Set in the latter years of King George III’s reign, George Bryan "Beau" Brummell, a captain in the Army, is on a parade that is inspected by Peter Ustinov as the Prince of Wales, the future King George IV. They clash over the uniform’s practicality for active military life. It is here Brummell meets Lady Patricia Belham, Elizabeth Taylor, who is accompanying Mrs. Maria Anne Fitzherbert, the Prince’s mistress Rosemary Harris. Because the Prince designed the uniform himself, he orders Brummell to step off parade, and after a tense dinner a further quarrel leads to Brummell’s dismissal from the Army in disgrace.
Outside the Army, Brummell uses his sharp wit to critique the Prince in print, drawing a personal rebuke and a summons to Windsor. The two men eventually reconcile, and Brummell becomes a leading figure in London society—renowned for his exquisite taste and the ability to set fashion trends—though his mounting debts threaten to pull him under. He begins to see friendship at court as a path to wealth and influence, while the Prince hints at elevating him to an earldom. Yet Brummell’s charisma masks a growing fragility as creditors circle and he fights to maintain appearances.
Meanwhile Lady Patricia falls secretly in love with Brummell, while her fiancé, the wealthy and ambitious Lord Edwin Mercer [James Donald] represents the security Brummell lacks. Brummell persuades the Prince to meet his father, King George III, who has been ill at Windsor Castle, in an effort to blunt William Pitt’s influence. But Lady Patricia ultimately agrees to marry Lord Edwin, and Mrs Fitzherbert decides to leave England, leaving the Prince more isolated and unhappy.
Parliament offers the Regency, a chance for the Prince to exercise royal authority over marriages and politics, but without the power to grant peerages. Brummell counsels caution, and Lord Edwin—aware of Lady Patricia’s past affection for Brummell—speaks out against him. The public rift widens as Brummell’s debts grow, and at a society ball he publicly insults the Prince, despite efforts by Mrs Fitzherbert and Lord Byron to broker a reconciliation Noel Willman. Brummell is forced to flee to France to avoid his creditors, while the Prince ascends to the throne.
The new King George IV plans a State Visit to France, where Brummell has taken shelter in modest lodgings, penniless and unwell. Brummell decides to write his memoirs, hoping for financial rescue, but destroys the manuscript when he realizes it would embarrass the new King. He faces death with his dignity intact, and while he lies dying, the new King visits him. They share a heartfelt reconciliation moments before Brummell’s death, a quiet closing to a friendship that survived politics, debt, and fame.
