KING WILLIAM IV - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 06/21/1827 - HFSID 47602

KING WILLIAM IV
He handwrote and signed this letter in 1827, while he was  to express his pleasure in reading news sent to him. He became heir to the United Kingdom's throne this year, ascending to the kingship in 1830
Autograph Letter Signed: "William P". 1p, 7x9. Addressed "Admiralty", June 22, 1827. In full: "Dear Sir: I am to acknowledge yours 9th instant and feel pleasure in reading the news you communicate. Write regularly. Yours sincerely". In 1827, the year of this letter, William became heir to the throne and Lord High Admiral. Prince William Henry (1765-1837), the third son of King George III, reigned as King William IV from 1830 until his death. Since his older brothers, including King George IV, predeceased him without legitimate offspring, he inherited the throne, becoming the last Hanoverian monarch of England. William, who himself had 10 illegitimate children, also died without an official heir, resulting in the accession of his niece, Queen Victoria. As a young officer in the Royal Navy, the future king served in New York during the American Revolution, where George Washington authorized a plot to kidnap him, if this could be done "without offering insult or indignity." Serving in the West Indies, he formed a lifelong friendship with Lord Horatio Nelson. In 1789, King George III made William the Duke of Clarence reluctantly, fearing that his reform-minded son would be a vote against him in the House of Lords. William forced his royal father's hand by threatening to run for the House of Commons, a threat which appalled the King. As a member of the House of Lords, William - now the Duke of Clarence - generally supported reform measures, with one notable exception: he supported slavery and the slave trade. Despite his naval background, and despite being made a titular Lord High Admiral, William unsuccessfully sought active duty during the Napoleonic Wars; his early opposition to war with France probably prevented this, although he later supported the conflict. William IV proved a popular monarch, noted for shunning pomp and ceremony. His reign saw the passage, with his support, of the Reform Act of 1832, expanding the British electorate, and also - despite his earlier opposition - the ending of the slave trade. Lightlytoned, soiled, and creased. Left edge slightly irregular due to being torn from pad or notebook. Folded once horizontally and twice vertically. Torn at right and left edges along fold. Otherwise, fine condition.