George IV came to the throne in 1820 when he was 57, after serving intermittently as regent for 22 years. His long wait for the throne had seen him grow old and ill, and his father's refusal to give him power while he was crown prince saw him take an interest in fashion and art, building the neo-Mughal Brighton Pavilion. When his reign finally began, he was determined that his coronation should be splendid, rivalling the lavish ceremony in which Napoleon had crowned himself Emperor. It took a year and a half to plan, and was the most expensive coronation ever held in Britain.

George Humphrey (?1773-?1831) was an English publisher and printer, of caricatures, with premises in St James's.