94-466: 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 final mental illness. George IV
188-685: A Glass of Brandy ", followed by a large dose of laudanum. Writing to Maria Fitzherbert in June, the King's doctor, 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." 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
282-425: A bottle to politics and a sermon". 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 favour of natural hair. 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
376-549: A chair, and doctors frequently tapped his abdomen in order to drain excess fluid. Despite his obvious decline, George was admired for clinging doggedly to life. 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 ... Three parts of a bottle of Mozelle , a Glass of Dry Champagne, two Glasses of Port [and]
470-525: A commission to investigate the huge cost overruns at Carlton House, and to draw up estimates on how much would be needed to complete the project. In May 1787, the Prince of Wales contritely approached his father, King George III , and persuaded him to provide the money to finish the house. When work resumed in the summer of 1787, with a budget of £60,000 to finish the house, it was with the assistance of many of France's leading furniture makers and craftsmen, under
564-454: 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. In late 1810, the King's mental health once again broke down, following
658-485: A family tree that shows George I's relationship to Anne, see George I of Great Britain § Family tree . Carlton House Carlton House , sometimes Carlton Palace , was a mansion in Westminster, best known as the town residence of King George IV , particularly during the regency era and his time as prince regent . It faced the south side of Pall Mall , and its gardens abutted St James's Park in
752-666: 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. 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, led by Prime Minister Spencer Perceval , were opposed to Catholic emancipation, while
846-684: A first survey, he was quickly replaced by Henry Holland. Both Chambers and Holland were proponents of the French neoclassical style of architecture, and Carlton House would be extremely influential in introducing the Louis XVI style to England. Holland began working first on the State Apartments along the garden front, the principal reception rooms of the house. Construction commenced in 1784; when these rooms were visited in September 1785 by
940-538: 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 . Other reported children include Major George Seymour Crole, the son of theatre manager's daughter Eliza Crole; William Hampshire,
1034-486: A further 67 in the Prince of Wales's private suite, and another 250 in other parts of the house. Following the death of his father, the new King George IV turned his attention from Carlton House to renovating and greatly enlarging Buckingham House as his primary London residence. This coincided with alterations to the planning of Regent Street, and in order to link Regent Street with the Mall, Carlton House was, notwithstanding
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#17327768921691128-466: A grant of £60,000 (equivalent to £9,124,000 today) from Parliament and an annual income of £50,000 (equivalent to £7,603,000 today) 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. Animosity developed between the prince and his father, who desired more frugal behaviour on
1222-410: A great preponderance of good—that I ever saw in any character in my life." Upon George's death, The Times captured elite opinion succinctly: "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
1316-479: A high collar with neck cloth because it hid his double chin. His visit to Scotland in 1822 led to the revival, if not the creation, of Scottish tartan dress as it is known today. 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". However, his eulogy delivered in
1410-425: A lion rampant within a double tressure flory-counter-flory Gules ( for Scotland ); III Azure a harp Or stringed Argent ( for Ireland ); overall an escutcheon 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 courant Argent ( for Westphalia ), overall an inescutcheon Gules charged with
1504-399: A palace in all but name. On 19 June 1811 the Regent hosted a grand reception ostensibly to honour Louis XVIII and the exiled French royal family, but largely to celebrate the establishment of his own Regency. One of the most splendid apartments in the palace was the crimson drawing-room, in which Princess Charlotte was married, in 1816, to Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg . In 1820, on
1598-539: A recovery. 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 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. On 11 May 1812, Perceval
1692-543: A regency. In the 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. He even stated that, without parliamentary authority "the Prince of Wales had no more right ... to assume
1786-453: A senior aide to the King confided to his diary: "A more contemptible, cowardly, selfish, unfeeling dog does not exist ... There have been good and wise kings but not many of them ... and this I believe to be one of the worst." 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. In mid-1829, David Wilkie reported
1880-436: A single banqueting table. The ground floor rooms gave directly onto the garden facing the Mall, which had a landscaping scheme by the fashionable designer Humphry Repton . An earlier garden design by William Kent had been undertaken for the Prince's grandmother Princess Augusta but had been swept away. Besides the French decor and furniture, Carlton House was hung with a collection of works of art, of which many collected by
