Well, he didn't do it all by himself, he had help. From the Carlton House set, from his princely brothers, even, ironically, from his father, George III. All of the various influences in his life contrived to turn a very strictly brought-up young prince into one of the most reviled monarchs of his age. In fact, his extravagant and debauched lifestyle revolted his own niece and so many of his younger subjects that eventually a backlash in attitudes led to the almost puritanical sensibilities of the Victorian age.

What were the factors that led to this unequivocal volte-face from the accepted standards of behavior current during the Regency?

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Over the years I have read any number of Regency romance novels in which the hero wears his sword on some social occasion. Shame on him! No true gentleman would ever have worn a sword in the presence of any lady during the years of the Regency. Even a military man in full dress uniform would not wear his sword to a social event. It simply wasn't done!

On the other hand, most heros of novels from the earlier Georgian era would have considered themselves quite naked without their small swords. And considering the lawlessness of that time, the ladies in their company would have been quite comforted by the presence of said blade. In fact, most English gentlemen from the Middle Ages into the mid-eighteenth century wore a side arm, either a sword, a dagger, or both. A well-dressed buck out for a night on the town in Georgian London would have been a fool to wander the city streets unarmed.

So why had the wearing of swords fallen out of favor by the Regency?

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