View source for George IV

{{Short description|King of the United Kingdom from 1820 to 1830}}
{{Hatnote group|{{other uses}}{{Redirect|The Prince Regent||Prince regent (disambiguation)}}}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox royalty
| image        = King George IV of the United Kingdom in Coronation Robes (by Thomas Lawrence) - Royal Collection (RCIN 405918).jpg
| caption      = [[Coronation portrait of George IV]] (1821)
| alt          = George wears his coronation robes and four collars of chivalric orders: the Golden Fleece, Royal Guelphic, Bath and Garter.
| reign        = 29 January 1820 – {{awrap|26 June 1830}}
| coronation   = 19 July 1821
| cor-type     = [[Coronation of George IV|Coronation]]
| succession   = [[King of the United Kingdom]] and [[King of Hanover|Hanover]]
| predecessor  = [[George III]]
| successor    = [[William IV]]
| reign-type2  = Regency
| reign2       = 5 February 1811 – {{awrap| 29 January 1820}}
| succession2  = [[Prince Regent of the United Kingdom]]
| pre-type2    = Monarch
| predecessor2 = George III
| successor2   = <!--Himself as King-->
| spouse       = {{Marriage|[[Caroline of Brunswick]]|1795|1821|end=died}}
| issue        = [[Princess Charlotte of Wales (1796–1817)|Princess Charlotte of Wales]]
| full name    = George Augustus Frederick
| house        = [[House of Hanover|Hanover]]
| religion     = [[Protestantism in the United Kingdom|Protestant]]
| father       = [[George III]]
| mother       = [[Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1762|8|12|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[St James's Palace]], London, England
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|1830|6|26|1762|8|12|df=yes}}
| death_place  = [[Windsor Castle]], Berkshire, England
| burial_date  = 15 July 1830
| burial_place = Royal Vault, [[St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle]]
| signature    = George IV Signature.svg
| signature_alt = Signature of George IV
}}

'''George IV''' (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was [[King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]] and [[King of Hanover]] from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, he was acting as [[prince regent]] for his father, King [[George III]], having done so since 5 February 1811 during his father's [[Illness of George III|final mental illness]].

George IV was the eldest child of King George&nbsp;III and [[Queen Charlotte]]. He led an extravagant lifestyle that contributed to the fashions of the [[Regency era]]. He was a patron of new forms of leisure, style and taste. He commissioned [[John Nash (architect)|John Nash]] to build the [[Royal Pavilion]] in [[Brighton]] and remodel [[Buckingham Palace]], and commissioned [[Jeffry Wyatville]] to rebuild [[Windsor Castle]]. George's charm and culture earned him the title "the first gentleman of England", but his dissolute way of life and poor relationships with his parents and his wife, [[Caroline of Brunswick]], earned him the contempt of the people and dimmed the prestige of the monarchy. He excluded Caroline from [[coronation of George IV|his coronation]] and asked the government to introduce the unpopular [[Pains and Penalties Bill]] in an unsuccessful attempt to divorce her.

George's rule was tarnished by scandal and financial extravagance. His ministers found his behaviour selfish, unreliable and irresponsible, and he was strongly influenced by favourites.<ref name="sketch">{{Cite journal |last=Baker |first=Kenneth |author-link=Kenneth Baker, Baron Baker of Dorking |year=2005 |title=George IV: a Sketch |journal=History Today |volume=55 |issue=10 |pages=30–36}}</ref> During most of George's regency and reign, [[Lord Liverpool]] controlled the government as [[prime minister of the United Kingdom]]. [[Liverpool's government]] presided over Britain's ultimate victory over [[Napoleon]] and negotiated a peace settlement with the French. After Liverpool's retirement, George was forced to accept [[Catholic emancipation]] despite opposing it. His only legitimate child, [[Princess Charlotte of Wales (1796–1817)|Princess Charlotte]], predeceased him in 1817, as did his childless younger brother [[Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany|Prince Frederick]] in 1827, so he was succeeded by another younger brother, [[William IV]].

==Early life==
[[File:Allan Ramsay - Queen Charlotte (1744-1818), with her Two Eldest Sons - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|left|upright|George (left; [[breeching (boys)|unbreeched]] at two years) with his mother, Queen Charlotte, and younger brother, [[Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany|Frederick]]. Portrait by [[Allan Ramsay (artist)|Allan Ramsay]], 1764]]

George was born on 12 August 1762 at [[St James's Palace]], London, the first child of King [[George III]] and [[Queen Charlotte]]. As the eldest son of a British sovereign, he automatically became [[Duke of Cornwall]] and [[Duke of Rothesay]] at birth; he was created [[Prince of Wales]] and [[Earl of Chester]] a few days later.{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|page=1}} On 18 September of the same year, he was baptised by [[Thomas Secker]], [[Archbishop of Canterbury]].{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|page=2}} His godparents were his maternal uncle [[Adolphus Frederick IV, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]] (for whom the [[Lord Chamberlain]], [[William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire]], stood proxy); his paternal grand-uncle [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland]]; and his grandmother [[Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales]].{{Sfnp|Hibbert|1972|page=2}} George was a talented student and quickly learned to speak French, German and Italian, in addition to his native English.{{Sfnp|Hibbert|2008}}

At the age of 18, Prince George was given a separate establishment, and in dramatic contrast to his prosaic, scandal-free father, threw himself with zest into a life of dissipation and wild extravagance involving heavy drinking and numerous mistresses and escapades. He was a witty conversationalist, drunk or sober, and showed good, but grossly expensive, taste in decorating his residences. George turned 21 in 1783, and obtained a grant of £60,000 (equivalent to £{{Formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|60000|1783|r=-3}}}} today{{Inflation/fn|UK|df=y}}) from [[Parliament of Great Britain|Parliament]] and an annual income of £50,000 (equivalent to £{{Formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|50000|1783|r=-3}}}} today{{Inflation/fn|UK|df=y}}) from his father. It was far too little for his wants—his stables alone cost £31,000 a year. He then established his residence in [[Carlton House]], where he lived a profligate life.{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|pages=25–28}} Animosity developed between the Prince and his father, who desired more frugal behaviour on the part of the [[heir apparent]]. The King, a political conservative, was also alienated by the Prince's adherence to [[Charles James Fox]] and other radically inclined politicians.{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|page=48}}

[[File:GeorgeIV1780.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Portrait miniature]] by [[Richard Cosway]], {{circa|1780}}–82]]

Soon after he reached the age of 21, the prince became infatuated with [[Maria Fitzherbert]]. She was a commoner (though granddaughter of a baronet), six years his elder, twice widowed, and a Roman Catholic.{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|page=33}} Nevertheless, the Prince was determined to marry her. This was in spite of the [[Act of Settlement 1701]], which barred the spouse of a Catholic from succeeding to the throne, and the [[Royal Marriages Act 1772]], which prohibited his marriage without the King's consent.{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|page=64}}

The couple went through a marriage ceremony on 15 December 1785 at Fitzherbert's house in [[Park Street, Mayfair]]. Legally the union was void, as the King's consent was not granted (and never even requested).{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|pages=36–38}} However, Fitzherbert believed that she was the Prince's [[Canon law|canonical]] and true wife, holding the law of the Church to be superior to the law of the State. For political reasons, the union was to remain secret and Fitzherbert promised not to reveal it.{{Sfnp|David|2000|pages=57–91}} But, in spring 1786, covert allusions to the marriage appeared in the press, and several satirical prints depicted the clandestine marriage.{{Sfnp|Garrett|2022|page=105}} 

