28. People Saw Him as a Disgrace
The Duchess of Kent was such a piece of work, she had no problem being massively rude right to the royal couple’s faces. She often refused to acknowledge that Queen Adelaide was above her in station, and would make big shows of not attending court because William’s illegitimate children “scandalized" her delicate sensibilities. One day, this all came to a breathtaking climax—and rest assured, we're getting to that.
The Young Victoria (2009), GK Films
29. He Had an Awful Relationship With His Children
William’s relationship with his illegitimate children makes the Lannister family dynamic look positively loving. Although William's daughters were supposedly fresh-faced, lively company, his sons were notoriously vicious, greedy, and constantly at his door for money, particularly his eldest son George. Sadly, this strained relationship would come back to haunt William.
30. He Had a Father-Son Rivalry
In 1837, tragedy visited William’s doorstep once more when his daughter Sophia passed in childbirth. Yet little did he know, one cruelty would give way to another. The news brought a letter of condolence from his bitterly estranged son George, and the aging William hoped a reconciliation was on the horizon. It wasn’t. George stayed venomous until the very end, never believing his father gave him enough money.
31. He Never Forgot His First Love
The ghost of William’s old lover Dorothea Jordan must not have let him sleep at night, because several years after her ignominious passing in 1816, William commissioned a sculpture of her, and possibly even tracked down and acquired a professional portrait depicting her glory days on the stage. As we'll see, that wasn’t all he felt guilty about.
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32. He Fought in the American Revolution
When William was a young man, the American Revolution raged on the other side of the Atlantic. The daring royal decided he just had to go where the action was, and ended up serving in New York. This feat made him the only British royal to ever do so. But, being a prince and all, the “Sailor King” actually had a dangerous target on his back…
33. George Washington Nearly Kidnapped Him
While William was in America, he almost started an international incident. See, no less than General George Washington was eyeing the upstart prince. Washington even hatched a plan to kidnap him, since the royal was foolish enough to put himself on a platter. Luckily for William, England got wise to the plot and upped his guard detail. But that wouldn't be William's last connection to Washington.
34. He Wanted to Be American
Apparently, William didn’t hold grudges. Later in his life, he dined with an American ambassador and confessed how much he regretted not being "a free, independent American” since the country had "George Washington, the greatest man that ever lived." A little dinner-time flattery? Maybe, but it worked: The ambassador adored him.
35. He Earned an Insulting Nickname
Besides earning the nickname “The Sailor King” for his Naval career, people also called William “Silly Billy” behind his back. Well, apparently they didn’t whisper quietly enough. When he became king, William reportedly turned to his councillors and said jubilantly, “Who’s the Silly Billy now?” Kind of still you, William.
36. He Was a Failed Soldier
For all that William loved the high seas, they didn’t quite love him back. When the Napoleonic Wars rolled around in the 1790s, the young William was out of the Navy but still desperate to fight. So he was utterly offended when England said, “Thanks but no thanks, your highness” and denied him. As it turns out, their reasons were pretty embarrassing.
37. He Was His Own Worst Enemy
Historians point to two big reasons why William didn’t initially serve against Napoleon, and they are whoppers. First, William had apparently broken his arm after a tipsy fall down some stairs, and wouldn’t be cutting jibs any time soon. Second, he’d just given a public speech against the conflict. Yet for all this foolishness, William has one terrifying claim to fame.
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38. He Dissolved the Government
In 1831, William made his most shocking move yet—and he did it by simply opening a door. That year, parliament was in the middle of the Reform Crisis, and the king knew just what to do. At the Prime Minister’s urgent request, the strapping William made a surprise appearance at the House of Lords to dissolve the government…and pandemonium broke out.
Amazing Grace (2006), Bristol Bay Productions
39. He Stopped Parliament in Its Tracks
The king showing up to parliament was a big freaking deal, and when William walked into the room, one man was so excited he actually started brandishing a whip. The rest of the lords only acted sightly better. But William simply put on his crown, strode past them, and dissolved the parliament like a boss. Sure, absolute power corrupts, but darned if it doesn’t look cool.