1974-480: 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 . George was described as the "First Gentleman of England" on account of his style and manners. 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
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#17327768921692068-400: A suite of low-ceilinged rooms, including a gothic dining room, a library for the Prince, a Chinese drawing room, and a perpendicular gothic conservatory constructed of cast iron and stained glass. This suite of rooms was equipped with folding doors which when opened created an enfilade of eight rooms terminating in the conservatory allowing, on one occasion, the entire length to be set out as
2162-544: 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. Although arguably barred from doing so, Parliament began debating
2256-682: 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. The Tories, unlike Whigs such as Lord Grey , sought to continue the vigorous prosecution of the war in Continental Europe against the powerful and aggressive Emperor of the French, Napoleon I . An anti-French alliance, which included Russia, Prussia , Austria, Britain and several smaller countries, defeated Napoleon in 1814. In
2350-464: 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. George's coronation
2444-696: The Brighton Pavilion may have received items. Chimney pieces installed at Buckingham Palace are identifiable as having come from Carlton House, as are many doors at Windsor Castle. To save costs in the construction of the new National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, the bases and capitals of exterior columns at Carlton House were reused for the porticos at the east and west entrances, the columns themselves having deteriorated where they were stored in St James' Park. The house's name persists in
2538-536: The Hotel de Condé and other new Palaces, not one that is not rather classic than French. The chimney-pieces were added 1783 to 1785 by the London sculptor Thomas Carter the Younger . Construction at Carlton House came to a halt at the end of 1785 due to the Prince of Wales's mounting debts, with his unpaid bills following his secret morganatic marriage to Mrs. Fitzherbert amounting to £250,000. Parliament appointed
2632-456: The House of Lords called George "the most accomplished man of his age" and praised his knowledge and talent. Wellington's true feelings were probably 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
2726-638: The Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland on 1 May 1707 . She had ruled England, Scotland, and the Kingdom of Ireland since 8 March 1702. She continued as queen of Great Britain and Ireland until her death. Her total reign lasted 12 years and 147 days. Although Anne's great-grandfather, James VI and I ( r. 1603–1625 ), the monarch of the Union of the Crowns , proclaimed himself "King of Great Britain", and used it on coinage, stamps and elsewhere,
2820-657: The Parliament of England had refused to use that style in statutory law or address. All of Anne's children died young, so during her reign, Parliament settled the rules of succession in the Act of Settlement 1701 , by defining Sophia of Hanover (granddaughter of James VI and I) and her non-Catholic descendants as the future royal heirs. The Crown passed from Queen Anne to Sophia's son, King George I , as Sophia had already died. Queen Anne and King George I were second cousins, as both were great-grandchildren of James VI and I. For
2914-550: The St James's district of London. The location of the house, now replaced by Carlton House Terrace , was a main reason for the creation of John Nash 's ceremonial route from St James's to Regent's Park via Regent Street , Portland Place and Park Square: Lower Regent Street and Waterloo Place were originally laid out to form the approach to its front entrance. An existing house was rebuilt in 1709 for Henry Boyle, created Baron Carleton in 1714, who bequeathed it to his nephew,
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3008-467: The page 's shoulder ... I was up the stairs in five minutes, and he died but eight minutes afterwards." 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". George died at 3:15 a.m. An autopsy conducted by his physicians revealed George had died from upper gastrointestinal bleeding resulting from
3102-463: The rupture of a blood vessel in his stomach . A large tumour "the size of an orange" was found attached to his bladder; his heart was enlarged, had heavily calcified valves and was surrounded by a large fat deposit. The King was buried in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle , on 15 July. George's only legitimate child, Charlotte, had died from post-partum complications in 1817, after delivering
3196-513: 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". George's coat of arms as the Prince of Wales was the royal arms (with an inescutcheon of Gules plain in the Hanoverian quarter ), differenced by a label of three points Argent . The arms included the royal crest and supporters but with
3290-462: 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, Duke of Cumberland , the King withdrew his approval and in protest the Cabinet resigned en masse on 4 March. The next day
3384-447: The Duke of Wellington. As a result, the ministry was forced to include Whigs. 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. George was never as friendly with Wellington as he had been with Canning and chose to annoy