Prince George was plunged into debt by his exorbitant lifestyle. His father refused to assist him, forcing him to quit Carlton House and live at Fitzherbert's residence. In 1787, the Prince's political allies proposed to relieve his debts with a parliamentary grant. George's relationship with Fitzherbert was suspected, and revelation of the [[illegal marriage]] would have scandalised the nation and doomed any parliamentary proposal to aid him. Acting on Prince George's authority, the [[Whigs (British political party)|Whig]] leader Charles James Fox declared that the story was a calumny.{{Sfnp|Innes|1914|pages=396–397}} Fitzherbert was not pleased with the public denial of the marriage in such vehement terms and contemplated severing her ties to George. He appeased her by asking another Whig, [[Richard Brinsley Sheridan]], to restate Fox's forceful declaration in more careful words. Parliament, meanwhile, granted the Prince £161,000 (equivalent to £{{Formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|161000|1787|r=-3}}}} today{{Inflation/fn|UK|df=y}}) to pay his debts and £60,000 (equivalent to £{{Formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|60000|1787|r=-3}}}} today{{Inflation/fn|UK|df=y}}) for improvements to Carlton House.{{Sfnp|Hibbert|2008}}{{Sfnp|De-la-Noy|1998|page=31}}<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite journal |last=Marilyn |first=Morris |date=2004 |title=Princely Debt, Public Credit, and Commercial Values in Late Georgian Britain |journal=[[Journal of British Studies]] |volume=43 |issue=3 |pages=339–365 |doi=10.1086/383599 |s2cid=145614284}}</ref>

==Regency crisis of 1788==
[[File:GeorgeIV1785.jpg|thumb|upright|Mezzotint engraving by [[Samuel William Reynolds]], based on a painting by Sir [[Joshua Reynolds]], 1785]]

In the summer of 1788, the [[Illness of George III|King's mental health]] deteriorated, possibly as the result of the hereditary disease [[porphyria]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Röhl |first1=J. C. G. |title=Purple Secret |last2=Warren |first2=M. |last3=Hunt |first3=D. |date=1998 |publisher=Bantam Press}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Peters |first1=T. J. |last2=Wilkinson |first2=D. |date=2010 |title=King George III and porphyria: a clinical re-examination of the historical evidence |journal=History of Psychiatry |volume=21 |issue=81 Pt 1 |pages=3–19 |doi=10.1177/0957154X09102616 |pmid=21877427 |s2cid=22391207}}</ref> He nonetheless discharged some of his duties and declared Parliament [[wikt:prorogue|prorogued]] from 25 September to 20 November. During the prorogation, he 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.{{Sfnp|Innes|1914|pages=396–397}}<ref name="david1">David, pp. 92–119.</ref>

Although arguably barred from doing so, Parliament began debating a regency. In the [[House of Commons of Great Britain|House of Commons]], Charles James Fox declared his opinion that Prince George 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.{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|page=54}} He even stated that, without parliamentary authority "the Prince of Wales had no more right&nbsp;... to assume the government, than any other individual subject of the country".{{Sfnp|Derry|1963|page=71}} 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.{{Sfnp|Innes|1914|pages=396–397}}<ref name="david1"/>

[[File:GeorgeIV1792.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Miniature by [[Richard Cosway]], 1792]]

The Prince of Wales, though offended by Pitt's boldness, did not lend his full support to Fox's approach. Prince George's brother [[Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany]], declared that George would not attempt to exercise any power without previously obtaining the consent of Parliament.{{Sfnp|Derry|1963|page=91}} Following the passage of preliminary resolutions Pitt outlined a formal plan for the regency, suggesting that Prince George's powers be greatly limited. Among other things, George would not be able either to sell the King's property or to grant a [[peerages in the United Kingdom|peerage]] to anyone other than a child of the King. Prince George denounced Pitt's scheme by declaring it a "project for producing weakness, disorder, and insecurity in every branch of the administration of affairs".<ref name="may">{{Cite book |last=May |first=Thomas Erskine |title=The Constitutional History of England Since the Accession of George the Third, 1760–1860 |publisher=Longmans, Green and Co |year=1896 |edition=11th |location=London |pages=184–195 |chapter=Chapter III: The Prerogatives of the Crown, During the Minority or Incapacity of the Sovereign |author-link=Erskine May}}</ref> In the interests of the nation, both factions agreed to compromise.<ref name="david1"/>

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]]. However, 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 authorisation 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 in itself gave legal force to the bill. The [[legal fiction]] was denounced by [[Edmund Burke]] as "forgery, fraud";{{Sfnp|Derry|1963|page=181}} a "glaring falsehood"{{Sfnp|Derry|1963|page=109}} and a "palpable absurdity".{{Sfnp|Derry|1963|page=109}} Prince Frederick described the plan as "unconstitutional and illegal".<ref name="may"/> Nevertheless, others in Parliament felt that such a scheme was necessary to preserve an effective government. Consequently, on 3 February 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. The King declared retroactively that the instrument authorising the Lords Commissioners to act was valid.{{Sfnp|Innes|1914|pages=396–397}}<ref name="david1"/>

== Horse racing ==
[[File:How_to_Escape_Winning_(BM_J,4.66).jpg|left|thumb|''How to Escape Winning'' by [[Thomas Rowlandson]]. Escape's legs are bound by the motto of the [[Order of the Garter]], and his jockey is shown holding him back.]]
Prince George was an avid [[Horse racing in Great Britain|horseracing]] fan and racehorse owner. In 1790, his jockey [[Samuel Chifney]] and racehorse [[Escape (horse)|Escape]] were embroiled in a scandal over a perceived reversal of form.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Mortimer |first1=Roger |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wuEYPQAACAAJ |title=Biographical Encyclopedia of British Flat Racing |last2=Onslow |first2=Richard |last3=Willett |first3=Peter |date=1978 |publisher=Macdonald and Jane's |isbn=978-0-354-08536-6}}</ref> The Newmarket stewards did not accept Chifney's explanation and warned the Prince of Wales that if he continued to use Chifney, no gentleman would race against him.{{sfn|Mortimer|Onslow|Willett|1978|p=119}} In consequence, not wanting to make an example of his jockey, the Prince of Wales sold his stable and ended his connection with the turf. He told Chifney he would be unlikely to return to ownership, "but if I ever do, Sam Chifney, you shall train and manage them. You shall have your 200 guineas a year all the same. I cannot give it to you for your life, I can only give it to you for my own. You have been a good and honest servant to me."{{sfn|Mortimer|Onslow|Willett|1978|p=119}} Despite pleas from the Jockey Club, the prince never returned to Newmarket.<ref name="George-1935">{{Cite book |last=George |first=Mary Dorothy |author-link=M. Dorothy George |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DMD9twAACAAJ&q=Catalogue+of+Political+and+Personal+Satires+in+the+British+Museum |title=Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires Preserved in the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum |date=1935 |publisher=[[British Museum]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Setterfield |first=Ray |title=Prince of Wales Gallops Out of Horseracing After Scandal |url=https://www.onthisday.com/articles/prince-of-wales-gallops-out-of-horseracing-after-scandal |access-date=6 October 2024 |website=[[On This Day]]}}</ref>

