Podcast Summary

This Guy Sucked: George IV with Madeleine Pelling

Release Date: December 25, 2025

Host: Dr. Claire Aubin

Guest: Dr. Madeleine Pelling, cultural historian, author, broadcaster

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the disastrous legacy of George IV, notorious party prince and British monarch, dissected by Dr. Claire Aubin and guest expert Dr. Madeleine Pelling. With humor, righteous indignation, and sharp scholarship, they trace George IV’s personal failings, his impact on the monarchy, and why—centuries dead—he truly sucked.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introducing the Guest & Bantering about Historical Eras

• Dr. Pelling discusses her expertise in 18th-century Britain—her “chosen era”—and jokes about the unappealing realities of living in the past compared to romanticized notions (02:50).
• Both hosts swap stories about how their work in history contrasts with their partners’ (real) jobs. This sets a playful, irreverent tone, summed up by Dr. Pelling:
  • “We’re doing God’s work out here, Claire. It’s fine. We’re contributing to society in meaningful ways. Sure.” (04:59)

Why George IV “Sucked”—An Overview

• Dr. Pelling chose George IV as her “worst guy” for his persistent, infuriating presence in her research and his “outrageous” behavior throughout his life (06:08).
• George IV is described as the “ultimate Nepo baby”—a spoiled, irresponsible heir, obsessed with self-image, aesthetics, and pleasure, to the detriment of his duties (15:09).

Notable Quote:
“He just turns down every opportunity to be a better person. There is no personal growth, there is no understanding or learning. There’s no awareness of the impact he has on others.” — Dr. Madeleine Pelling (56:56)

Biographical Sketch & Upbringing

• George IV, son of George III and Queen Charlotte, grew up with immense privilege as the Prince of Wales, but had a fraught relationship with his father (08:01).
• Contrasts are drawn between George III (“Farmer George”—intellectual, curious, duty-bound) and George IV (frivolous, self-obsessed, uninterested in governance).

Notable Quote:
“George, his son, the Prince of Wales by comparison is kind of just a spoiled brat really. ... obsessed with image and the version of himself that he puts out in the world.” — Dr. Pelling (10:49)

Party Prince, Glutton, and Scandal-Monger

• George IV was a profligate spender, glutton, and infamous for drinking, partying, and frequenting brothels.
• Stories about historical records at the Berry Brothers wine shop in London, where George’s coded weigh-ins are still preserved, highlight his excessive lifestyle (16:10).
• He entered into an illegal marriage to Catholic widow Maria Fitzherbert against the Royal Marriages Act—sparking political crises and lying about it in Parliament (17:57).

Notable Quote:
“He marries this woman and it basically causes a national crisis.” — Dr. Pelling (18:45)

Women and George IV—Misogyny and Scapegoating

• George’s relationships with women were disastrous.
• Forced to marry his cousin Caroline of Brunswick in 1795; their union was a farce—they detested each other on sight, and their wedding night ended with George passed out in a fireplace (26:06).
• After minimal time together and one child, they separated, with Caroline becoming a cause célèbre for public sympathy simply by being the foil to George’s excesses.
• When George ascended as Prince Regent, he tried to publicly humiliate Caroline by dragging her through the "Pains and Penalties Bill" in Parliament, demanding a divorce on flimsy adultery charges—while being wildly unfaithful himself (33:00).

Notable Quotes:
“He’s so repulsive and vile. It would be so much fun to kind of inhabit his skin.” — Dr. Pelling (25:38)
“She is just raked through the mud in a really public way. ... It’s embarrassing for everybody, it’s embarrassing for her, it’s embarrassing for you, it’s embarrassing for us.” — Dr. Pelling (33:37)

- Most Petty Coronation in History

• Caroline was literally locked out of George IV’s coronation, pounding on the Abbey doors while still legally his wife (34:41).

George IV’s Political Failings

- Self-Interest over Duty

• Total disregard for the responsibilities and crises of his era.
  • Shows no interest in ruling, only in spectacle and self-indulgence, contrasted with serious issues like post-war hardship, demand for suffrage, and the Peterloo Massacre (37:43).
  • Willfully ignored or downplayed social unrest; his priorities were “getting rid of Caroline” and personal pleasure (40:33).

