George IV’s reign was defined by two great architectural schemes. Buckingham House, his childhood home, was transformed into a Palace fit to rival any in Europe, under the architectural eye of John Nash. At Windsor Castle a new sequence of elegant, comfortable apartments were built by Jeffry Wyatville and furnished by the firm of Morel & Seddon.

Despite suffering from ill health and living increasingly out of the public eye, George IV continued to acquire works of art in vast numbers to support his public image. He purchased quantities of silver from the royal goldsmiths Rundell, Bridge & Rundell, with the intention of hosting lavish entertainments. From Sir Thomas Lawrence he commissioned a dazzling series of images of the military heroes and statesmen involved in the Battle of Waterloo and its aftermath.

To this day, any visitor to the royal palaces sees the works George IV acquired, displayed in interiors that are the legacy of this most magnificent patron, collector and king.