3478-447: The French. After Liverpool's retirement, George was forced to accept Catholic emancipation despite opposing it. His only legitimate child, Princess Charlotte , predeceased him in 1817, as did his childless younger brother Prince Frederick in 1827, so he was succeeded by another younger brother, William IV . George was born at St James's Palace , London, on 12 August 1762, the first child of King George III and Queen Charlotte . As
3572-430: 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". George took laudanum to counteract severe bladder pains, which left him in a drugged and mentally impaired state for days on end. 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. By
3666-532: The King's consent was not granted (and never even requested). However, Fitzherbert believed that she was the prince'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 was to remain secret and Fitzherbert promised not to reveal it. But, in spring 1786, covert allusions to the marriage appeared in the press, and several satirical prints depicted
3760-502: 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. 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
3854-536: The King, now under intense political pressure, reluctantly agreed to the Bill and the ministry remained in power. Royal assent was finally granted to the Catholic Relief Act on 13 April. 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
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3948-723: 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
4042-653: The Prince Regent, then aged 57, 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. In 1814, Caroline left the United Kingdom for continental Europe, but she chose to return for 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
4136-597: The Prince are now in the Royal Collection . The Prince patronized contemporary artists such as Reynolds , Gainsborough , and Stubbs . With the Third Marquess of Hertford and Sir Charles Long acting as his art advisors, the Prince also bought Old Master paintings by Rembrandt , Rubens , Van Dyck , Cuyp and Jan Steen . An 1816 inventory of Carlton House showed 136 pictures in the State Rooms,
4230-570: The 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
4324-446: The administration of affairs". In the interests of the nation, both factions agreed to compromise. 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
4418-444: The architect Lord Burlington . Burlington sold it in 1732 to Frederick, Prince of Wales , for whom William Kent laid out the garden. Frederick's widow Augusta, Princess of Wales , enlarged the house. In 1783, Frederick's grandson George, Prince of Wales , was granted possession of Carlton House and £ 60,000 to refurbish it. The Prince had the house substantially rebuilt by the architect Henry Holland between 1783 and 1796. By
4512-579: 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. A square and a neighbouring park in St Luke's, Islington , are also named after George IV. 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. Under
4606-468: The best for his subjects. By June, he was unable to lie down, and received the Sacrament on 14 June in the presence of Lady Conyngham, Halford, and a clergyman. While Halford only informed the 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 ... I shall be released about Monday." At about three in
4700-413: The clandestine marriage. 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
4794-458: The consent of Parliament. 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 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
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#17327768921694888-433: The crown of Charlemagne Or, the whole escutcheon surmounted by a crown. King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland There have been 13 British monarchs since the political union of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland on 1 May 1707 . England and Scotland had been in personal union since 24 March 1603; while the style, "King of Great Britain" first arose at that time, legislatively
4982-557: The dandy Beau Brummell and the 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. When George III died in 1820,
5076-411: The death of his father, George III , the Prince Regent became King George IV . The first proclamation of the accession was made on the steps of Carlton House. George IV deemed that Carlton House, the official royal residence of St. James's Palace , and his parents' Buckingham House were all inadequate for his needs. Some consideration was given to rebuilding Carlton House on a far larger scale, but in
5170-536: 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 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
5264-463: The design supervision of the Parisian marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre, interior decorator for Marie Antoinette , who acted as the agent through whom furniture by Adam Weisweiler was imported. When completed, Carlton House was approximately 202 feet (62 m) long, and 130 feet (40 m) deep. Visitors entered through a hexastyle portico of Corinthian columns, which led to a foyer that
5358-623: The divorced wife of a physician; and Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey , who dominated his life for some years. In later life, his mistresses were the Marchioness of Hertford and the Marchioness Conyngham . 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. Late in life, George told