==Marriage and mistresses==
[[File:Prince of Wales (later George IV), ca. 1798.jpg|thumb|upright|''[[Portrait of George, Prince of Wales]]'' by [[Sir William Beechey]], 1798]]

Prince George's debts continued to climb, and his father refused to aid him unless he married his cousin [[Princess Caroline of Brunswick]].{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|page=70}} In 1795, the Prince acquiesced, and they were married on 8 April 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 of Wales (1796–1817)|Princess Charlotte]], in 1796, and remained separated thereafter. George remained attached to Maria Fitzherbert for the rest of his life, despite several periods of estrangement.<ref name="david2">David, pp. 150–205.</ref>

George's mistresses included [[Mary Robinson (poet)|Mary Robinson]], an actress whom he paid to leave the stage;<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carroll |first=Leslie |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780451223982 |title=Royal Affairs: A Lusty Romp Through the Extramarital Adventures That Rocked the British Monarchy |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-451-22398-2 |chapter=George IV and Mary Robinson 1757–1800 |publisher=Penguin |url-access=registration}}</ref> [[Grace Elliott]], the divorced wife of a physician;<ref>Major, Joanne; Murden, Sarah (2016), ''An infamous mistress: the life, loves and family of the celebrated Grace Dalrymple Elliott'', Pen & Sword History, {{ISBN|1473844835}}</ref>{{Sfnp|Hibbert|1972|page=18}} and [[Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey]], who dominated his life for some years.<ref name="david2"/> In later life, his mistresses were [[Isabella Ingram-Seymour-Conway, Marchioness of Hertford]] and [[Elizabeth Conyngham, Marchioness Conyngham]].{{Sfnp|Hibbert|1973|page=214}}

George was rumoured to have fathered several illegitimate children. James Ord (born 1786)—who moved to the United States and became a [[Jesuit]] priest—was reportedly his son by Fitzherbert.{{Sfnp|David|2000|pages=76–78}} Late in life, George told a friend that he had a son who was a naval officer in the West Indies, whose identity has been tentatively established as Captain Henry A. F. Hervey (1786–1824), reportedly George's child by the songwriter [[Lady Anne Lindsay]] (later Barnard), a daughter of [[James Lindsay, 5th Earl of Balcarres]].{{Sfnp|David|2000|page=78}} Other reported children include Major George Seymour Crole, the son of theatre manager's daughter Eliza Crole; William Hampshire, the son of [[publican]]'s daughter Sarah Brown; and Charles "Beau" Candy, the son of a Frenchwoman with that surname.{{Sfnp|David|2000|page=80}} [[Anthony Camp]], Director of Research at the [[Society of Genealogists]], has dismissed the claims that George IV was the father of Ord, Hervey, Hampshire and Candy as fictitious.<ref>[[Anthony J. Camp|Camp, Anthony J.]] (2007) ''Royal Mistresses and Bastards: Fact and Fiction 1714–1936'', {{ISBN|978-0-9503308-2-2}}</ref>

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title = Prince of Wales Act 1795
| type = Act
| parliament = Parliament of Great Britain
| long_title = An act for enabling his Majesty to settle an annuity on his royal highness the prince of Wales, during the joint lives of his Majesty and of his said royal highness; for making provision out of his revenues for the payment of any debts that may be due from his royal highness; for preventing the accumulation of debts in future; and for regulating the mode of expenditure of the said revenues.
| year = 1795
| citation = [[35 Geo. 3]]. c. 129
| introduced_commons = 
| introduced_lords = 
| territorial_extent = 
| royal_assent = 27 June 1795
| commencement = 
| expiry_date = 
| repeal_date = 
| amends = 
| replaces = 
| amendments = 
| repealing_legislation = {{ubli|[[Statute Law Revision Act 1871]]}}
| related_legislation = 
| status = repealed
| legislation_history = 
| theyworkforyou = 
| millbankhansard = 
| original_text = 
| revised_text = 
| use_new_UK-LEG = 
| UK-LEG_title = 
| collapsed = yes
}}
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title = Annuity to Prince of Wales, etc. Act 1803
| type = Act
| parliament = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title = An act for enabling his Majesty to settle an Annuity on his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, to continue until the fifth Day of July One thousand eight hundred and six; and for repealing so much of an Act made in the thirty-fifth Year of the Reign of his Majesty, as directs the annual Payment of thirteen thousand rounds out of the Revenues of the Dutchy of Cornwall to the Commissioners appointed by the said Act.
| year = 1803
| citation = [[43 Geo. 3]]. c. 26
| introduced_commons = 
| introduced_lords = 
| territorial_extent = 
| royal_assent = 24 March 1803
| commencement = 
| expiry_date = 
| repeal_date = 
| amends = 
| replaces = 
| amendments = 
| repealing_legislation = {{ubli|[[Statute Law Revision Act 1872]]}}
| related_legislation = 
| status = repealed
| legislation_history = 
| theyworkforyou = 
| millbankhansard = 
| original_text = 
| revised_text = 
| use_new_UK-LEG = 
| UK-LEG_title = 
| collapsed = yes
}}
The problem of George's debts, which amounted to the extraordinary sum of £630,000 in 1795{{Sfnp|De-la-Noy|1998|page=55}} (equivalent to £{{Formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|630000|1795|r=-3}}}} today{{Inflation/fn|UK|df=y}}), was solved (at least temporarily) by Parliament. Being unwilling to make an outright grant to relieve these debts, it passed the '''{{visible anchor|Prince of Wales Act 1795}}''' ([[35 Geo. 3]]. c. 129) which provided him an additional sum of £65,000 (equivalent to £{{Formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|65000|1795|r=-3}}}} today{{Inflation/fn|UK|df=y}}) per annum.{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|page=97}} In 1803, a further £60,000 (equivalent to £{{Formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|60000|1803|r=-3}}}} today{{Inflation/fn|UK|df=y}}) was added by the '''{{visible anchor|Annuity to Prince of Wales, etc. Act 1803}}''' ([[43 Geo. 3]]. c. 26), and George's debts as at 1795 were finally cleared in 1806, although the debts he had incurred since 1795 remained.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

In 1804, a dispute arose over the custody of Princess Charlotte, which led to her being placed in the care of the King. It also led to a parliamentary commission of enquiry into Princess Caroline's conduct after her husband accused her of having an illegitimate son. The investigation cleared Caroline of the charge but still revealed her behaviour to have been extraordinarily indiscreet.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ashley |first=Mike |title=The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens |publisher=Robinson |year=1998 |isbn=1-84119-096-9 |location=London |page=684}}</ref>

==Regency==
{{Main|Regency era}}

[[File:George IV by Sir Thomas Lawrence.jpg|thumb|Profile by Sir [[Thomas Lawrence]], {{circa|1814}}]]
[[File:Sir Thomas Lawrence - King George IV as Prince Regent in Garter Robes - MV.40448 - Pinacoteca Vaticana.jpg|thumb|Portrait in [[Order of the Garter#Robes and insignia|Garter robes]] by Lawrence, 1816]]

