis of 1788

Based on DNA sequencing of the House of Hanover and the House of Windsor, it is likely that George III suffered the hereditary disease
porphyria.[13][14] In the summer of 1788, the King's mental health deteriorated, but he was nonetheless able to discharge some of his
duties. Thus, he was able to declare Parliament prorogued from September 25, to November 20. During the prorogation, however,
George III became deranged, posing a threat to his own life, and when Parliament reconvened in November the King could not deliver
the customary Speech from the Throne during the State Opening of Parliament. Parliament found itself in an untenable position;
according to long-established law, it could not proceed to any business until the delivery of the King's Speech at a State Opening.[11][15]

Although theoretically barred from doing so, Parliament began debating a Regency. In the House of Commons, Charles James Fox
declared his opinion that the Prince of Wales was automatically entitled to exercise sovereignty during the King's incapacity. A
contrasting opinion was held by the Prime Minister, William Pitt the Younger, who argued that, in the absence of a statute to the
contrary, the right to choose a Regent belonged to Parliament alone.[16] He even stated that, without parliamentary authority "the Prince
of Wales had no more right… to assume the government, than any other individual subject of the country."[17] Though disagreeing on
the principle underlying a Regency, Pitt agreed with Fox that the Prince of Wales would be the most convenient choice for a
Regent.[11][15]
The Prince of Wales—though offended by Pitt's boldness—did not lend his full support to Fox's philosophy. The Prince's brother, Prince
Frederick, Duke of York, declared that the prince would not attempt to exercise any power without previously obtaining the consent of
Parliament.[18] Following the passage of preliminary resolutions, Pitt outlined a formal plan for the Regency, suggesting that the
powers of the Prince of Wales be greatly limited. Among other things, the Prince of Wales would not be able either to sell the King's
property or to grant a peerage to anyone other than a child of the King. The Prince of Wales denounced Pitt's scheme, declaring it a
"project for producing weakness, disorder, and insecurity in every branch of the administration of affairs."[19] In the interests of the
nation, both factions agreed to compromise.[15]

A significant technical impediment to any Regency Bill involved the lack of a Speech from the Throne, which was necessary before
Parliament could proceed to any debates or votes. The Speech was normally delivered by the King, but could also be delivered by royal
representatives known as Lords Commissioners, but no document could empower the Lords Commissioners to act unless the Great
Seal of the Realm was affixed to it. The Seal could not be legally affixed without the prior authorization of the Sovereign. Pitt and his
fellow ministers ignored the last requirement and instructed the Lord Chancellor to affix the Great Seal without the King's consent, as
the act of affixing the Great Seal gave, in itself, legal force to the Bill. This legal fiction was denounced by Edmund Burke as a "glaring
falsehood",[20] as a "palpable absurdity",[20] and even as a "forgery, fraud".[21] The Prince of Wales's brother, the Duke of York, described
the plan as "unconstitutional and illegal."[19] Nevertheless, others in Parliament felt that such a scheme was necessary to preserve an
effective government. Consequently, on February 3, 1789, more than two months after it had convened, Parliament was formally
opened by an "illegal" group of Lords Commissioners. The Regency Bill was introduced, but, before it could be passed, the King
recovered. Retroactively, the King declared that the instrument authorizing the Lords Commissioners to act was valid.[11][15]

Marriage
The Prince of Wales's debts continued to climb; his father refused to aid him unless he married his British Royalty

cousin, Caroline of Brunswick.[22] In 1795, the Prince of Wales acquiesced, and they were married on House of Hanover
April 8, 1795 at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace. The marriage, however, was disastrous; each
party was unsuited to the other. The two were formally separated after the birth of their only child,
Princess Charlotte, in 1796, and remained separated for the rest of their lives. The Prince of Wales
remained attached to Mrs Fitzherbert for the rest of his life, despite several periods of
estrangement.[23]

George IV
   Charlotte, Princess Leopold of
Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
Como Lucia melhorou suas Dores
Conversamos com o Dr. Lair Ribeiro para conhecer
melhor o Colágeno Tipo 2

