STATUE
KING GEORGE IV
Unveiled 26th November 1831
Sculpted by Sir Francis Chantry, this
bronze statue of George IV was erected to commemorate
the kings visit to Edinburgh in 1822. It was funded
by public subscription under the chairmanship of Lord
Meadowbank. It stands at the junction of George Street
and Hanover Street.
George IV was the first Hanoverian monarch to
visit Scotland and his triumphant arrival in Edinburgh, clad
in tartan and tights, was orchestrated by the great Scottish
Novelist Sir Walter Scott.
George IV (George Augustus Frederick) was the
son of George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz whom
George Street and Charlotte Square are respectively named.
He ascended the throne on 28th January 1820 and was crowned
king of the United Kingdom of Great Britian and Ireland at
Westminster Abbey on 19th July 1821.
As Prince of Wales and monarch he led a flambouant
lifestyle and had several mistrisses. It is reported that everytime
he was intimate with a woman he kept a lock of her hair in
an envelope, at the time of his death on 28th June 1830 there
were 7,000 such envelopes.
He was always in debt and relied on Parliament for financial
help.
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