In late 1810, the King's mental health once again broke down, following the death of his youngest daughter, [[Princess Amelia of the United Kingdom|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 letters patent lacked the [[Royal Sign Manual]], but were sealed by request of resolutions passed by both Houses of Parliament. The Lords Commissioners appointed by the letters patent, in the name of the King, then signified the granting of [[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.{{Sfnp|Innes|1915|page=50}} The Prince of Wales became Prince Regent on 5 February 1811.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=16451|page=227|date=5 February 1811}}</ref>

The Regent let his ministers take full charge of government affairs, playing a far smaller role than his father. The principle that the prime minister was the person supported by a majority in the House of Commons, whether the King personally favoured him or not, became established.<ref>Bagehot, Walter (1872) ''The English constitution'', p. 247.</ref> His governments, with little help from the Regent, presided over British policy. 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 (British political party)|Tories]], led by Prime Minister [[Spencer Perceval]], were opposed to Catholic emancipation, while the [[Whigs (British political party)|Whigs]] supported it. At the beginning of the Regency, Prince George was expected to support the Whig leader, [[Lord Grenville]]. He did not, however, immediately put Grenville and the Whigs into 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.{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|page=185}}

In 1812, when it appeared highly unlikely that the King would recover, the Prince Regent again failed to appoint a new Whig administration. Instead, he asked the Whigs to join the existing [[Perceval ministry|ministry under Perceval]]. The Whigs, however, refused to co-operate because of disagreements over Catholic emancipation. Grudgingly, Prince George allowed Perceval to continue as prime minister.{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|pages=141–142}}

On 11 May 1812, [[Assassination of Spencer Perceval|Perceval was assassinated]] by [[John Bellingham]]. 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",{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|page=144}} so George then offered leadership of the government to [[Lord Wellesley]] and afterwards to [[Lord Moira]]. He doomed the attempts of both to failure, however, by forcing each to construct an all-party 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, George immediately reappointed the Perceval administration, with [[Lord Liverpool]] as prime minister.{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|page=145}}

The Tories, unlike Whigs such as [[Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey|Lord Grey]], sought to continue the vigorous prosecution of the [[Napoleonic Wars|war in Continental Europe]] against the powerful and aggressive Emperor of the French, [[Napoleon I]].{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|page=146}} An anti-French alliance, which included [[Russian Empire|Russia]], [[Prussia]], [[Austrian Empire|Austria]], [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain]] 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 the [[Kingdom of Hanover]]. Napoleon returned from exile in 1815, but was defeated at the [[Battle of Waterloo]] by [[the Duke of Wellington]], brother of Lord Wellesley.{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|pages=264–281}}

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 (architect)|John Nash]] created the [[Regency style]], exemplified by 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.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rutherford |first=Jessica M. F. |title=The Royal Pavilion: The Palace of George IV |publisher=Brighton Borough Council |year=1995 |isbn=0-948723-21-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/royalpavilionpal00ruth/page/81 81]}}</ref>

==Reign==
[[File:Coronation of George IV.jpg|thumb|left|[[George IV's coronation]], 19 July 1821]]
[[File:The landing of his Majesty, George the Fourth, at Holyhead, August 7th 1821.jpeg|thumb|left|George IV at [[Holyhead]] en route to Ireland on 7 August 1821, the day of his wife's death]]

When George III died in 1820, the Prince Regent, then aged 57, ascended the throne as George IV, with no real change in his powers.{{Sfnp|Innes|1915|page=81}} By the time of his accession, he was obese and possibly addicted to [[laudanum]].{{Sfnp|Hibbert|2008}}

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. In 1814, Caroline left the United Kingdom for continental Europe, but she chose to return for [[Coronation of George IV|her husband's coronation]] and to publicly assert her rights as [[queen consort]]. However, he refused to recognise Caroline as queen, and commanded British ambassadors to ensure that monarchs in foreign courts did the same. By royal command, Caroline's name was omitted from the [[Book of Common Prayer]], the [[liturgy]] of the [[Church of England]].{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|pages=209–224}}

The King sought a divorce, but his advisors suggested that any divorce proceedings might involve the publication of details relating to George's own adulterous relationships. Therefore, he requested and ensured the introduction of the [[Pains and Penalties Bill]], 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 decided, nonetheless, to exclude his wife from his coronation at [[Westminster Abbey]], on 19 July 1821. Caroline fell ill that day and died on 7 August; during her final illness she often stated that she thought she had been poisoned.{{Sfnp|Innes|1915|page=82}}

[[File:George4coin.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Half crown (British coin)|Half-crown]] of George IV, 1821]]
[[File:George IV in kilt, by Wilkie.jpg|thumb|upright|[[George IV in Highland Dress|Portrait depicting George during his 1822 trip to Scotland]] by Sir [[David Wilkie (artist)|David Wilkie]]]]

George's coronation was a magnificent and expensive affair, costing about £243,000 (approximately £{{Formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|243000|1822|r=-6}}}} in {{inflation/year|UK}};{{Inflation/fn|UK|df=y}} for comparison, his father's coronation had only cost about £10,000). Despite the enormous cost, it was a popular event.{{Sfnp|Hibbert|2008}} In 1821, George became the first monarch to pay a state visit to Ireland since [[Richard II of England]].{{Sfnp|De-la-Noy|1998|page=95}} The following year he visited [[Edinburgh]] for "one and twenty daft days".{{Sfnp|Prebble|1988}} His [[Visit of George IV to Scotland|visit to Scotland]], organised by Sir [[Walter Scott]], was the first by a reigning monarch since the mid-17th century.{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|pages=316–323}}

George spent most of his later reign in seclusion at [[Windsor Castle]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=King George IV |url=https://www.royal.uk/king-george-iv-r-1820-1830 |access-date=18 April 2016 |website=Official website of the British monarchy}}</ref> but he continued to intervene in politics. At first it was believed that he would support Catholic emancipation, as he had proposed a Catholic Emancipation Bill for Ireland in 1797, 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.{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|page=189}} Having taken the [[Coronation oath of the British monarch|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.{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|page=238}} The influence of the Crown was so great, and the will of the Tories under Prime Minister Liverpool so strong, that Catholic emancipation seemed hopeless. In 1827, however, Liverpool retired, to be replaced by the pro-emancipation Tory [[George Canning]]. When Canning entered office, the King, 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 of his revered father, George III.{{Sfnp|Hibbert|1973|page=292}}

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.{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|pages=231–234}} Canning died later in that year, leaving [[Lord Goderich]] to lead the tenuous Tory–Whig coalition. Goderich left office in 1828, to be succeeded by Wellington, who had by that time accepted that the denial of some measure of relief to Roman Catholics was politically untenable.{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|page=190}}{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|page=237}} George was never as friendly with Wellington as he had been with Canning and chose to annoy the Duke by pretending to have fought at Waterloo disguised as a German general. With great difficulty Wellington obtained the King's consent to the introduction of a Catholic Relief Bill on 29 January 1829. Under pressure from his fanatically anti-Catholic brother [[Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover|Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland]], the King withdrew his approval and in protest the Cabinet resigned ''en masse'' on 4 March. The next day the King, now under intense political pressure, reluctantly agreed to the Bill and the ministry remained in power.{{Sfnp|Hibbert|2008}} Royal assent was finally granted to the [[Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829|Catholic Relief Act]] on 13 April.{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|page=381}}

