George IV was probably the most selfish and indulgent monarch who has ever occupied the British throne.

But he was at the same time one of the most cultured kings with a good artistic eye and a love of beauty.

Thackeray said well after the king’s death: “It is the fashion to run down George IV but what myriads of Londoners ought to thank him for inventing Brighton.”

While Brighton was undoubtedly a fine resort long before George ever set foot in it, his presence made it the leading seaside town for more than half a century.

George was barely an adult when he first visited Brighton in 1783 to see his uncle, the Duke of Cumberland.

Pleased to welcome the Prince of Wales, Brighton put on a fireworks display for him as he promenaded on the Steine. He slayed for 11 weeks and made further lengthy visits in each of the two following years.

By then he had fallen in love with Maria Fitzherbert, a widow twice over, who had homes both in London and Brighton.

They were unable under the Royal Marriages Act to wed because she was a Catholic but an unofficial ceremony took place at her London home in 1785.

The Prince had meanwhile bought the Marine Pavilion, a fairly modest building, which he adapted as a royal residence. Over the next couple of decades he converted it into the exotic Royal Pavilion.

George ended his relationship with Mrs Fitzherbert in 1791 and concentrated on finding a wife. The marriage to his cousin Princess Caroline was not a success. He thought her ugly and she found him fat.

They had a daughter, Princess Charlotte in 1796 but sadly she died in childbirth in 1817. There were no other children and the couple soon separated.

. For several years more he resumed his relationship with Maria Fitzherbert until he thought it too risky.

The Pavilion was his pride and joy. Great chefs prepared lavish meals for him and his guests. The two big staterooms were among the most finely decorated in Europe.

He became Regent because George III was in later life mentally unfit to act as monarch but did not die until 1820. By the time his son came to the throne, he was 57 and considered old.

The Pavilion was finished the following year but by then he had lost interest in it and in Brighton where he found privacy hard to obtain.

His visits became less frequent and the last of these was in 1828. He died in 1830 and was succeeded by his brother William.

Before his marriage he had told William that Mrs Fitzherbert was the only woman he had ever loved. When he died he was buried at Windsor with a locket containing a portrait of her.

Mrs Fitzherbert, whose house in Old Steine is now occupied by the YMCA, continued to live in Brighton and may have felt similar affection for George but was unable to show it openly.

Meanwhile the Pavilion remains one of the most extraordinary palaces anywhere and a building which sums up this fascinating but mixed up man.