George III is the guy most people know as the "Mad King" or the one who lost the American colonies. He had a massive reign—six decades of it. But by the time he actually died in 1820, he hadn't really been "in charge" for years. So, when people ask who was king after George III, the answer is technically his son, George IV, but the reality is way more complicated than just a change of crowns.
George IV had already been running the show as Prince Regent since 1811. His dad’s mental health had collapsed so completely that the government basically shoved the old man into a corner of Windsor Castle and let the son take over. It wasn't a smooth transition. Honestly, the British public mostly hated the new guy. While George III was seen as a frugal, family-oriented (if troubled) man, George IV was the ultimate playboy. He was obsessed with fashion, massive building projects, and spending money he didn't have.
The long wait for the throne
Imagine waiting until you're 57 years old to finally get the job you were born for. That was George IV. By 1820, he was already bloated, gouty, and exhausted by decades of partying. He didn’t just step into the role; he crashed into it.
He was the eldest of 15 children. Think about that for a second. Fifteen. You'd think with that many siblings, there would be a clear path, but the Georgian era was a disaster of succession and scandal. George IV had spent his youth being the "First Gentleman of Europe," a title that basically meant he wore the best silk and drank the best wine while his father groaned in the next room.
The Regency period—the time before he was officially king—is famous for its art and architecture. We have him to thank for the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. If you've ever seen it, it looks like an Indian palace dropped into a British seaside town. It’s weird. It’s over the top. It’s exactly who he was. But being a "style icon" doesn't make you a popular king.
A coronation of pure spite
When he finally became king in 1820, he wanted the biggest party in British history. He spent about £240,000 on his coronation. In today’s money? That’s millions. He even hired professional prize-fighters to dress up as pages just to keep his estranged wife, Caroline of Brunswick, out of Westminster Abbey.
She turned up anyway. She literally banged on the doors, demanding to be let in. The guards turned her away while the crowd cheered for her and booed the new King. It was a mess.
Why the transition from George III mattered
The shift from father to son wasn't just about personalities. It was about the survival of the monarchy. George III had managed to keep some respect through the Napoleonic Wars. But who was king after George III had to deal with an industrializing Britain that was tired of paying for royal decadence.
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People were hungry. The Industrial Revolution was tearing up the old way of life. And here was George IV, ordering more gold leaf for his dining room.
- The Peterloo Massacre had happened just a year before he took the throne.
- The Cato Street Conspiracy aimed to murder the entire Cabinet.
- The country was on the edge of a revolution.
George IV didn't care much for the "business" of being king. He preferred the aesthetic. He worked with architects like John Nash to redesign London, giving us Regent Street and the look of Buckingham Palace we recognize today. He had taste, sure, but he didn't have a pulse on the people.
The Catholic Emancipation struggle
One of the biggest political fights of his reign was Catholic Emancipation. For years, Catholics in Britain and Ireland couldn't sit in Parliament or hold certain offices. George IV, despite his youthful "liberal" posturing, became a staunch conservative as he got older. He fought against the Duke of Wellington (his Prime Minister) on this for years.
Eventually, Wellington had to threaten to resign. The King gave in, crying and complaining that he was being forced into it. It showed how the power of the monarchy was shrinking. The King wasn't a dictator anymore; he was a rubber stamp, even if he was a very fancy, gold-plated one.
The shadow of Mrs. Fitzherbert
You can't talk about George IV without mentioning his secret, illegal marriage. Long before he became king, he fell for Maria Fitzherbert, a Catholic widow. Under the Royal Marriages Act, he wasn't allowed to marry her without his father's permission. And as a Catholic, she was doubly "forbidden" if he wanted to keep his right to the throne.
They got married in secret anyway.
It wasn't legally binding, but he treated her as his wife for years. Then, because he was in massive debt (shocking, I know), he agreed to a "real" marriage with Princess Caroline of Brunswick in exchange for Parliament paying off his bills. He hated her from the moment he saw her. Legend says he asked for a glass of brandy the second they met.