== Declining health and death ==
[[File:His Most Excellent Majesty George the Fourth, lithograph by T.C.P., from the original by George Atkinson, profile artist to His Majesty, printed by C. Hullmandel, published by G. Atkinson, Brighton, November 15, 1821.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Lithography|Lithograph]] of George IV in profile, by George Atkinson, printed by [[Charles Joseph Hullmandel|C. Hullmandel]], 1821]]
{{Multiple image
 | align = right
 | total_width = 360
 | image_style = border:none;

 | image1 = King Henry IV, William Heath - George IV and his mistress Elizabeth, Marchioness Conygham, with the title intended to echo a well known work by Henry Fuseli.jpg
 | alt1 = Cartoon of a fat George and canoodling an obese Lady Conyngham
 | caption1 = ''King Henry IV'' by [[William Heath (artist)|William Heath]], {{c.|1827}}

 | image2 = Fuseli Henry IV part 2 act II scene 4.jpg
 | alt2 = Falstaff cuddling Doll Tearsheet in a scene from a Shakespeare play
 | caption2 = ''Henry IV Part 2 Act II Scene 4'' by [[Henry Fuseli]], 1805

 | footer = Cartoon (left) of George IV and his mistress Lady Conyngham, satirised as [[John Falstaff]] and [[Doll Tearsheet]], mirroring a well known work (right) by Fuseli<ref>{{Cite web |title=King Henry IV |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/710350?searchField=All&sortBy=DateDesc&who=Shakespeare%2c+William%24William+Shakespeare&ao=on&ft=*&offset=80&rpp=80&pos=158 |access-date=4 February 2021 |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art}}</ref>
}}

George's heavy drinking and indulgent lifestyle had taken their toll on his health by the late 1820s. While still Prince of Wales, he had become obese through his huge banquets and copious consumption of alcohol, making him the target of ridicule on the rare occasions that he appeared in public;{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|page=355}} by 1797, his weight had reached {{Convert|17|st|7|lb|kg lb}}.{{Sfnp|De-la-Noy|1998|page=43}} By 1824, his [[corset]] was made for a waist of {{Convert|50|in|cm}}.{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|page=171}} He had [[gout]], [[arteriosclerosis]], [[peripheral edema]] ("dropsy"), and possibly [[porphyria]]. In his last years, he spent whole days in bed and had acute and serious spasms of breathlessness.{{Sfnp|Hibbert|2008}}

George's last years were marked by increasing physical and mental decay and withdrawal from public affairs. Privately, a senior aide to the King confided to his diary: "A more contemptible, cowardly, selfish, unfeeling dog does not exist&nbsp;... There have been good and wise kings but not many of them&nbsp;... and this I believe to be one of the worst."<ref name=sketch/> By December 1828, like his father, George was almost completely blind from [[cataracts]], and had such severe gout in his right hand and arm that he could no longer sign documents.{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|pages=266–267}} In mid-1829, [[David Wilkie (artist)|David Wilkie]] reported the King "was wasting away frightfully day after day", and had become so obese that he looked "like a great sausage stuffed into the covering".{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|pages=266–267}} George took [[laudanum]] to counteract severe bladder pains, which left him in a drugged and mentally impaired state for days on end.{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|page=269}} He underwent surgery to remove a cataract in September 1829, by which time he was regularly taking over 100 drops of laudanum before state occasions.{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|page=4}}

By the spring of 1830, George's imminent end was apparent. Now largely confined to his bedchambers, having completely lost sight in one eye and describing himself "as blind as a beetle", he was forced to approve legislation with a stamp of his signature in the presence of witnesses.{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|page=3}} His weight was recorded to be {{Convert|20|st|kg lb}}.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Baker |first=Kenneth |title=George IV: a life in caricature |publisher=Hudson and Thames |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-500-25127-0 |page=202}}</ref> Attacks of breathlessness due to dropsy forced him to sleep upright in a chair, and doctors frequently tapped his abdomen in order to drain excess fluid.{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|page=269}} Despite his obvious decline, George was admired for clinging doggedly to life.{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|page=270}} His will to live and still-prodigious appetite astonished observers; in April 1830, the Duke of Wellington wrote that the King had consumed for breakfast "a Pidgeon and Beef Steak Pye&nbsp;... Three parts of a bottle of [[Moselle wine|Mozelle]], a Glass of Dry Champagne, two Glasses of [[Port wine|Port]] [and] a Glass of [[Brandy]]", followed by a large dose of laudanum.{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|page=3}} Writing to Maria Fitzherbert in June, the King's physician, Sir [[Henry Halford]], noted "His Majesty's constitution is a gigantic one, and his elasticity under the most severe pressure exceeds what I have ever witnessed in thirty-eight years' experience."{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|page=6}} Though George had been under Halford's care since the time of the Regency, the doctor's social ambitions and perceived lack of competence were strongly criticised, with ''[[The Lancet]]'' labelling Halford's bulletins on the King's health as "utterly and entirely destitute of information", subsequently characterising Halford's treatment of George, which involved administering both [[opium]] and laudanum as sedatives, as appearing to lack sense or direction.{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|pages=5–6}}

George dictated his will in May and became very devout in his final months, confessing to an archdeacon that he repented of his dissolute life, but hoped mercy would be shown to him as he had always tried to do the best for his subjects.{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|page=269}} By June, he was unable to lie down, and received the [[Anointing of the sick|Sacrament]] on 14 June in the presence of Lady Conyngham, Halford, and a clergyman.{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|page=6}} While Halford only informed the [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|Cabinet]] on 24 June that "the King's cough continues with considerable expectoration", he privately told his wife that "things are coming to a conclusion&nbsp;... I shall be released about Monday."{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|pages=7-8}}

At about three in the morning of 26 June 1830 at Windsor Castle, George awoke and passed a bowel movement—"a large [[Melena|evacuation mix'd with blood]]".{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|pages=7-8}} He then sent for Halford, allegedly calling to his servants "Sir Henry! Sir Henry! Fetch him; this is death!"{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|pages=7-8}} Accounts of George's final moments and [[last words]] vary. According to Halford, following his arrival and that of Sir [[William Knighton]], the King's "lips grew livid, and he dropped his head on the [[Page (servant)|page]]'s shoulder&nbsp;... I was up the stairs in five minutes, and he died but eight minutes afterwards."{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|pages=7-8}} Other accounts state the King placed his hands on his stomach and said "Surely, this must be death", or that he called out "Good God, what is this?", clasped his page's hand, and said "my boy, this is death".{{Sfnp|De-la-Noy|1998|page=103}}{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|pages=7-8}}{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|page=271}} George died at 3:15&nbsp;am.{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|pages=7-8}} An autopsy conducted by his physicians revealed George had died from [[upper gastrointestinal bleeding]] resulting from the [[gastric varices|rupture of a blood vessel in his stomach]].{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|page=275}} A large [[tumour]] "the size of an orange" was found attached to his bladder; his heart was enlarged, had [[Atherosclerosis|heavily calcified valves]] and was surrounded by a large fat deposit.{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|page=275}} The King was buried in [[St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle]], on 15 July.{{Sfnp|Hibbert|1973|page=336}}

==Legacy==
{{See also|Cultural depictions of George IV}}
[[File:a-voluptuary.jpg|thumb|"A VOLUPTUARY under the horrors of Digestion": 1792 caricature by [[James Gillray]] from George's time as Prince of Wales]]
[[File:Statue of King George IV in Trafalgar Square, London (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Equestrian statue of George IV, Trafalgar Square]], London]]
[[File:Marquis Wellesley pillar, Dun Laoghaire.jpg|thumb|An obelisk in [[Dún Laoghaire]], Ireland, honouring George IV's 1823 visit]]

