The Untold Stories of William IV’s Many Sons

Despite fathering many children, none of King William IV of the United Kingdom's children inherited the crown. Most were born outside of marriage or did not live long enough to inherit. His sons lived fascinating lives of privilege, scandal and sometimes obscurity. In this video, we're diving into the forgotten story of William IV's sons, the men who might have shaped Britain's history but were written out of it. George Fitzclaren's first Earl of Munster was the eldest child of William IV. He was born on the 29th of January 1794. After his parents separated in 1811, he saw little of his mother. He went on to serve in the army during the Peninsular War On the 18th of October 1819, George married Mary Wyndham and had seven children with her, Adelaide, Augusta, William, Frederick, Mary, George and Edward. His father created him 1st Earl of Munster, 1st Viscount Fitzclarence and 1st Baron Cheeksbury on the 4th of June 1831. George was unhappy with the provisions made for him and had many conflicts with his father. Ultimately, they became estranged. George gained the rank of Major General in the British Army and held the office of aide-de-camp to King William IV between 1830 and 1837. He was also aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria, his first cousin between 1837 and 1841. On the 20th of March 1842, George died by suicide. He had struggled with his mental health most of his life and there has been speculation since that he may have suffered from porphyria which afflicted his grandfather and other members of his family. Henry Fitzclarence was born on the 27th of March 1795 and died unmarried in India in 1817. Lieutenant General Lord Frederick Fitzclarence was born on the 9th of December 1799. He was commissioned as an officer in 1814. While captaining the Coldstream Guards, he commanded a small group of guards to act in support of the police with the arrest of the Cato Street Conspirators in 1820. On the 19th of May 1821, Frederick married Lady Augusta Boyle and they had two children together, Augusta and William. He gained the rank of Commander-in-Chief of the Bombay Army in 1852. He died on the 30th of October 1854. Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence was born on the 18th of February 1802. He attended boarding school in Sunbury-on-Thames before being sent to sea in 1813. He served as a midshipman aboard Newcastle based in North America and the Mediterranean Sea. He rose through the ranks reaching the rank of Captain in 1824. Once his father became King, he took command of the Royal Yacht, Royal George. His father granted him and his siblings the rank of a younger son or daughter of a Marquess in 1831, enabling him to be titled Lord. He was knighted in 1831. His father appointed him Groom of the Robes in 1830 and a Lord of the Bedchamber in 1833. Adolphus retained command of the Royal Yacht when his until he was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1853. In 1848 he was appointed a naval aide-de-camp to the Queen and retained the office until his death on the 17th of May 1856. He never married and had no children. Lord Augustus Fitzclarence was the youngest son of William IV by his mistress Dorothea Jordan. He was born on the 1st of March 1805. Augustus had a religious calling and his father appointed him a Chaplain in 1829. That same year he was presented with the Vicarage of Maple Durham. A year later he was appointed Chaplain in Ordinary and Chaplain to Queen Adelaide in 1832. He went on to study at Trinity College, Cambridge, receiving his Bachelor of Law in 1832 and Doctorate of Law in 1835. He married Sarah Gordon on the 2nd of January 1845, a relative of his sister Augusta's husband. They had six children together Dorothea, Eva, Beatrice, Augustus, Henry and Mary. Mary was born after Augustus's death. Augustus passed away on the 14th June 1854.