George IV (George Augustus Frederick), King of Great Britain and Ireland

b. 1762; d. 1830

The eldest son of George III, born at St James's Palace in London.

He grew up to be exceedingly well gifted and exceptionally handsome. The strictness and seclusion of his home life helped to drive him to a life of extravagance and profligacy, and he plunged into the fast life of London society and had a succession of mistresses. Gradually, in the traditional manner of Hanoverian princes of Wales, he became estranged from the King, the profligacy of his life and his early political associates, Fox and Sheridan, both Whigs, helping to widen the breach. At the age of 21 he fell in love with a beautiful widow, Maria Fitzherbert. As she was a Catholic, marriage was impossible; moreover, under the provisions of the Royal Marriages Act 1772 the consent of the King was required and would certainly not have been forthcoming. She refused to contemplate becoming George's mistress and finally, in 1785, they were married by a clergyman of the Church of England. Their relationship was broken off for a time in 1795, when George married a German Protestant princess, Caroline of Brunswick, but were soon renewed and seem to have finally ended in 1803, although George acknowledged her as his wife in name until 1811.

The marriage to Princess Caroline was unhappy from the start and after the birth of Princess Charlotte, their only child, in 1796, the couple separated. The Prince's subsequent treatment of his wife - though there were faults on both sides - served to increase his already considerable unpopularity in the country.

From 1788 the Prince's position was increasingly important in view of his father's frequent attacks of insanity. In 1811 the King lapsed into his final madness and George was 'Prince Regent' until the old King's death in 1820. Immediately on his accession to the throne he introduced into Parliament a bill to divorce the Queen. The bill failed, public sympathy being entirely on Caroline's side, and the monarchy fell even further into disrepute. The ludicrous charade of the disowned Queen trying, and failing, to force her way into her husband's coronation did nothing to increase the King's popularity, though royal visits to Ireland, Hanover, and Scotland were a great success.

George IV reigned for ten years. He exercised no great influence on public affairs although as he grew older his personal views on politics became increasingly reactionary. He was, however, a knowledgeable and extravagantly generous patron of the arts and is famous as the creator of Brighton as a fashionable resort. His heir, Princess Charlotte, died in 1817 and George was succeeded by his brother, William IV.

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