George IV of the United Kingdom

King of the United Kingdom and Hanover from 1820 to 1830

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Lived 1762–1830, aged 68United Kingdom

United Kingdom PoliticiansPolitician

Wikipedia
84 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1762–1830
Aged 68
Awards
31
recognised works

Summary

Updated 2026-06-08

He ruled for a decade but spent longer waiting: nine years as regent while his father lost his mind, then king at last. What he's remembered for isn't statecraft but scandal—lavish spending, a disastrous marriage, and the spectacle of barring his own wife from his coronation.

Biography

About

George Augustus Frederick was born 12 August 1762, eldest son of George III and Queen Charlotte. He became Prince Regent on 5 February 1811 when his father's mental illness made him unfit to rule, and inherited the throne outright on 29 January 1820. His reign was defined less by policy—Lord Liverpool ran the government through Napoleon's defeat and the peace that followed—than by personal excess. He poured money into John Nash's Royal Pavilion in Brighton, the remodeling of Buckingham Palace, and Jeffry Wyatville's rebuilding of Windsor Castle, earning the nickname "the first gentleman of Eng…

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