Notable Quote:
“He just doesn’t see that it’s important or he sees his own struggles as more important. Getting rid of Caroline is the priority so he can have someone else.” — Dr. Pelling (40:33)

- Peterloo Massacre

• Blatantly out of touch: While Parliament debated his divorce, 18 peaceful protesters were killed at Peterloo (August 1819), and George participated in suppressing discussion of the massacre (37:43).

War Hero Cosplay and Obsession with Napoleon

• George IV tried to recast himself as a military hero, collecting Napoleon’s personal effects, commissioning paintings of himself in uniform, and even posing with Napoleon's furniture (45:30–47:10).
• Never saw battle; his “war hero” persona was pure fantasy and deeply embarrassing (“stolen valor”).
• George was obsessed with Napoleon, seeking to be both his nemesis and emulate his grandeur (46:43).

Notable Quote:
“He is painted in military uniform again and again... never set foot on a battlefield.” — Dr. Pelling (46:43)
“There’s a through line of toxic masculine trash in history. ... All these men are like, oh, I want to be like this version. It’s the same thing repeated again and again.” — Dr. Pelling (49:24)

Cultural Appropriation and Tactlessness

• Example: His notorious trip to Scotland, orchestrated by Walter Scott, where George dressed as a Jacobite Highlander—a group who had rebelled against his own dynasty! (51:44)
• This was “cosplaying” as an oppressed group for fun, with zero awareness of historical trauma or his family’s role in dismantling Highland culture (54:00).

Attempts at Redemption?

• Dr. Aubin and Dr. Pelling try (and fail) to find redeeming qualities in George IV.
• Minimal contributions: patronage of the arts, architectural renovations (Regent’s Park, Brighton Pavilion, Buckingham Palace—though the latter is described as functionally hated by his successors). (61:09)
• Morally, politically, personally, there’s “nothing to save him.” (60:37)

Notable Quote:
“I can’t think of anything that’s redeeming about him. ... I don’t think he’s salvageable.” — Dr. Pelling (61:25)

Most Memorable Moments & Quotes

• When asked about living in the past:
  “Bitch please. Have you seen the healthcare in like, different eras? Nobody wants to be in the past.” — Dr. Pelling (02:50)
• On George IV’s mindset:
  “He literally cannot think past himself.” — Dr. Pelling (24:49)
• On his cosplay as a Highlander:
  “It’s like going to a tasteless fancy dress party as a student and then being like, I should not have worn that outfit.” — Dr. Pelling (54:00)
• Summing George IV:
  “At every single point, every opportunity he has to grow as a person, to take up the mantle that has been given to him by his father... He just turns down every opportunity to be a better person.” — Dr. Pelling (56:56)
• Final burn/snappy slogan:
  “Don’t be a George. Buy my book.” — Dr. Pelling (63:38)

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 02:50 — Time-travel banter, Outlander/18th-century expertise
• 06:08 — Why George IV is the “worst guy”
• 10:49 — Contrast between George III and IV’s character
• 15:09 — “Ultimate Nepo baby” critique
• 16:10 — Scandalous early life, illegal marriage, debt
• 18:45 — National crisis over secret marriage to a Catholic
• 26:06 — The disastrous marriage to Caroline of Brunswick
• 33:00 — Parliament’s Pains and Penalties Bill, public humiliation of Caroline
• 34:41 — Caroline locked out of George IV’s coronation
• 37:43 — Peterloo Massacre context and George IV’s apathy
• 45:30 — George IV’s war hero cosplay and Napoleon obsession
• 51:44 — Cosplaying as a Highlander in Scotland
• 54:00 — Cultural appropriation, tastelessness, modern comparisons
• 61:09 — Failed redemption, architectural “legacy”
• 63:38 — Final sign-off and anti-endorsement: “Don’t be a George.”

Tone & Final Impressions

The episode is sharp, irreverent, and unapologetically critical—embracing the podcast’s mission to challenge reverence for “great men” and expose the unflattering truths of their legacies. Both experts blend scholarly insight with frank, often darkly funny, social commentary.

Overall Message:
George IV was an unserious, self-indulgent, and disastrous monarch whose few lasting contributions are trivial compared to the harm, embarrassment, and neglect he bequeathed the British monarchy, his family, and his country.

Guest Plug:

• Dr. Madeleine Pelling on Instagram (@maddiepelling)
• Books: Writing on the Wall; The 18th Century Today (new); Hoax (forthcoming May 2026)
• Podcast: After Dark

Host Plug:

• Support the podcast and get bonus content at patreon.com/thisguysucked

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