ABRIR
Ad

Como Lucia melhorou suas Dores

Conversamos com o Dr. Lair Ribeiro para conhecer
melhor o Colágeno Tipo 2

ABRIR
Ad

Before meeting Mrs Fitzherbert, the Prince of Wales may have fathered several illegitimate children. His mistresses included Mary
Robinson, an actress who was bought off with a generous pension when she threatened to sell his letters to the newspapers;[24] Grace
Elliott, the divorced wife of a physician;[25] and Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey, who dominated his life for some years.[23] In later
life, his mistresses were Isabella Seymour-Conway, Marchioness of Hertford, and finally, for the last ten years of his life, Elizabeth
Conyngham, Marchioness Conyngham.[26]

Meanwhile, the problem of the Prince of Wales's debts, which amounted to the extraordinary sum of £630,000 in 1795,[27] was solved
(at least temporarily) by Parliament. Unwilling to make an outright grant to relieve these debts, it provided him an additional sum of
£65,000 per annum.[28] In 1803, a further £60,000 was added, and the Prince of Wales's debts of 1795 were finally cleared in 1806,
although the debts he had incurred since 1795 remained.[29]

In 1804 a dispute arose over the custody of Princess Charlotte, which led to her being placed in the care of the King, George III. It also
led to a Parliamentary Commission of Enquiry into Princess Caroline's conduct after the Prince of Wales accused her having an
illegitimate son. The investigation cleared Caroline of the charge but still revealed her behavior to be extraordinarily indiscreet.[30]

Regency
 In late 1810, George III was once again overcome by his malady following the death of
his youngest daughter, Princess Amelia. Parliament agreed to follow the precedent of
1788; without the King's consent, the Lord Chancellor affixed the Great Seal of the
Realm to letters patent naming Lords Commissioners. The Lords Commissioners, in the
name of the King, signified the granting of the Royal Assent to a bill that became the
Regency Act 1811. Parliament restricted some of the powers of the Prince Regent (as
the Prince of Wales became known). The constraints expired one year after the passage
of the Act.[31]

As the Prince of Wales became Prince Regent on 5 January,[32], one of the most
important political conflicts facing the country concerned Catholic emancipation, the
movement to relieve Roman Catholics of various political disabilities. The Tories, led by
the Prime Minister, Spencer Perceval, were opposed to Catholic emancipation, while the
Whigs supported it. At the beginning of the Regency, the Prince of Wales was expected
to support the Whig leader, William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville. He did not,
however, immediately put Lord Grenville and the Whigs in office. Influenced by his
mother, he claimed that a sudden dismissal of the Tory government would exact too
great a toll on the health of the King (a steadfast supporter of the Tories), thereby
eliminating any chance of a recovery.[33] In 1812, when it appeared highly unlikely that
the King would recover, the Prince of Wales again failed to appoint a new Whig
administration. Instead, he asked the Whigs to join the existing ministry under Spencer
Perceval. The Whigs, however, refused to co-operate because of disagreements over
Catholic emancipation. Grudgingly, the Prince of Wales allowed Perceval to continue as
The Prince Regent by Sir Thomas Lawrence, Prime Minister.[34]
c.1814
When, on May 10 1812, John Bellingham assassinated Spencer Perceval, the Prince
Regent was prepared to reappoint all the members of the Perceval ministry under a new
leader. The House of Commons formally declared its desire for a "strong and efficient administration",[35] so the Prince Regent then
offered leadership of the government to Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, and afterwards to Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 2nd
Earl of Moira. He doomed the attempts of both to failure, however, by forcing each to construct a bipartisan ministry at a time when
neither party wished to share power with the other. Possibly using the failure of the two peers as a pretext, the Prince Regent
immediately reappointed the Perceval administration, with Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, as Prime Minister.[36]

The Tories, unlike Whigs such as Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, sought to continue the vigorous prosecution of the war in Continental
Europe against the powerful and aggressive Emperor of the French, Napoleon I.[37] Russia, Prussia, Austria, the United Kingdom and
several smaller countries defeated Napoleon in 1814. In the subsequent Congress of Vienna, it was decided that the Electorate of
Hanover, a state that had shared a monarch with Britain since 1714, would be raised to a Kingdom. Napoleon made a return in 1815,
but was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, the brother of the Marquess Wellesley. Also in
1815, the British-American War of 1812 was brought to an end, with neither side victorious.

