George IV of the United Kingdom

Reign: 1820 – 1830
Life: 1762–1830

Known affectionately as "Prinny" by friends, 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 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.

During George IV of the United Kingdom's reign, William I of the Netherlands ruled Netherlands, Frederick William III of Prussia ruled Prussia, and Francis I of Austria ruled Austria.

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George IV by Christopher Hibbert

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George IV

Christopher Hibbert

The classic life of the Regency king, lavish taste, scandal, and the making of modern royal celebrity.

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