# William IV — The English Constitution character guide

> William IV in The English Constitution by Walter Bagehot.

**Role:** minor

**First appearance:** 0002-ii

## Who they are

King whose reign saw the Reform Act of 1832.

## Relationships

### [Lord Palmerston](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_english_constitution_se/characters/lord_palmerston)

_professional_

Lord Palmerston served as Foreign Secretary under King William IV, with a generally cooperative but occasionally tense relationship.

### [Queen Anne](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_english_constitution_se/characters/queen_anne)

_family_

Queen Anne and William IV were distant cousins, both belonging to the extended Stuart and Hanoverian families.

## In the story

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_english_constitution_se/chapters/ii)

Noted as giving no steady continuing guidance and being unfit to give it.

### [The House of Lords](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_english_constitution_se/chapters/iii-the-house-of-lords)

Implied as the king who, during the Reform Act of 1832, was prepared to create new peers to force the Lords' compliance.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_english_constitution_se/characters/william_iv
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_english_constitution_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_english_constitution_se/characters