During this period George took an active interest in matters of style and taste, and his associates such as the dandy Beau Brummell
and the architect John Nash created the Regency style. In London Nash designed the Regency terraces of Regent's Park and Regent
Street. George took up the new idea of the seaside spa and had the Brighton Pavilion developed as a fantastical seaside palace,
adapted by Nash in the "Indian Gothic" style inspired loosely by the Taj Mahal, with extravagant "Indian" and "Chinese" interiors.[38]

Reign
When George III died in 1820, the Prince Regent ascended the throne as George IV, with no
real change in his powers. By the time of his accession, he was obese and possibly
addicted to laudanum.

George IV's relationship with his wife Caroline had deteriorated by the time of his
accession. They had lived separately since 1796, and both were having affairs. Caroline
had later left the United Kingdom for Europe, but she chose to return for her husband's
coronation, and to publicly assert her rights. However, George IV refused to recognize
Caroline as Queen, commanding British ambassadors to ensure that monarchs in foreign
courts did the same. By royal command, Caroline's name was omitted from the liturgy of
the Church of England. The King sought a divorce, but his advisors suggested that any
divorce proceedings might involve the publication of details relating to the King's own
adulterous relationships. Therefore, he requested and ensured the introduction of the
Pains and Penalties Bill 1820, under which Parliament could have imposed legal penalties
without a trial in a court of law. The bill would have annulled the marriage and stripped
Caroline of the title of Queen. The bill proved extremely unpopular with the public, and was
withdrawn from Parliament. George IV decided, nonetheless, to exclude his wife from his
Half-Crown of George IV, 1821. The inscription
coronation at Westminster Abbey, on July 19, 1821. Caroline fell ill that day and died soon
reads GEORGIUS IIII D[ei] G[ratia]
afterwards, on August 7 of the same year; during her final illness she often stated that she
BRITANNIAR[um] REX F[idei] D[efensor] (George
thought she had been poisoned.[39]
IV, by the grace of God King of the Britains
(British kingdoms), Defender of the Faith).
George's coronation was a magnificent and expensive affair, costing about £243,000 (for
George IV was the last British King to be
comparison, his fathers coronation had only cost about £10,000). Despite the enormous
shown on coins wearing a Roman-style laurel
wreath.
cost, it was a popular event. In 1821 the King became the first monarch to pay a state visit
to Ireland since Richard II of England.[40] The following year he visited Edinburgh for "one
and twenty daft days."[41] His visit to Scotland, organized by Sir Walter Scott, was the first
by a reigning British monarch since Charles I went there in 1633.[42]

George IV spent most of his reign in seclusion at Windsor Castle,[43] but he continued to interfere in politics. At first, it was believed that
he would support Catholic emancipation, as, in 1797, he had proposed a Catholic Emancipation Bill for Ireland, but his anti-Catholic
views became clear in 1813 when he privately canvassed against the ultimately defeated Catholic Relief Bill of 1813. By 1824 he was
denouncing Catholic emancipation in public.[44] Having taken the coronation oath on his accession, George now argued that he had
sworn to uphold the Protestant faith, and could not support any pro-Catholic measures.[45] The influence of the Crown was so great,
and the will of the Tories under Prime Minister Lord Liverpool so strong, that Catholic emancipation seemed hopeless. In 1827,
however, Lord Liverpool retired, to be replaced by the pro-emancipation Tory George
Canning. When Canning entered office, the King, who was hitherto content with privately
instructing his ministers on the Catholic Question, thought it fit to make a public
declaration to the effect that his sentiments on the question were those his revered
father, George III.[46]

Canning's views on the Catholic Question were not well received by the most
conservative Tories, including the Duke of Wellington. As a result, the ministry was
forced to include Whigs.[47] Canning died later in that year, leaving Frederick John
Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich to lead the tenuous Tory-Whig coalition. Lord Goderich
left office in 1828, to be succeeded by the Duke of Wellington, who had by that time
accepted that the denial of some measure of relief to Roman Catholics was politically
untenable.[48][49] With great difficulty, Wellington obtained the King's consent to the
introduction of a Catholic Relief Bill on January 29, 1829. Under pressure from his
The coronation banquet for George IV was held at
fanatically anti-Catholic brother, the Duke of Cumberland, the King withdrew his
Westminster Hall on July 19, 1821
approval and in protest the Cabinet resigned en masse on March 4. The next day the
King, now under intense political pressure, reluctantly agreed to the Bill and the ministry
remained in power.[50] Royal Assent was finally granted to the Catholic Relief Act on 13
April.[51]