5452-665: 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. On 18 September of the same year, he was baptised by Thomas Secker , Archbishop of Canterbury . 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 . George
5546-460: The end Buckingham House was rebuilt as Buckingham Palace instead. Carlton House was demolished in 1826 and replaced with two grand white stuccoed terraces of expensive houses known as Carlton House Terrace . The proceeds of the leases were put towards the cost of Buckingham Palace. When the Prince of Wales took possession in August 1783, Sir William Chambers was appointed as architect, but after
5640-504: The form of the Carlton House desk , which has straight legs with drawers in the frieze and a superstructure that wraps round the back, fitted with tiers of drawers. The name is contemporary and in 1797 was recorded in the in-house cost books of the cabinet-making firm of Gillow, with a sketch. The original, made for the Prince Regent's use at Carlton House, has not been identified. Oscar Wilde makes reference to Carlton House in his 1890 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray . In chapter 11, as
5734-487: The government, than any other individual subject of the country". 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. 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
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#17327768921695828-435: The hall was an octagonal room that was also top lit. The octagonal room was flanked on the right by the grand staircase and flanked on the left by a courtyard, while straight ahead was the main anteroom. Once in the anteroom, visitors could turn left into the private apartments of the Prince of Wales, or right into the formal reception rooms: Throne Room, drawing room, music room and dining room. The lower ground floor comprised
5922-558: The huge and controversial expenditure on it, entirely demolished. The Duke of York Steps and the twin Carlton House Terraces stand on its site. Most of the furniture, carpets, and artworks in the house were moved to the re-named Buckingham Palace or to other Royal residences. Many architectural features were reused since several Royal residences were being built or remodelled at the time, including Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle , although Royal Lodge and possibly
6016-499: 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. The Prince of Wales became Prince Regent on 5 February 1811. The Regent let his ministers take full charge of government affairs, playing
6110-432: The morning of 26 June 1830 at Windsor Castle, George awoke and passed a bowel movement—"a large evacuation mix'd with blood ". He then sent for Halford, allegedly calling to his servants "Sir Henry! Sir Henry! Fetch him; this is death!" 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
6204-598: The name of him or her never reached us". There are many statues of George IV, a large number of which were erected during his reign. In the United Kingdom, they include a bronze statue of him on horseback by Sir Francis Chantrey in Trafalgar Square . In Edinburgh, " George IV Bridge " is a main street linking the Old Town High Street to the north over the ravine of the Cowgate , designed by
6298-519: The nation and doomed any parliamentary proposal to aid him. Acting on Prince George's authority, the Whig leader Charles James Fox declared that the story was a calumny. 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
6392-400: 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. 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. Nevertheless,
6486-530: 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. 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
6580-442: The prince £161,000 (equivalent to £25,841,000 today) to pay his debts and £60,000 (equivalent to £9,630,000 today) for improvements to Carlton House. In the summer of 1788, the King's mental health deteriorated, possibly as the result of the hereditary disease porphyria . He nonetheless discharged some of his duties and declared Parliament prorogued from 25 September to 20 November. During the prorogation, he became deranged, posing
6674-483: 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. Canning's views on the Catholic Question were not well received by the most conservative Tories, including
6768-502: The protagonist looks over portraits of his ancestors, he writes, "What of the second Lord Beckenham , the companion of the Prince Regent in his wildest days... [t]he world had looked upon him as infamous. He had led the orgies at Carlton House." Carlton House is referenced in the first episode of the 1979 television miniseries Prince Regent , in which George IV, then-Prince of Wales (portrayed by Peter Egan ), commissions Henry Holland to refurbish it. When King George III refuses to allow
6862-615: The same. By royal command, Caroline's name was omitted from the Book of Common Prayer , 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 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
6956-527: The single arched coronet of his rank, all charged on the shoulder with a similar 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. The 1816 alteration did not affect him as it only applied to the arms of the King. 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 Or ( for England ); II Or
7050-474: The son of publican 's daughter Sarah Brown; and Charles "Beau" Candy, the son of a Frenchwoman with that surname. 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. The problem of George's debts, which amounted to the extraordinary sum of £630,000 in 1795 (equivalent to £82,215,000 today),