George's only legitimate child, Charlotte, had died from [[Obstetrical hemorrhage|post-partum complications]] in 1817, after delivering a stillborn son. George III's second son, Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, had died childless in 1827, so the throne passed to the third son of George III, William, Duke of Clarence, who reigned as [[William IV]].{{Sfnp|Innes|1915|page=105}}

George was described as the "First Gentleman of England" on account of his style and manners.<ref>''The Diary of Prince Pückler-Muskau'' (May 1828). Quoted in Parissien (2001), p. 420.</ref> He was bright, clever, and knowledgeable, but his laziness and gluttony led him to squander much of his talent. ''[[The Times]]'' wrote that he would always prefer "a girl and a bottle to politics and a sermon".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Clarke |first=John |date=1975 |title=George IV |journal=The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England |publisher=Knopf |page=225}}</ref>

The Regency period saw a shift in fashion that was largely determined by George. After political opponents put a [[Duty on Hair Powder Act 1795|tax on wig powder]], he abandoned wearing a powdered wig in favour of natural hair.{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|page=112}} He wore darker colours than had been previously fashionable as they helped to disguise his size, favoured pantaloons and trousers over knee breeches because they were looser, and popularised a high collar with neck cloth because it hid his double chin.{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|page=114}} His visit to Scotland in 1822 led to the revival, if not the creation, of Scottish [[tartan]] dress as it is known today.{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|pages=324–326}}

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".{{Sfnp|Hibbert|1973|page=310}} However, his eulogy delivered in the [[House of Lords]] called George "the most accomplished man of his age" and praised his knowledge and talent.{{Sfnp|Hibbert|1973|page=344}} Wellington's true feelings were probably somewhere between these two extremes; as he said later, George was "a magnificent patron of the arts&nbsp;... 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."{{Sfnp|Hibbert|1973|page=344}}

After George's death, ''[[The Times]]'' wrote: "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?&nbsp;... 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".<ref>''The Times'' (London) 16 July 1830 quoted in Hibbert, ''George IV: Regent and King 1811–1830'', p. 342.</ref>

There are many statues of George IV, a large number of which were erected during his reign. In the United Kingdom, they include a [[Equestrian statue of George IV, Trafalgar Square|bronze statue of him on horseback]] by [[Sir Francis Chantrey]] in [[Trafalgar Square]].{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|pages=14, 162–163, 201, 277}} Chantrey also crafted [[Statue of George IV, Brighton|the bronze statue]] outside the Royal Pavilion in Brighton.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Seddon |first1=Jill |last2=Seddon |first2=Peter |last3=McIntosh |first3=Anthony |title=Public Sculpture of Sussex |date=2014 |publisher=Liverpool University Press |series=Public Sculpture of Britain |location=Liverpool |isbn=9781781381250|pages=13–14}}</ref> 

In Edinburgh, "[[George IV Bridge]]" is a main street linking the Old Town [[Royal Mile#High Street|High Street]] to the north over the ravine of the [[Cowgate]], designed by the architect [[Thomas Hamilton (architect)|Thomas Hamilton]] in 1829 and completed in 1835. [[London King's Cross railway station|King's Cross]], now a major transport hub sitting on the border of [[London Borough of Camden|Camden]] and [[London Borough of Islington|Islington]] in north London, takes its name from a [[King's Cross (building)|short-lived monument]] erected to George IV in the early 1830s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Camden's history |url=http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/leisure/local-history/camdens-history.en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070306144548/http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/leisure/local-history/camdens-history.en |archive-date=6 March 2007 |access-date=5 March 2007 |website=Camden Council}}</ref> A [[King Square, London|square]] and a neighbouring [[King Square Gardens|park]] in [[St Luke's, Islington]], are also named after George IV.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History |url=http://stclementfinsbury.org/mypage.asp?page=37 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150224220050/http://stclementfinsbury.org/mypage.asp?page=37 |archive-date=24 February 2015 |access-date=3 April 2015 |website=St Clement's Church, King Square}}</ref>

==Titles, styles, honours, and arms==
===Titles and styles===
At birth, George was entitled to the dignities Prince of Great Britain and Ireland, Electoral Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Duke of Cornwall, and Duke of Rothesay.<ref name=cp/> 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".{{Sfnp|Hibbert|1972|page=280}}

===Honours===

====National honours====
* ''26 December 1765'': [[Order of the Garter|Royal Knight of the Garter]]<ref name="cp">{{Cite book |last=Cokayne, G. E. |url=https://archive.org/stream/completepeerageo03coka#page/450/mode/2up |title=The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom |publisher=St Catherine's Press |year=1910 |editor-last=Gibbs, Vicary |volume=4 |location=London |pages=450–451 |author-link=George Cokayne}}</ref>
* ''21 November 1783'': [[Privy Counsellor]]<ref name=cp/>
* ''26 January 1789'': [[Fellow of the Royal Society]]<ref name=cp/>
* ''2 May 1810'': [[Doctor of Civil Law]], [[University of Oxford]]<ref name=cp/>
* ''28 April 1818'': Founder of the [[Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George]]<ref name="duckers">{{Cite book |last=Duckers |first=Peter |title=British Orders and Decorations |publisher=Shire Publications |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-7478-0580-9 |location=Oxford |pages=26–27 |oclc=55587484 |orig-year=2004}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Kingdom of Hanover}}: ''28 April 1815'': Founder of the [[Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Robertson |first=Megan C. |date=2 April 2007 |title=United Kingdom: The Royal Guelphic Order |url=http://medals.org.uk/united-kingdom/united-kingdom012.htm |website=Medals of the World}}</ref>