Gold Double-Pound Coin of George IV, dated

1823

George IV's heavy drinking and indulgent lifestyle took its toll on his health by the late 1820s. His taste for huge banquets and copious
amounts of alcohol meant that he put on weight and eventually he became obese. By 1797 his weight had reached 17 stone 7 pounds
(111 kg or 245 lbs),[52] and by 1824 his corset was made for a waist of 50 inches (127 cm).[53] This made him the target of ridicule on
the rare occasions that he did appear in public.[54] Furthermore, he suffered from gout, arteriosclerosis, cataracts and possible
porphyria; he would spend whole days in bed and suffered spasms of breathlessness that would leave him half-asphyxiated. He died at
about half-past three in the morning of June 26, 1830 at Windsor Castle; he called out "Good God, what is this?" clasped his page's
hand and said, "my boy, this is death."[55] He was buried in St George's Chapel, Windsor on July 15.[56]

His daughter, Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales, had died from post-partum complications in 1817, after delivering a still-born son;
and his eldest younger brother, Frederick, the Duke of York, had died in 1827. He was therefore succeeded by another of his brothers,
Prince William, Duke of Clarence, who reigned as William IV.[57]

Legacy
On George's death The Times (London) commented:

There never was an individual less regretted by his fellow-creatures than this deceased king. What eye has wept for him? What heart
has heaved one throb of unmercenary sorrow? …. If he ever had a friend—a devoted friend in any rank of life—we protest that the name
of him or her never reached us.[58]

During the political crisis caused by Catholic emancipation, the Duke of Wellington said that George was "the worst man he ever fell in
with his whole life, the most selfish, the most false, the most ill-natured, the most entirely without one redeeming quality",[59] but his
eulogy delivered in the House of Lords called George "the most accomplished man of his age" and praised his knowledge and talent.[60]
Wellington's true views probably lie somewhere between these two extremes; as he said later, George was "a magnificent patron of the
arts… the most extraordinary compound of talent, wit, buffoonery, obstinacy, and good feeling—in short a medley of the most opposite
qualities, with a great preponderance of good—that I ever saw in any character in my life."[60]
George IV was described as the "First Gentleman of England" on account of his style
and manners.[61] Certainly, he possessed many good qualities; he was bright, clever and
knowledgeable, but his laziness and gluttony led him to squander much of his talent. As
The Times once wrote, he would always prefer "a girl and a bottle to politics and a
sermon."[62]

There are many statues of George IV, a large number of which were erected during his
reign. Some in the United Kingdom include a bronze statue of him on horseback by Sir
Francis Chantry in Trafalgar Square, another of him on horseback at the end of the Long
Walk in Windsor Great Park and another outside the Royal Pavilion in Brighton.

In Edinburgh, George IV Bridge is a main street linking the Old Town High Street to the
south over the ravine of the Cowgate, designed by the architect Thomas Hamilton in
1829 and completed in 1835. King's Cross, now a major transport hub sitting on the
border of Camden and Islington in north London, takes its name from a short-lived
monument erected to George IV in the early 1830s. From Roman times the area had
been known as 'Battle Bridge'.[63]

The Regency period saw a shift in fashion that was largely determined by George. After
political opponents put a tax on wig powder, he abandoned wearing a powdered wig in
favor of natural hair.[64] He wore darker colors than had been previously fashionable as
they helped to disguise his size, favored pantaloons and trousers over knee breeches
because they were looser, and popularized a high collar with neck cloth because it hid
his double chin.[65] His visit to Scotland in 1822 led to the revival, if not the creation, of
Scottish tartan dress as it is known today.[66]

George IV in popular culture

In the third installment of the BBC comedy series Blackadder, George IV (as Prince
Regent) was played as an unsympathetic buffoon by the English actor Hugh Laurie.
Much of the humor of the characterization was derived from the real Prince of Wales's
spendthrift ways. An offhand remark by Blackadder for the Prince to "take out those
plans for the beach house at Brighton," for instance, was a reference to the actual
Oriental Pavillion at Brighton. At the conclusion of the series, Blackadder has taken
advantage of mistaken identity to assume the identity of the Prince of Wales. An unflattering 1819 caricature by George
Cruikshank, illustrating The Political House that
George IV (as Prince of Wales) was played by Rupert Everett in the 1994 film The Jack Built by William Hone (1820).
Madness of King George, and by Peter Ustinov in the 1954 film Beau Brummell. The Prince
Regent is also portrayed as the leader of the elite party set in the movie Princess
Caraboo, which starred Phoebe Cates and was set in 1817. Julian Fellowes plays the
Prince Regent in The Scarlet Pimpernel, the 1982 television version of the novel, in
which Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour also star.