7144-418: 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. His weight was recorded to be 20 stone (130 kg; 280 lb). Attacks of breathlessness due to dropsy forced him to sleep upright in
7238-548: 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. During this period George took an active interest in matters of style and taste, and his associates such as
7332-542: The target of ridicule on the rare occasions that he appeared in public; by 1797, his weight had reached 17 stone 7 pounds (111 kg; 245 lb). By 1824, his corset was made for a waist of 50 inches (130 cm). 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. George's last years were marked by increasing physical and mental decay and withdrawal from public affairs. Privately,
7426-427: The time the Prince Regent and Henry Holland parted company in 1802, Carlton House was a spacious and opulent residence, which would have been designated a palace in many countries. From the 1780s it was the centre of a glittering alternative court to that of the Prince's parents at St James and Buckingham House. After he became Prince Regent the house was altered and redecorated to suit an even larger amount of usage as
7520-412: 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 his coronation and asked the government to introduce the unpopular Pains and Penalties Bill in an unsuccessful attempt to divorce her. George's rule
7614-471: The title came into force in 1707. On 1 January 1801, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged, creating first the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , and later the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland upon the secession of southern Ireland in the 1920s. Queen Anne became monarch of the Kingdom of Great Britain after the political union of
7708-653: The ultimately defeated Catholic Relief Bill of 1813. By 1824 he was denouncing Catholic emancipation in public. 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. 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
7802-494: The usually critical Horace Walpole , he was impressed, writing that when completed, Carlton House would be "the most perfect in Europe". There is an august simplicity that astonished me. You cannot call it magnificent; it is the taste and propriety that strike. Every ornament is at a proper distance, and not one too large, but all delicate and new, with more freedom and variety than Greek ornaments; and, though probably borrowed from
7896-455: Was a magnificent and expensive affair, costing about £243,000 (approximately £27,970,000 in 2024; for comparison, his father's coronation had only cost about £10,000). Despite the enormous cost, it was a popular event. In 1821, George became the first monarch to pay a state visit to Ireland since Richard II of England . The following year he visited Edinburgh for "one and twenty daft days". His visit to Scotland , organised by Sir Walter Scott ,
7990-545: Was a talented student, and quickly learned to speak French, German and Italian, in addition to his native English. 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 palace. George turned 21 in 1783, and obtained
8084-449: 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", 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
8178-514: Was denounced by Edmund Burke as "forgery, fraud"; a "glaring falsehood" and a "palpable absurdity". Prince Frederick described the plan as "unconstitutional and illegal". 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
8272-410: 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 thereafter. George remained attached to Maria Fitzherbert for the rest of his life, despite several periods of estrangement. George's mistresses included Mary Robinson , an actress whom he paid to leave the stage; Grace Elliott ,
8366-486: Was flanked on either side by anterooms. The building was unusual in that visitors entered on the main floor, in contrast to most London mansions and palaces of the time, which followed the Palladian architectural concept of a low ground floor (or rustic) with the principal floor above. From the foyer, visitors would enter the two-story top-lit entrance hall, decorated with Ionic columns of yellow marble scagliola . Beyond
8460-574: 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. Prince George's debts continued to climb, and his father refused to aid him unless he married his cousin Princess Caroline of Brunswick . In 1795, the prince acquiesced, and they were married on 8 April 1795 at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace . The marriage, however,
8554-401: Was solved (at least temporarily) by Parliament. Being unwilling to make an outright grant to relieve these debts, it provided him an additional sum of £65,000 (equivalent to £8,482,000 today) per annum. In 1803, a further £60,000 (equivalent to £6,921,000 today) was added, and George's debts as at 1795 were finally cleared in 1806, although the debts he had incurred since 1795 remained. In 1804,
8648-420: Was tarnished by scandal and financial extravagance. His ministers found his behaviour selfish, unreliable and irresponsible and he was strongly influenced by favourites. 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
8742-538: Was the eldest child of King George 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 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
8836-403: Was the first by a reigning monarch since the mid-17th century. George spent most of his later reign in seclusion at Windsor Castle , 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
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