[2] The sculpture was originally designed to sit on top of the Marble Arch at the entrance to Buckingham Palace, but was placed in its current location following the King's death.

Edward Blore took over the work, and his redesign to reduce costs removed the Chantrey statue.

[5] George IV died in 1830,[2] and the statue was placed on an empty plinth in Trafalgar Square in December 1843, which was expected to be on a temporary basis, however it has remained there ever since.

[2] The journalist Janice Turner questioned the need for a statue of George IV in Trafalgar Square in 2005; in rebuttal Lord Baker of Dorking argued that the monarch still deserved the statue due to his town planning legacy which remained in London.

[8] In 2012, the milliner Stephen Jones created crowns for both George IV and his horse to be added to the statue as part of the "Hatwalk" art project sponsored by the Mayor of London; in the project 21 milliners created new hats for famous statues around London.