George IV of the United Kingdom (August 12, 1762 - June 26, 1830) was the eldest son of George III and Prince of Wales. He became King of England and Elector of Hanover in 1820 at the age of 58 after his father, George III, died in 1830 at the age of 67. George IV was king for only 10 years from 1820 to 1830, and actually ruled for 18 years.

Born on August 12, 1762 at St. James's Palace, London, as the king's eldest son, he automatically became the Duke of Cornwall and the Prince of Wales. As a child, George Augustus was a talented student, proficient in French, German and Latin in addition to his native English. When he turned 21, he received a £ 60,000 grant from council to renovate his home and an annual income of £ 500,000. Then he built his own palace, where he lived a debauchery life based on his elegant demeanor and talent. Politically, it also inherited the tradition of the Hanover family, where every Crown Prince opposed his father in power.

He was probably the brightest and most artistically talented man in the history of the Hanoverian dynasty, so he was elected to his place in the "Solemn Steak Club" in 1784. The club was a Saturday dinner party established by some learned nobles in England. The reason why he was admired by aristocratic scholars is that he also studied architectural styles and had an extraordinary taste.

In 1784, he met a woman five years older than him. Maria Anne, Mrs. Fitzherbert. The woman was a Roman Catholic widow. He was officially married to the beautiful widow. The state religion was Protestant at the time, and Catholicism was still banned. Who would officiate at the wedding? The crown prince found a priest named Bart. The priest, who was imprisoned for defaulting on debts, agreed to marry the crown prince on the condition that he would be made bishop when the crown prince ascended the throne. The marriage, although canonical, was void from the outset under the Royal Marriage Act of 1772.

In 1785, when he fell into huge debts, George III refused to increase his son's pension, saying it was a "shameless waste of public funds to satisfy the extravagant desires of a young man who did not follow the right path." He and Mrs. Fitzherbert were forced to move out of his official residence, and his allies filed a motion in Parliament to increase his pension, but the Parliament rejected it, citing his questionable marriage. It was not until he issued a statement denying his relationship with Mrs. Fitzherbert that Parliament agreed to allocate £ 161,000 to repay his debts and £ 60,000 to redeem his official residence. It was not until 1800 that Lady Fitzherbert returned to what she considered her legal husband, helping the Prince of Wales to drink alcohol and nursing his body, which had been victims of gastritis.

When his father, George III, became mentally ill in November 1788, the British Parliament suddenly discovered that due to the king's absence, it would be unable to carry out any activities. The prince's friend Charles James Fox argued that the Prince of Wales should be regent and automatically enjoy all the king's rights during his incapacity due to illness. His ideas were opposed by Prime Minister Peter Jr., who believed that power belonged to Parliament. Although the Prince of Wales had the courage to offend Little Pete, he did not support Fox's philosophy.

There is a lot of discussion about him in society. An article in the Times described him as "an alcoholic, a man who swore that he would always love only women and wine bottles but not politics and the church." He eats as much as an ox and is addicted to alcohol as life. As a result, he has a big belly in his 30s and is as fat as a monster in a comic book. Moreover, his face is flushed, and his tall lees nose becomes even redder, as if he can spit out blood with a poke. He is in constant danger of having a stroke. He was surrounded by empty wine bottles and a large pile of various medicines pressed in toilet pots, as well as bills owed by various hotels.

Much of the hostility towards the Crown Prince is based on political reasons, and the criticism is a bit exaggerated. However, the Crown Prince is by no means just this. When he is more sober, his conversations are substantial and full of interesting anecdotes. He has a very good memory and is good at imitating the tone and movements of others. His good friend and playboy Blumeier once said that the Crown Prince could have become the best comedian in Europe.

In the eyes of his father George III and conservative politicians, the young George IV was untrustworthy. One of his close friends was Charles James Fox. Fox applauded as he swaggered around wearing the uniform of an American anticolonialist. He supported Fox because Fox was a political opponent of Prime Minister Pitt Jr., who was chosen as prime minister by his father. He also supported Whigism, which maintained that the king was only a nominal leader without any real power, and that his real intention was to use it as a means of disturbing his father.

After 1793, British politics were turbulent and political affairs were fierce. The Crown Prince concluded that Fox's Whig principles could lead to revolution and anarchism. He had made countless wishes to the Whigs, but when he ascended the throne he immediately told them that he could not get anything from him. George IV retained his father's Tory minister. The Tories are considered to have always been conservative.

The crown prince's greatest disaster was his agreement to marry his cousin Caroline in 1795, in order to urge Parliament to write off his 630,000 debt. When he saw his future bride, he was shocked and blurted out: "Oh my God!" Then he said: "I'm not feeling well, please give me a glass of brandy." And Caroline found him "too fat to be as beautiful as his portrait." The crown prince was drunk at the wedding and carried into the bridal chamber like a dead pig by the servants.

