Editing William IV (section)

== Naval career ==
[[File:William IV by Sir Martin Archer Shee.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Portrait of the Duke of Clarence|Portrait in dress uniform]] by [[Martin Archer Shee]], c. 1800]]
William ceased his active service in the Royal Navy in 1790.<ref name="rh">{{cite web |date=15 January 2016 |title=William IV |url=https://www.royal.uk/william-iv-r-1830-1837 |access-date=18 April 2016 |website=Official web site of the British monarchy |archive-date=21 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921001850/https://www.royal.uk/william-iv-r-1830-1837 |url-status=live}}</ref> When Britain declared war on France in 1793, he was eager to serve his country and expected to be given a command but was not, perhaps at first because he had broken his arm by falling down some stairs drunk, but later perhaps because he gave a speech in the [[House of Lords]] opposing the war.<ref>Ziegler, pp. 91–94.</ref> The following year he spoke in favour of the war, and expected a command after his change of heart; none came. The Admiralty did not reply to his request.<ref>Ziegler, p. 94.</ref> He did not lose hope of being appointed to an active post. In 1798 he was made an admiral, but the rank was purely nominal.<ref>Ziegler, p. 95.</ref> Despite repeated petitions, he was never given a command throughout the [[Napoleonic Wars]].<ref>Ziegler, pp. 95–97.</ref> In 1811, he was appointed to the honorary position of [[Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)|Admiral of the Fleet]]. In 1813, he came nearest to involvement in actual fighting, when he visited the British troops fighting in the [[Low Countries]]. Watching the bombardment of [[Antwerp]] from a church steeple, he came under fire, and a bullet pierced his coat.<ref>Ziegler, p. 115.</ref>

Instead of serving at sea, William spent time in the House of Lords, where he spoke in opposition to the [[Abolitionism in the United Kingdom|abolition of slavery]], which still existed in the British colonies. Freedom would do the slaves little good, he argued. He had travelled widely and, in his eyes, the living standard among freemen in the [[Highlands and Islands]] of Scotland was worse than that among slaves in the [[West Indies]].<ref>Ziegler, p. 54.</ref> His experience in the Caribbean, where he "quickly absorbed the plantation owners' views about slavery",<ref>Hochschild, p. 186.</ref> lent weight to his position, which was perceived as well-argued and just by some of his contemporaries.<ref>Ziegler, pp. 97–99.</ref> In his first speech before Parliament he called himself "an attentive observer of the state of the negroes" who found them well cared for and "in a state of humble happiness".<ref>Hochschild, p. 187.</ref> Others thought it "shocking that so young a man, under no bias of interest, should be earnest in continuance of the slave trade".<ref>[[Zachary Macaulay]] writing to Miss Mills, 1 June 1799, quoted in Ziegler, p. 98.</ref> In his speech to the House, William insulted [[William Wilberforce]], the leading abolitionist, saying: "the proponents of the abolition are either fanatics or hypocrites, and in one of those classes I rank Mr. Wilberforce".<ref>Fulford, p. 121.</ref> On other issues he was more liberal, such as supporting moves to abolish [[Penal law (Britain)|penal laws]] against [[English Dissenters|dissenting Christians]].<ref>Ziegler, p. 99.</ref> He also opposed efforts to bar those found guilty of adultery from remarriage.<ref>Fulford, pp. 121–122.</ref>