On This Day In Royal History . 26 June 1830 . King George IV died aged 67 at Windsor Castle. . . ◼ By the late 1820’s George’s heavy drinking & indulgent lifestyle had taken their toll on his health. Through huge banquets & copious amounts of alcohol, he had become obese. . ◼ By 1797 his weight had reached 17 stone 7 pounds (111 kg; 245 lb), & by 1824 his corset was made for a waist of 50 inches (130 cm). . ◼ He suffered from gout, arteriosclerosis, peripheral edema (“dropsy”), & possibly porphyria. In his last years, he spent whole days in bed & suffered spasms of breathlessness that would leave him half-asphyxiated. . ◼ By December 1828, like his father, he was almost completely blind from cataracts, & was suffering from such severe gout in his right hand & arm that he could no longer sign documents. The King took laudanum to counteract severe bladder pains, which left him in a drugged & mentally handicapped state for days on end. . ◼ By the spring of 1830, George’s imminent end was apparent. Attacks of breathlessness due to dropsy forced him to sleep upright in a chair, & doctors frequently tapped his abdomen to drain excess fluid. He was admired for clinging doggedly to life despite his obvious decline. He dictated his will in May & became very devout in his final months, confessing to an archdeacon that he repented of his early dissolute life, but hoped mercy would be shown to him as he had always tried to do the best for his subjects. . ◼ At about half-past three in the morning of 26 June 1830 at Windsor Castle, he reportedly called out “Good God, what is this?”, clasped his page’s hand & said “my boy, this is death”, after which he died. . ◼ An autopsy conducted by his physicians revealed he had died from upper gastrointestinal bleeding resulting from the rupture of a blood vessel in his stomach (gastric varices). A large tumour “the size of an orange” was found attached to his bladder, & he had an enlarged heart surrounded by a large fat deposit & heavily calcified heart valves. He was buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on 15 July. . . . #OnThisDayInHistory #ThisDayInHistory #theyear1830 #d26jun #GeorgeIV #KingGeorgeIV #history #windsor (at United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CB5yusBDBKJ/?igshid=rv3qb4hz9vj0