====Foreign honours====
* {{Flag|Russian Empire}}:
** ''25 November 1813'': [[Order of St. Andrew|Knight of St. Andrew]]<ref name=cp/>
** ''20 April 1814'': [[Order of St. Alexander Nevsky|Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky]]<ref name=cp/>
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Kingdom of Prussia (1803-1892).svg}} [[Kingdom of Prussia]]: ''11 April 1814'': [[Order of the Black Eagle|Knight of the Black Eagle]]<ref>''Liste der Ritter des Königlich Preußischen Hohen Ordens vom Schwarzen Adler'' (1851), "Von Seiner Majestät dem Könige Friedrich Wilhelm III. ernannte Ritter" [https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb10362193?page=27 p. 17]</ref>
* {{Flagicon|Kingdom of France|restoration_alt}} [[Bourbon Restoration in France|Kingdom of France]]: ''20 April 1814'': [[Knight of the Holy Spirit]]<ref name=cp/>
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of Spain (1785–1873, 1875–1931).svg}} [[History of Spain (1810–73)|Kingdom of Spain]]: ''5 July 1814'': [[Order of Charles III|Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III]]<ref>{{Cite book |chapter=Caballeros Grandes-cruces existentes en la Real y distinguida Orden Española de Carlos Tercero |date=1826 |chapter-url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=ucm.5309090274&view=1up&seq=52 |title=Calendario manual y guía de forasteros en Madrid |page=46 |language=es |access-date=8 October 2020 |last1=Guerra |first1=Francisco }}</ref>
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and Algarves.svg}} [[United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves]]: ''7 April 1815'': [[Sash of the Three Orders]]<ref name="Vicente">{{Cite journal |last=Bragança |first=Jose Vicente de |date=2011 |title=A Evolução da Banda das Três Ordens Militares (1789–1826) |trans-title=The Evolution of the Band of the Three Military Orders (1789–1826) |url=http://repositorio.ulusiada.pt/bitstream/11067/5479/1/lh_8_v2_2011_08.pdf |journal=Lusíada História |language=pt |volume=2 |pages=276, 278 |issn=0873-1330 |access-date=17 March 2020 |number=8}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Austrian Empire}}:
** ''8 June 1815'': [[Knight of the Golden Fleece]]<ref name="Vicente"/>
** ''1819'': [[Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary|Grand Cross of St. Stephen]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tornai.com/rendtagok.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222022855/http://tornai.com/rendtagok.htm|url-status=dead|title=A Szent István Rend tagjai|archive-date=22 December 2010}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Denmark}}: ''4 July 1815'': [[Knight of the Elephant]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jørgen Pedersen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=glw-AQAAIAAJ |title=Riddere af Elefantordenen, 1559–2009 |publisher=Syddansk Universitetsforlag |year=2009 |isbn=978-87-7674-434-2 |page=207 |language=da}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Two Sicilies}}:
** ''1816'': [[Order of Saint Januarius|Knight of St. Januarius]]<ref name="Almanacco">{{Cite book |title=Almanacco Reale del Regno Delle Due Sicilie |date=1829 |pages=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hxja24&view=1up&seq=506 416], [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hxja24&view=1up&seq=511 421] |chapter=Capitolo XIV: Ordini cavallereschi |chapter-url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hxja24&view=1up&seq=476 |language=it |access-date=8 October 2020}}</ref>
** ''1816'': [[Order of Saint Ferdinand and of Merit|Grand Cross of St. Ferdinand and Merit]]<ref name="Almanacco"/>
* {{Flag|Netherlands}}: ''27 November 1818'': [[Military William Order|Grand Cross of the Military William Order]]<ref name="Military William Order">{{Cite web |date=27 November 1818 |title=Militaire Willems-Orde: Wales, George Augustus Frederick, Prince of |trans-title=Military William Order: Wales, George Augustus Frederick, Prince of |url=https://www.defensie.nl/onderwerpen/onderscheidingen/inhoud/dapperheidsonderscheidingen/databank-dapperheidsonderscheidingen/1818/11/27/wales-george-augustus-frederick-prince-of |access-date=12 March 2016 |website=Ministerie van Defensie |language=nl}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Kingdom of Bavaria}}: ''1826'': [[Order of St. Hubert|Knight of St. Hubert]]<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_MydRAAAAcAAJ |title=Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Königreichs Bayern: 1827 |publisher=Landesamt |year=1827 |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_MydRAAAAcAAJ/page/n28 7]}}</ref>

====Military appointments====
* ''1782'': Colonel, [[British Army]]<ref name=cp/>
* ''1796–1820'': Colonel of the [[10th Light Dragoons]]<ref name=cp/>

===Arms===
{{Multiple image
| align             = center
| header            = Coats of arms of George IV
| total_width       = 900
| caption_align     = center
| image1            = Coat of Arms of the Hanoverian Princes of Wales (1714-1760).svg
| caption1          = As Prince of Wales (1763–1801)
| image2            = Coat of Arms of George, Prince of Wales and Prince Regent (1762-1820).svg
| caption2          = As Prince of Wales and Prince Regent (1801–1820)
| image3            = Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1816-1837).svg
| caption3          = As King (1820–1830)
| image4            = Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom in Scotland (1816-1837).svg
| caption4          = As King (in Scotland) (1820–1830)
}}

George's [[Coat of arms of the Prince of Wales|coat of arms as the Prince of Wales]] was the [[royal arms]] (with an [[inescutcheon]] of [[Gules]] plain in the Hanoverian [[Quartering (heraldry)|quarter]]), [[Cadency labels of the British royal family|differenced by a label]] of three points [[Argent]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Velde |first=Francois R. |title=Marks of Cadency in the British Royal Family |url=http://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/cadency.htm |access-date=11 May 2013 |website=Heraldica}}</ref> The arms included the royal [[Crest (heraldry)|crest]] and [[supporter]]s but with the single arched [[coronet]] of his rank, all charged on the shoulder with a similar [[Label (heraldry)|label]]. His arms followed the change in the royal arms in 1801, when the Hanoverian quarter became an inescutcheon and the French quarter was dropped altogether.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=15324|page=2|date=30 December 1800}}</ref> The 1816 alteration did not affect him as it only applied to the arms of the King.<ref name="pinches">{{Cite book |last1=Pinches |first1=John Harvey |title=The Royal Heraldry of England |last2=Pinches |first2=Rosemary |publisher=Hollen Street Press |year=1974 |isbn=0-900455-25-X |series=Heraldry Today |location=Slough, Buckinghamshire |pages=228–229}}</ref>

As king, George's arms were those of his two kingdoms, the United Kingdom and Hanover, superimposed: Quarterly, I and IV Gules three lions [[passant guardant]] in [[Pale (heraldry)|pale]] [[Or (heraldry)|Or]] ([[Royal Arms of England|for England]]); II Or a lion [[rampant]] within a [[Orle (heraldry)#Tressure|double tressure]] flory-counter-flory Gules ([[Royal coat of arms of Scotland|for Scotland]]); III Azure a harp Or stringed Argent ([[Coat of arms of Ireland|for Ireland]]); overall an escutcheon [[Division of the field|tierced in pall reversed]] (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 [[Attitude (heraldry)#Courant|courant]] Argent ([[Coat of arms of Lower Saxony|for Westphalia]]), overall an inescutcheon Gules charged with the crown of Charlemagne Or, the whole escutcheon surmounted by a crown.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=17149|page=1237|date=29 June 1816}}</ref>

==Ancestry==
{{Ahnentafel
| align=center|collapsed=yes |ref=<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AINPAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA5 |title=Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans |publisher=Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel |year=1768 |location=Bourdeaux |page=5 |language=fr |trans-title=Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living}}</ref>
| boxstyle_1 = background-color: #fcc;
| boxstyle_2 = background-color: #fb9;
| boxstyle_3 = background-color: #ffc;
| boxstyle_4 = background-color: #bfc;
| 1 = 1. '''George IV of the United Kingdom'''
| 2 = 2. [[George III of the United Kingdom]]
| 3 = 3. [[Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]
| 4 = 4. [[Frederick, Prince of Wales]]
| 5 = 5. [[Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg]]
| 6 = 6. [[Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]
| 7 = 7. [[Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen]]
| 8 = 8. [[George II of Great Britain]]
| 9 = 9. [[Princess Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach]]
| 10 = 10. [[Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg]]
| 11 = 11. [[Princess Magdalena Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst]]
| 12 = 12. [[Adolphus Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]
| 13 = 13. [[Princess Christiane Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen]]
| 14 = 14. [[Ernest Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen]]
| 15 = 15. [[Countess Sophia Albertine of Erbach-Erbach]]
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