Caroline was not much thinner than the Crown Prince. She was not only fat, but also rude, vulgar, and slovenly. She was by no means an ideal Princess of Wales. After she gave birth to Princess Charlotte in January 1796, they separated. Caroline lived mostly in Italy for the rest of her life.

In 1820, George IV acceded to the throne. Caroline returned to England and asked to be queen. George IV could not have agreed to Caroline as queen, and some opposition members of the public used this contradiction as a focus of opposition to George IV and his government. Signs were plastered all over London: "The Queen will always be queen! Throw the king into the river!" The public swarmed Caroline's open-top carriage and swaggered through the busy streets of London. From time to time, the fat Caroline threw flower petals on people's heads... George IV was furious when he heard the news. He forced the government to introduce a bill to strip Caroline of the title of queen and declare her marriage to the king invalid forever. The bill was ultimately not passed due to the large amount of evidence presented.

George IV ascended the throne and held a grand coronation ceremony. An angry Caroline went to the coronation venue in a carriage, but was blocked at the door of Westminster Abbey. Fortunately, for the peace of mind of the king, his unworthy queen died of a sudden illness on August 7, 1821.

In 1810, he became regent at the age of 48. He celebrated his newfound power with great pomp. Then, to celebrate the Allied victory over Napoleon, lanterns and colorful decorations were set up everywhere inside and outside the palace, and a banquet was held to entertain visiting foreign monarchs. When planning such things, he forgot about his illness and changed his laziness to ask about everything personally.

From the moment he became regent, the crown prince was physically and mentally troubled and unable to take any firm stand. He was drunk all day, mad, weak and vacillating. The Whigs and the Tories did not trust him. He was not trustworthy because he did not like noisy scenes, because he was lazy, because he always got by. He supported the liberation of Catholics. But he was in constant conflict because he swore allegiance to Protestantism. George IV once agreed to the advice of one minister, but when another minister strongly opposed it, he denied that he had ever agreed.

The ministers thought that George IV was not a malicious man after all. Even in the most damned of moments, he had his magnanimous side. He may be loud in making general statements, but in specific situations it is different. When Robert Peel was Home Secretary, he was woken from his bed at two o'clock one morning. He was greatly surprised that the king had written a letter asking him to suspend the execution of the criminal who was scheduled to be executed the next morning.

The coronation ceremony of George IV was arguably the most grand in history, costing £ 204,000. (The old king's coronation ceremony was only 100,000 pounds) It was a king's glory. The new king was "like a beautiful bird in heaven" during the ceremony. The following year, George IV made a highly successful official visit to Dublin and Edinburgh. In Edinburgh, he wore Stuart plaid and walked along the Princes 'Road. Ireland is one of the most disobedient parts of the United Kingdom, and visiting there is a very bold step. An old Irish man claimed: "I rebelled against the old King George III in 1798." But, by God, I would die a thousand times for his son. "George IV was so successful because he was easy-going and could get close to ordinary people. George IV behaved solemnly in formal social situations and had his royal dignity, thus at least temporarily erasing the bad impression caused by other actions. No one will recall his crazy drunk image at this moment.

In the first two years of George IV's reign, his exciting demeanor did not last long. He was old before the age of 60. He slept poorly, and what little energy was left was exhausted by the large doses of laudanum sent by the brandy. The king became a rich hermit, living in Windsor Castle, full of whimsical architectural ideas rather than national affairs.

George IV was determined to build a palace comparable to Europe. He asked for style diversification, including restoring the Gothic style of Windsor Castle and the farmhouse style of the royal country house. and the oriental style characteristic of Brighton Lofts. The completed Brighton Loft was made fun of by some people. Despite being ridiculed, the Brighton Attic building designed by King George IV was a success. Dome roofs and steeples are mixed together, and China furniture and chandeliers shaped like lotus flowers and mosquito dragons complement each other. George IV was unwilling to follow the new trends of others, but always innovated himself. One of his latest innovations was the discovery of the seaside resort and the construction of Brighton Loft, and the corresponding lifestyle. George IV's lifestyle evolved. In the early days, he lived an almost debauchery life. Later, he lived a peaceful life in Brighton XXX. He also took the lead in wearing black and dark clothes to replace colorful "peacock-style" fashion.

In his later years, George IV was surrounded by a group of former elderly male and female friends, in charge of his evil doctor and confidant, Sir Knighton. The visitor saw this scene very pitiful and unbearable. Sometimes George IV pretended that he had played a special role in the Battle of Waterloo, France. No one knew whether he was joking or whether he was insane like his father George III.

George IV was a talented king, and in some ways a great man, but unfortunately he was often crazy from alcoholism in his youth, and sadly in his later years. When someone flattered him, he smiled and said, "I think I could and should have been greater." Indeed, George IV was more confused than sober in his life.

Comment: He was a great and talented king to a certain extent. Unfortunately, many times spent in confusion.