With his father George III's health declining, in 1811 George IV, then the Prince of Wales, was made the the prince regent. Inititally hoped by both the Prince and Parliament that this would be a temporary measure, in 1812 the regency was made permant when it became clear George III was not going to recover. George IV is a fascinating character in British royal history, famous for having an extravagant lifestyle and large ego. The coinage of his reign reveals a vain king who liked to be portrayed as young, handsome and slim, in contrast to the images created by the cartoonists of the king's time who painted him as gluttonous and overweight.