40. He Wasn’t Afraid to Debase Himself
The king’s parliament entrance also produced another classic William moment. When he was getting ready to head to the building, his attendants initially informed him that they couldn’t get the horses ready fast enough. William's reply was priceless. Never one for patience or politeness, William just shouted back, “Then I will go in a hackney cab!” Let's just say this would have been a much less impressive entrance.
41. The Public Didn’t Always Accept Him
Even parliament had to adjust to William becoming king. Just after his brother George IV passed, William was signing some documents with the politicians and commented gruffly, “That’s a darned bad pen you’ve given me.” One minister’s mortifying response? “King George IV—William, I mean…” Luckily, the sailor king had a sense of humor that day, and just laughed it off.
42. He Tried to Destroy Buckingham Palace
William really didn’t have time for pomp and circumstance, and his lack of decorum extended to his possessions. Most infamously, the King of England would not stop trying to sell off Buckingham Palace, which he found stuffy and uninhabitable, to almost everyone’s horror. His first half-baked plot saw him trying to turn it into barracks, and the second into a parliament building. No one took the bait.
43. He Made Bizarre Demands
William might have wanted to be a down-to-earth ruler, but he wasn’t above pulling rank when it suited him. When his great friend, the legendary admiral Horatio Nelson, got married, William wasted no time on pleasantries and simply insisted on walking the bride down the aisle. Even the mighty Nelson had to say, “Yes, sir." But before long, William would be showing his might in darker ways.
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44. He Was the Oldest King
When William inherited the British throne, he was 64 years old—the oldest person to have ever taken the crown at that point. Still, William very much proved that older doesn't mean wiser...
45. He Was “That Guy” on Ships
It wasn’t like William was pure and virginal when he met Dorothea Jordan. He’d actually become vastly unpopular in the Navy, mostly because he wouldn’t stop getting himself embroiled in endless love affairs.
46. He Had Controversial Beliefs
Overall, William held conservative beliefs, and once went the super-gross distance to publicly oppose abolitionists in the House of Lords—a move that shocked and confused even his not-so-progressive contemporaries, who just wanted the rich white guy to sit down and shut up. But don’t get it twisted. The philandering William also supported more lenient adultery laws, so he could be liberal…when it benefitted his debauched lifestyle, that is.
Amazing Grace (2006), Bristol Bay Productions
47. He Tried to Destroy Evidence
By the 1830s, William was getting on in years, and just before his passing, he insisted that his aide destroy all of his correspondences, though luckily a fraction of his letters still survive. What was the king hiding? Oh, maybe immense guilt. One of the letters is a message from his ill-fated daughter Sophia, begging to come live with him after his split from her mother Dorothea. William flat-out refuses the poor girl.
The Young Victoria (2009), GK Films
48. He Swore a Brutal Revenge
On the day of his own birthday banquet in 1837, the aging William really let his old enemy the Duchess of Kent have it. He stood up in front of everyone and announced that since the Duchess was “incompetent to act with propriety,” he solemnly vowed to live until his niece Victoria came of age at 18, just so the Duchess could never gain power as Regent. The announcement made all the women burst out into tears, but did he manage to do it? Well...
The Young Victoria (2009), GK Films
49. His Wife Sacrificed Herself
By summer 1837, William was 71 years old, and his health was fading fast. Yet his brightest joy also lived in his darkest moments. He may have had a strained relationship with his ungrateful children, but his wife Queen Adelaide stayed by his bedside for 10 days straight, devoting herself to her beloved husband in his time of need. In the end, though, not even the great, virile King William IV could stop the reaper.
The Young Victoria (2009), GK Films
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50. His Death Was a Mic Drop
On June 20, 1837, William slipped away from this world after suffering heart failure at Windsor Castle. But even in death, he somehow managed to get his ingenious revenge. William passed just bare weeks after his niece Victoria came of age at 18. That’s right, the cantankerous jerk really did will himself to live just long enough to frustrate the Duchess of Kent’s regency. How’s that for vengeance?
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