He appears as a character in Bernard Cornwell's novel Sharpe's Regiment, which is set

during the Regency period. He is portrayed as fat, extravagant and possibly suffering
from the same insanity which had afflicted his father. He is an enthusiastic fan of
Richard Sharpe's military exploits, and claims to have been present at the Battle of
Talavera and to have helped Sharpe capture a French standard. In the novel's historical
note, Cornwell said he based the remark on an historical incident when George, during a
dinner party at which Wellington was present, claimed to have led a charge at
Waterloo.[67]

Other information
Titles Monarchical Styles of
King George IV of the United Kingdom
12–19 August 1762: His Royal Highness The Duke of
Cornwall
19 August 1762–29 January 1820: His Royal
Reference style: His Majesty "A Voluptuary Under The Horrors of Digestion," a
Highness The Prince of Wales caricature by James Gillray
Spoken style: Your Majesty
5 January 1811[32]–29 January 1820: His Royal
Alternative style: Sir
Highness The Prince Regent
29 January 1820–26 June 1830: His Majesty The King

(Under the Act of Parliament that instituted the Regency, the Prince's formal title as Regent was Regent of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland,[68] and thus, during the Regency period his formal style was His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, Regent of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The simplified style His Royal Highness The Prince Regent, used more commonly even in
official documents, was a shortened version of that formal style.)

Styles
George IV's official style as King of the United Kingdom was "George the Fourth, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith." He was also King of Hanover.

Honors
British Honors

KG: Knight of the Garter, 26 December 1765–29 January 1820

PC: Privy Counsellor, 29 August 1783–29 January 1820
 KT: Knight of the Thistle, as Regent, assumed informally 5 November 1811–29 January 1820
KP: Knight of St Patrick, as Regent, assumed informally 5 November 1811–29 January 1820
GCB: Knight Grand Cross of the Bath, as Regent, assumed informally 2 January 1815–29 January 1820
GCH: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order, as Regent, assumed informally 12 August 1815–29 January 1820
GCMG: Knight Grand Cross of St Michael and St George, as Regent, assumed informally 27 April 1818–29 January 1820

Sovereign of..., 29 January 1820–26 June 1830

The Most Noble Order of the Garter

The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle
The Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick
The Most Honorable Order of the Bath
The Royal Guelphic Order
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George

Foreign Honors

Knight of St Andrew, 25 November 1813

Knight of the Holy Spirit, 20 April 1814
Knight of St Michael, 20 April 1814
Knight of the Golden Fleece, 1814
Knight of the Black Eagle, 9 June 1814
Knight Grand Cross of the Red Eagle, 9 June 1814
Knight of the Red Eagle, July 1814
Knight of the Elephant, 15 July 1815
Knight of St Ferdinand and of Merit, 1816
Knight of St Januarius, 1816
Riband of the Three United Military Orders of Christ, Benedict of Aviz and St James of the Sword, 1816
Knight Grand Cross of the Tower and Sword (for Valor, Loyalty and Merit), 1816
Knight Grand Cross of Willem, 27 November 1818
Knight of St Hubert, 27 November 1818
Knight Grand Cross of the Southern Cross, 27 November 1818
Knight Grand Cross of Dom Pedro I, 27 November 1818
Knight Grand Cross (with Collar) of Carlos III, 27 November 1818

Honorary military appointments

March 4, 1766-: Captain-General & Colonel, of Honorable Artillery Company
July 18, 1796– January 29, 1820: Colonel, of the 10th Royal Regiment of (Light) Dragoons (Hussars), The Prince of Wales's Own
July 25, 1815-: Colonel-in-Chief, of the Life Guards (1st and 2nd)
Field Marshal, assumed 1815

