George IV: The Prince Regent, "First Gentleman of Europe," and His Scandalous Passions
On August 12, 1762, a boy was born in St. James's Palace who would become one of the most controversial monarchs in British history. Brilliant and extravagant, amorous and cruel, patron of the arts and debtor—George IV lived several lives in one.
A secret marriage to the Catholic Mary Fitzherbert, whom he loved his entire life and never publicly acknowledged. A disastrous official marriage to Caroline of Brunswick—the prince wept at the altar. A public trial of his own wife, whom he barred from his coronation. The death of his only daughter, Charlotte, at 21. Hundreds of thousands of pounds in debt—and simultaneously a collection of paintings by Rubens, Rembrandt, and van Dyck, which became the core of the British Royal Collection.
It was during his reign that Regent Street was laid out, Regent's Park was laid out, the Brighton Royal Pavilion was built, Windsor Castle was rebuilt, and the appearance of Buckingham Palace was shaped. His personal library of 65,000 volumes formed the basis of the British Library.
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