King William IV

King William IV (August 21, 1765 – June 20, 1837) was the third son of King George III. He succeeded to the throne of the Great Britain upon the death of his brother George IV on June 26, 1830, at age 65. As king he was frugal and popular, in striking contrast to George IV, who was widely despised and ridiculed. William IV had ten illegitimate children with an actress with the stage name Mrs Jordan. He dropped her, but favoured the children. They were not eligible to succeed him, and his two legitimate children both died soon after birth. Therefore he was succeeded by his niece, Princess Victoria of Kent, who reigned as Queen Victoria.

Reference

• Michael Brock, "William IV (1765–1837)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, (2004) online