Arms
His arms, when King, were: Quarterly, I and IV Gules three lions passant guardant in pale Or (for England); II Or a lion rampant within a
tressure flory-counter-flory Gules (for Scotland); III Azure a harp Or stringed Argent (for Ireland); overall an escutcheon tierced per pale and per
chevron (for Hanover), I Gules two lions passant guardant Or (for Brunswick), II Or a semy of hearts Gules a lion rampant Azure (for Lüneburg),
III Gules a horse courant Argent (for Westfalen), the whole inescutcheon surmounted by a crown.[69][70]

Ancestors
16. George I of Great Britain
         

     

8. George II of Great Britain

 
       

 
     

17. Sophia Dorothea of Celle

     
   

 
   

4. Frederick, Prince of Wales

 
       

       

18. John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach

         

     

9. Caroline of Ansbach
 
       

 
     

19. Eleanor Erdmuthe Louise of Saxe-Eisenach

     
   

 
   

2. George III of the United

 
       

     

 
Kingdom  

20. Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

         

     

10. Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

 
       

 
     

21. Magdalena Sibylle of Saxe-Weissenfels

     
   

 
   

5. Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha

 
       

   
   

22. Charles, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst

         

     

11. Magdalena Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst

 
       

 
     

23. Sophia of Saxe-Weissenfels

     
   

 
   

1. George IV of the
 
       

United Kingdom
 

 
                         

 
24. Adolf Frederick I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
       

12. Adolf Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

 
       

25. Maria Katharina of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

     
   

 
   

6. Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz,

 
       

 
Prince of Mirow  

26. Christian William I of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen

         

     

13. Christiane Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen

 
       

 
     

27. Antoine Sybille of Barby-Muhlingen

     
   

 
   

3. Charlotte of Mecklenburg-
 
       

 
Strelitz  

28. Ernest III, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen

         

     

14. Ernest Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen

 
       

 
     

29. Sofie of Waldeck

     
   

 
   

7. Princess Elizabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen

 
       

   
   

30. George Louis I of Erbach-Erbach

         

     

15. Sophia Albertine of Erbach-Erbach

 
       

 
     

31. Amelie Katherine of Waldeck-Eisenberg

     
   

 
   

 
       