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The drama of his marriage dominated the early years of his reign. It made the monarchy look like a soap opera. When we look at who was king after George III, we aren't just looking at a ruler; we're looking at a man who spent his life trying to escape the shadow of his father's "boring" morality.
The King's health and the end of an era
By the late 1820s, the King was a mess. He was addicted to laudanum (an opium tincture) to deal with the pain of his many ailments. He became a recluse at Windsor, ashamed of how much weight he had gained. The satirists of the day were brutal. They drew him as "The Prince of Whales," a cruel pun on his title and his size.
When he died in 1830, the Times of London wrote a staggeringly mean obituary. They basically said that no one would miss him. It’s harsh, but it reflects how much he had alienated the public.
Who came next?
When George IV died without a legitimate heir (his only daughter, Princess Charlotte, had died in childbirth years earlier), the crown went to his brother, William IV.
William was the "Sailor King." He was the opposite of George IV—unpretentious, a bit loud, and much more willing to work with the government. He paved the way for the eventual reign of Queen Victoria.
Real-world impact: What George IV left behind
While he was a nightmare of a person in many ways, George IV's reign (and his time as Regent) defined the "look" of England. If you enjoy the Regency romances of Jane Austen or the grand terraces of London, you're enjoying his legacy.
- The Royal Collection: He was a massive patron of the arts, buying up Dutch and Flemish masters that still form the core of the British Royal Family's art collection.
- Architecture: Without him, London would look fundamentally different. He pushed for the development of the West End.
- The "Brand" of Royalty: He understood the theatre of monarchy. He was the one who reintroduced the idea of the King visiting Scotland in full Highland dress—basically inventing the modern "tartan" tradition.
Debunking the "Madness" link
Some people think George IV inherited his father's porphyria (the disease often blamed for George III’s "madness"). While George IV certainly had health issues, his struggles were mostly related to his lifestyle—rich food, heavy drinking, and a sedentary life. He wasn't "mad"; he was just incredibly self-indulgent.
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Understanding the Georgian Timeline
To keep it simple, the transition from George III looks like this:
- 1760–1820: George III (The father).
- 1811–1820: The Regency (George IV acting as King while his father was ill).
- 1820–1830: George IV (The official reign).
- 1830–1837: William IV (The brother).
- 1837–1901: Victoria (The niece).
It’s easy to get confused because there were four Georges in a row. They all blended together in the public imagination, but the jump from George III to George IV was the most dramatic shift in personality the British throne had seen in centuries.
George III lived through the American Revolution. George IV lived through the rise of the steam engine and the birth of modern celebrity culture. He was the first "tabloid" king.
Actionable takeaways for history buffs
If you're researching this period or visiting the UK, don't just look at the dates. Look at the footprints George IV left behind.
- Visit the Brighton Pavilion: It is the best physical representation of George IV's brain. It’s chaotic, beautiful, and expensive.
- Walk Regent Street: Notice the curve of the buildings. This was part of George's vision for a "triumphal way" through London.
- Read the Satirists: Look up James Gillray’s cartoons of the Prince Regent. You'll see that the "fake news" and celebrity bashing we see today has been around for over 200 years.
- Check out the Wallace Collection: Many of the items there reflect the tastes of the Regency era that George IV championed.
The question of who was king after George III isn't just a trivia point. It marks the moment Britain stopped being an agrarian kingdom and started becoming the global industrial powerhouse of the Victorian age. George IV was the flashy, flawed bridge between those two worlds. He was a man of his time—obsessed with his image, terrified of his father's ghost, and ultimately, a king who left a bigger mark on the streets of London than on the hearts of his people.
If you want to understand the modern British monarchy, you have to understand the mess George IV left for them to clean up. He forced the royals to eventually become more "respectable," leading directly to the stern, moralistic era of Victoria. Without the scandals of George IV, the "Victorian" era might never have happened the way it did.
Investigate the letters of the Duke of Wellington for a first-hand account of how difficult it was to manage a king who would rather talk about the cut of a coat than the fate of the empire. It’s a fascinating dive into the reality of power versus the illusion of it.