=== Works cited ===
* {{Cite book |last=David |first=Saul |url=https://archive.org/details/princeofpleasure00saul |title=Prince of Pleasure: The Prince of Wales and the Making of the Regency |date=2000 |publisher=[[Grove Press]] |isbn=0-8021-3703-2 |author-link=Saul David}}
* {{Cite book |last=De-la-Noy |first=Michael |title=George IV |date=1998 |publisher=Sutton Publishing |isbn=0-7509-1821-7 |location=Stroud, Gloucestershire |author-link=Michael De-la-Noy}}
* {{Cite book |last=Derry |first=John W. |authorlink=John W. Derry|title=The Regency Crisis and the Whigs |date=1963 |publisher=Cambridge University Press}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Garrett |first=Natalee |url=https://oro.open.ac.uk/92656/3/92656.pdf |date=2022|title=Royalty, Celebrity, and the Press in Georgian Britain, 1770-1820 |journal=Royal Studies Journal |volume= 9 |issue=2 |pages=99–115|doi=10.21039/rsj.351 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Hibbert |first=Christopher |title=George IV, Prince of Wales, 1762–1811 |date=1972 |publisher=Longman |isbn=0-582-12675-4 |location=London |author-link=Christopher Hibbert}}
* {{Cite book |last=Hibbert |first=Christopher |url=https://archive.org/details/georgeivregentki00hibb |title=George IV, Regent and King, 1811–1830 |date=1973 |publisher=Allen Lane |isbn=0-7139-0487-9 |location=London}}
* {{Cite ODNB |last=Hibbert |first=Christopher |date=2008 |orig-date=2004 |title=George IV (1762–1830) |edition=online |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/10541}}
* {{Cite book |last=Innes |first=Arthur Donald |date=1914 |title=A History of England and the British Empire |volume=3 |publisher=The MacMillan Company}}
* {{Cite book |last=Innes |first=Arthur Donald |year=1915 |title=A History of England and the British Empire |volume=4 |publisher=The MacMillan Company}}
* {{Cite book |last=Parissien |first=Steven |title=George IV: The Grand Entertainment |date=2001 |publisher=John Murray |isbn=0-7195-5652-X |location=London}}
* {{Cite book |last=Prebble |first=John |title=The King's Jaunt: George IV in Scotland, 1822 |date=1988 |publisher=Collins |isbn=9-780002-154048 |location=London}}
* {{Cite book |last=Smith |first=E. A. |title=George IV |date=1999 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=0-300-07685-1 |author-link=E. A. Smith (historian)}}

== Further reading==
* {{Cite book |last=Machin |first=G. I. T. |date=1964 |title=The Catholic Question in English Politics 1820 to 1830 |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press}}
* {{Cite book |last=Priestley |first=J. B. |author-link=J. B. Priestle |date=1969 |title=The Prince of Pleasure and His Regency (1811–20) |url=https://archive.org/details/princeofpleasure0000priey |url-access=registration |location=London |publisher=Heinemann |isbn=978-0-434-60357-2}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Raymond |first=John |date=1962 |title=King George IV: A Reappraisal |journal=[[History Today]] |pages=538–547, 614–621 |volume=12 |issue=8–9}}
* [[Joanna Richardson|Richardson, Joanna]] (1960). ''The Disastrous Marriage: A Study of George IV and Caroline of Brunswick''. London: Jonathan Cape.
* Richardson, Joanna (1966). ''George IV: A Portrait''. London: Sidgwick & Jackson.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://www.royal.uk/george-iv George IV] at the official website of the [[British monarchy]]
* [https://www.rct.uk/collection/people/george-iv-king-of-the-united-kingdom-1762-1830#/type/subject George IV] at the official website of the [[Royal Collection Trust]]
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/george_iv_king.shtml George IV] at ''[[BBC History]]''
* {{NPG name|name=King George IV}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[House of Hanover]]|12 August|1762|26 June|1830|[[House of Welf]]}}
{{S-reg}}
{{S-bef|before=[[George III]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[King of the United Kingdom]] and [[Kingdom of Hanover|Hanover]]|years=29 January 1820 – 26 June 1830}}
{{S-aft|after=[[William IV]]}}
{{S-break}}
{{S-roy|uk}}
{{S-break}}
{{S-vac|last=[[George III|George (III)]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Prince of Wales]]|years=1762–1820}}
{{S-vac|rows=2|next=[[Edward VII|Albert Edward]]}}
{{S-break}}
{{S-vac|last=[[Frederick, Prince of Wales|Frederick]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Duke of Cornwall]]<br />[[Duke of Rothesay]]|years=1762–1820}}
{{S-mil}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Sir William Augustus Pitt]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=Colonel of the [[10th Royal Hussars|10th (The Prince of Wales's Own)<br /> Royal Regiment of (Light) Dragoons (Hussars)]] |years=1796–1820}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Charles Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry|The Lord Stewart]]}}
{{S-npo|mason}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Prince Henry Frederick, Duke of Cumberland|The Duke of Cumberland]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Premier Grand Lodge of England|Grand Master of the Premier<br />Grand Lodge of England]]|years=1790–1813}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex|The Duke of Sussex]]}}
{{S-other}}
{{S-bef|before=[[The Duke of Portland]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[President of the Foundling Hospital]]|years=1809–1820}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany|The Duke of York and Albany]]}}
{{s-before|before=[[Caroline of Ansbach]]|as=[[Regency Acts#Regency Act 1728|Regent of Great Britain]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Regency era|Regent of the United Kingdom]]|years=5 February 1811 &ndash; 29 January 1820<br />Became King}}
{{s-non|reason=Most recent}}
{{S-end}}
{{English, Scottish and British monarchs}}
{{British princes}}
{{Princes of Wales}}
{{Dukes of Cornwall}}
{{Dukes of Rothesay}}
{{Rulers of Hanover}}
{{Hanoverian princes}}
{{PGLE}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:George 04 Of The United Kingdom}}
[[Category:George IV| ]]
[[Category:10th Royal Hussars officers]]
[[Category:1762 births]]
[[Category:1830 deaths]]
[[Category:18th-century British people]]
[[Category:19th-century British monarchs]]
[[Category:19th-century regents]]
[[Category:18th-century princes of Wales]]
[[Category:19th-century princes of Wales]]
[[Category:18th-century dukes of Cornwall]]
[[Category:19th-century dukes of Cornwall]]
[[Category:Blind royalty and nobility]]
[[Category:British blind people]]
[[Category:British royalty and nobility with disabilities]]
[[Category:Burials at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle]]
[[Category:Children of George III]]
[[Category:Crown princes of Hanover]]
[[Category:Deaths from gastrointestinal hemorrhage]]
[[Category:Dukes of Rothesay]]
[[Category:Freemasons of the Premier Grand Lodge of England]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Aviz|3]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Christ (Portugal)|3]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint James of the Sword|3]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary]]
[[Category:Grand masters of the Premier Grand Lodge of England]]
[[Category:Hanoverian princes]]
[[Category:Heirs to the British throne]]
[[Category:Kings of Hanover]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Military Order of William]]
[[Category:Knights of the Garter]]
[[Category:Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria]]
[[Category:Princes and great stewards of Scotland]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain]]
[[Category:Monarchs of the Isle of Man]]
[[Category:Monarchs of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Owners of Epsom Derby winners]]
[[Category:People associated with King's College London]]
[[Category:Regency London]]
[[Category:Sons of kings]]
[[Category:Sons of prince-electors]]