Notes
1. E. A. Smith, George IV (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1999, ISBN 0300076851), 1, 2.
2. Christopher Hibbert, George IV: Prince of Wales 1762–1811. (London: Longman, 1972, ISBN 0582126754), 2
3. Christopher Hibbert, "George IV (1762–1830)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2004)
4. Smith, 1999, 25–28
5. Smith, 1999, 48
6. Smith, 1999, 33
7. I. Naamani Tarkow, "The Significance of the Act of Settlement in the Evolution of English Democracy." Political Science Quarterly 58
(4)(December, 1943): 537–561
8. Philip Smith. A Smaller History of England, from the Earliest Times to the Year 1862. (London: Harper & Bros., 1868), 295
9. Smith, 1999, 36–38
10. Saul David, Prince of Pleasure: The Prince of Wales and the Making of the Regency. (New York: Grove Press, 2000, ISBN 0802137032),
57–91
11. Arthur Donald Innes. A History of England and the British Empire, Vol. 3. (The MacMillan Company, 1914), 396–397
12. De-la-Noy, 31
13. J. C. G. Röhl, M. Warren, D. Hunt. Purple Secret: Genes, 'Madness' and the Royal Houses of Europe. (Bantam Press, 1998, ISBN
0552145505)
14. Ida Macalpine and Richard Hunter, "The 'insanity' of King George III: a classic case of porphyria." Brit. Med. J. 1 (1966): 65–71
15. David, 92–119
16. Smith, 1999, 54
17. John W. Derry. 1963. The Regency Crisis and the Whigs. (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press), 71
18. Derry, 91
19. Thomas Erskine May, 1st Baron Farnborough. The Constitutional History of England Since the Accession of George the Third, 1760–
1860, 11th ed. (London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1896), chapter III, 184–195
20. Derry, 109.
21. Derry, 181.
22. Smith, 1999, 70.
23. David, 150–205.
24. Parissien, 60
25. Hibbert, 1972, 18.
26. Christopher Hibbert, George IV: Regent and King 1811–1830. (London: Allen Lane., 1973, ISBN 0713904879), 214
27. De-la-Noy, 55
28. Smith, 1999, 97.
29. Smith, 1999, 92.
30. Mike Ashley. The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens. (London: Robinson, 1998. ISBN 1841190969), 684.
31. Arthur Donald Innes, A History of England and the British Empire, Vol. 4. (London: The MacMillan Company, 1915), 50.
32. The Prince Regent and His Circle: In their own words (http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/n-s/princeregent.ht
ml). Channel 4 (UK) accessdate 2007-08-02
33. Parissien, 185
34. Smith, 1999, 141–142.
35. Smith, 1999, 144.
36. Smith, 1999, 145.
37. Smith, 1999, 146
38. Jessica M. Rutherford. The Royal Pavilion: The Palace of George IV. (Brighton, UK: Brighton Borough Council, 1995, ISBN
0948723211), 81
39. Innes, Vol. 4, 1915, 82.
40. De-la-Noy, 95
41. John Prebble. The King's Jaunt: George IV in Scotland, 1822. (Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, 2000, ISBN 1841580686).
42. Parissien, 318.
43. The official website of the British Monarchy (http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page114.asp). accessdate 2007-02-12
44. Parissien, 189.
45. Smith, 1999, 238.
46. Hibbert, 1973, 292.
47. Smith, 1999, 231–234
48. Parissien, 190.
49. Smith, 1999, 237.
50. De-la-Noy
51. Parissien, 381.
52. Michael De-la-Noy, George IV. (Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing,1998, ISBN 0750918217), 43.
53. Steven Parissien, George IV: The Grand Entertainment. (London: John Murray, 2001, ISBN 071955652X), 171.
54. Parissien, 355
55. De-la-Noy, 103.
56. Hibbert, 1973, 336.
57. Innes, 1915, 105
58. The Times (London) July 15, 1830, quoted in Hibbert, 342.
59. Hibbert, 310
60. Hibbert, 344
61. The Diary of Prince Pückler-Muskau (May 1828). Quoted in Parissien, 420
62. John Clarke. "George IV" The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England (Knopf, 1975), 225.
63. Camden's history (https://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/leisure/local-history/camdens-history.en) Camden Council.
accessdate 2007-03-05
64. Parissien, 112
65. Parissien, 114.
66. Parissien, 324–326.
67. According to The private letters of Princess Lieven to Prince Metternich, 1820–1826 edited by Quennell (1937), the King merely
pretended to have fought at Waterloo disguised as General Bock to annoy the Duke of Wellington.
68. Hibbert, 1972, 280
69. "A Proclamation Declaring His Majesty's Pleasure concerning the Royal Styles and Titles appertaining to the Imperial Crown of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and its Dependencies, and also the Ensigns, Armorial Flags, and Banners thereof." The
London Gazette December 30, 1800, 15324: 2–3
70. "By His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, Regent of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in the Name and on the
Behalf of His Majesty, A Proclamation." The London Gazette, June 29, 1816. 17149: 1237–1238.

References
Ashley, Mike. The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens. London: Robinson, 1998. ISBN 1841190969.
Baker, Kenneth. George IV: A Life in Caricature. London: Thames & Hudson, 2005. ISBN 0500251274
David, Saul. Prince of Pleasure: The Prince of Wales and the Making of the Regency. New York: Grove Press, 2000. ISBN 0802137032.
De-la-Noy, Michael 1998. George IV. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0750918217.
Derry, John W. The Regency Crisis and the Whigs. Cambridge University Press, 1963. ISBN 978-0521048217.
Erskine May, Thomas, 1st Baron Farnborough. The Constitutional History of England Since the Accession of George the Third, 1760–
1860, 11th ed., 1896. London: Longmans, Green and Co.
Fraser, Antonia (ed.). The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England. University of California Press, 2000. ISBN 978-0520224605.
Hibbert, Christopher. George IV, Prince of Wales, 1762–1811. London: Longman, 1972. ISBN 0582126754.
Hibbert, Christopher. George IV, Regent and King, 1811–1830. London: Allen Lane, 1973. ISBN 0713904879.
Innes, Arthur Donald. A History of England and the British Empire, Vol. 3. London: The MacMillan Company, 1914. Vol. 4, 1915.
Macalpine, Ida, and Richard Hunter, "The 'insanity' of King George III: a classic case of porphyria." Brit. Med. Journal 1 (1966): 65–
71.
Machin, G. I. T. The Catholic Question in English Politics 1820 to 1830. Oxford University Press, 1964. ASIN B007MB5P50 (https://ww
w.amazon.com/dp/B007MB5P50)
Parissien, Steven. George IV: The Grand Entertainment. London: John Murray, 2001. ISBN 071955652X.
Prebble, John. The King's Jaunt: George IV in Scotland, 1822. Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, 2000. ISBN 1841580686.
Röhl, J. C. G., M. Warren, and D. Hunt. Purple Secret: Genes, 'Madness' and the Royal Houses of Europe. Bantam Press, 1998. ISBN
0552145505.
Rutherford, Jessica M. F. The Royal Pavilion: The Palace of George IV. Brighton, UK: Brighton Borough Council, 1995. ISBN
0948723211.
Smith, E. A. George IV. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999. ISBN 0300076851.
 Smith, Philip. A Smaller History of England, from the Earliest Times to the Year 1862. London: Harper & Bros., 1868. ASIN B00089P0QC
(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00089P0QC)
Tarkow, I. Naamani. "The Significance of the Act of Settlement in the Evolution of English Democracy." Political Science Quarterly 58
(4)December, 1943: 537–561.

