William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded his elder brother George IV, becoming the last king and penultimate monarch of Britain's House of Hanover.
Portrait by Martin Archer Shee, 1833
William (left), aged thirteen, and his younger brother Edward, painted by Benjamin West, 1778
Prince William at the age of 17, by Thomas Gainsborough, c. September 1782
Portrait by Thomas Lawrence, c. 1790-95
The King of Hanover was the official title of the head of state and hereditary ruler of the Kingdom of Hanover, beginning with the proclamation of King George III of the United Kingdom, as "King of Hanover" during the Congress of Vienna, on 12 October 1814 at Vienna, and ending with the kingdom's annexation by Prussia on 20 September 1866.
Last to reign George V 18 November 1851 – 20 September 1866
Image: George I of Great Britain 1715
Image: British School Portrait of King George II in armour
Image: George, Prince of Wales, later George III, 1754 by Liotard