House of Hanover
Cadet Branch of the House of Welf
Born: 12 August 1762; Died: 26 June 1830

King of the United Kingdom

Preceded by:
King of Hanover Succeeded by:<br./>William IV
George III
29 January 1820 – 26 June 1830
British royalty
Heir to the Thrones (later Throne)
Preceded by: Succeeded by:<br./>Prince Frederick,
as heir apparent
Prince Edward, Duke of York Duke of York
1762 – 1820
Freemasonry offices
Preceded by: Grand Master of the Premier
The Earl of Moira Grand Lodge of England Succeeded by:<br./>The Duke of Sussex
(as Acting Grand Master) 1792 – 1812
Preceded by: Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland Succeeded by:<br./>The Duke of
The Earl of Dalhousie 1806 – 1820 Hamilton
Other offices
Preceded by: President of the Foundling Hospital
Succeeded by:<br./>The Duke of York
The Duke of Portland 1809 – 1820

Monarchs of Britain
Monarchs of the Kingdom of Great Britain*

Anne • George I† • George II† • George III†

Monarchs of the United Kingdom

George III†‡ • George IV‡ • William IV‡ • Victoria • Edward VII • George V** • Edward VIII** • George VI** • Elizabeth II**

* also Monarch of Ireland • ** also Monarch of the Commonwealth Realms • † also Elector of Hanover • ‡ also King of Hanover

Princes of Wales
HRH The Prince Charles, Prince of Wales
George II (1714-1727) · Prince Frederick (1729-1751) · George III (1751-1760) · George IV
(1762-1820) · Edward VII (1841-1901) · George V (1901-1910) · Edward VIII (1910-1936)

Dukes of Cornwall
HRH The Duke of Cornwall

Edward VIII (1910-1936) · George V (1901-1910)· Edward VII (1841-1901) · George IV (1762-1820) · Prince Frederick (1727-1751) · George II (1714-
1727) · The Old Pretender (1688-1689) · Charles II (1630-1649) · Charles James (1629) · Charles I (1612-1625) · Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales
(1603-1612) · Edward VI (1537-1547) · Edward Tudor (1536) · Henry Tudor (1534) · Henry Tudor (1514) · Henry Tudor (1511) · Henry VIII (1502-1509) ·
Arthur, Prince of Wales (1486-1502) · Edward of Middleham (1483-1484) · Edward V (1470-1483) · Edward of Westminster (1453-1471) · Henry VI
(1421-1422) · Henry V (1399-1413) · Richard II (1376-1377) · Edward, the Black Prince (1337-1376)

Dukes of Rothesay
HRH The Duke of Rothesay

Edward VIII (1910-1936) · George V (1901-1910) · Edward VII (1841-1901) · George IV (1762-1820) · Prince Frederick (1727-1751) · George II (1714-
1727) · The Old Pretender (1688-1689) · Charles II (1630-1649) · Charles James (1629) · Charles I (1612-1625) · Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales
(1603-1612) · James VI (1566-1567) · James (1540-1541) · James V (1512-1513) · Arthur (1509-1510) · James (1507-1508) · James IV (1473-1488) ·
James III (1452-1460) · James II (1430-1437) · Alexander (1430) · James I (1402-1406) · David (1398-1402)

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