Saturday, 18 October 2014

George III

NAME George William Frederick

WHAT FAMOUS FOR King George III was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1760 to 1801, and then of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death in 1820. He is most remembered for losing the American colonies, going “mad,” and being Britain’s longest-reigning monarch before Queen Victoria.

BIRTH George was born two months premature on June 4, 1738, at Norfolk House in London. Fearing he would not survive, he was baptized the same day by Thomas Secker, who was both Rector of St James's Church, Piccadilly, and Bishop of Oxford. One month later, he received a public baptism at Norfolk House, again performed by Secker. His godparents were King Frederick I of Sweden, his uncle Frederick III Duke of Saxe-Gotha, and his great-aunt Sophia Dorothea Queen in Prussia.

FAMILY BACKGROUND George III belonged to the House of Hanover and was the grandson of King George II. His father was Frederick Prince of Wales, who died unexpectedly in 1751, and his mother was Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. 

The Hanoverian dynasty had ascended to the British throne in 1714 following the death of childless Queen Anne Stuart. Unlike his two predecessors, George III was born in Great Britain and spoke English as his first language, distinguishing him from the German-born George I and George II. 

His paternal grandfather George II had little interest in his grandchildren initially, but took more interest after Frederick's death and created George Prince of Wales three weeks later.

CHILDHOOD George III grew into a healthy but reserved and shy child. The young prince was described as having "a kind of unhappiness in his Temper" that made him "Sullen & Silent".

The family moved to Leicester Square, where George and his younger brother Edward were educated together by private tutors. 

His mother, now the Dowager Princess of Wales, preferred to keep George at home where she could instill strict moral values in him. 

EDUCATION George III received his education from private tutors under the supervision of John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute. His curriculum was comprehensive, including astronomy, mathematics, French, Latin, history, music, geography, commerce, agriculture, and constitutional law, along with sporting and social accomplishments such as dancing, fencing, and riding. 

The picture below shows Prince George (right), his brother Prince Edward, and their tutor, Francis Ayscough (later Dean of Bristol), by Richard Wilson, c. 1749


He was the first British monarch to study science systematically, with lessons that included chemistry and physics and his religious education was wholly Anglican. 

Bute designed the curriculum that shaped the future king's thoughts on history, law, and politics, relying heavily on works such as William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England and Henry St. John Bolingbroke's The Idea of the Patriot King

According to historian John Brooke, George received a much wider education than he would have received at Eton and Oxford University at the time.

CAREER RECORD 1760 George III ascended to the throne on October 25, 1760 at age 22, following the sudden death of his grandfather George II.  He reigned for over 59 years, overseeing the American Revolutionary War, the Napoleonic Wars, the Acts of Union (1801), and major political shifts towards parliamentary sovereignty. 

1811 Repeated bouts of mental illness led to the Regency Act of 1811, which made his son (later George IV) Prince Regent.

APPEARANCE George III was a tall, well-built man who inclined to stoutness in later life. The most prominent features of his face were a high forehead, protruding blue eyes, a large nose, thick lips, and a dimpled chin. His complexion was ruddy, and while his face was not considered handsome, he possessed a steady and open expression that commanded respect. 

Horace Walpole noted that "in the flower and bloom of youth George had a handsome, open and honest countenance".  (1)

Pastel portrait of George as Prince of Wales by Jean-Étienne Liotard, 1754

In portraits, he is often shown with grey eyes and white powdered hair, frequently wearing military uniform with the badge of the Garter.

FASHION George III cared little for clothes or fashion, dressing much the same as an old man as he had when young. He was personally indifferent to sartorial trends and wore practical, unfussy suits long after court fashion changed.  While his sons became known for lavish fashions, George preferred the plainness that earned him the nickname “Farmer George.”

At court events and celebrations, he would wear clothing befitting his royal status, including elaborate silk suits often highly decorated with embroidery. However, he craved a simpler life and liked to "dress down" in private, with many stories of him mingling unrecognized with his subjects because he was not dressed as they expected.

 In 1777, he introduced the "Windsor uniform," a dark-blue suit originally intended only for Windsor but soon worn by the King, his family, and close court members. This uniform reflected his frugal nature and appeared so frequently in his wardrobe that it even featured in satirical cartoons. (2)

In his old age, King Geore dressed in a velvet cap and purple dressing gown as he wondered from room to room of his castle.

CHARACTER George III was widely seen by his contemporaries as a conscientious, moral, and determined monarch who placed duty above personal pleasure. He was admired by many as a devoted husband and father, embodying domestic virtue in contrast to the flamboyant excesses of earlier and later royals. Supporters praised him as intelligent, cultured, and deeply committed to the responsibilities of kingship, while critics saw him as rigid and autocratic. 

His decisions—both public and private—were guided by a strong sense of moral obligation to the nation. His choice of Queen Charlotte and his emphasis on family life were not just personal but symbolic, aimed at setting a virtuous example for his subjects. Yet this intense self-imposed pressure to be a model monarch often led to inflexibility, straining relations with his family and political allies. 

His enthusiasm for the arts, sciences, architecture, and agriculture stemmed from a genuine desire to use royal authority for the public good.

SPEAKING VOICE George III's speaking voice was clear but rapid, with parliamentary observers noting his fluent delivery in debates despite occasional nervous repetition. 

In anecdotes about his conversations with common people, his standard English was often contrasted with the dialect speech of laborers, demonstrating his clear articulation. 

SENSE OF HUMOUR George III favoured dry, self-deprecating wit. He once quipped after a long Handel oratorio, "He has literally drummed God into our ears". 

Satirical prints by James Gillray alternately mocked and celebrated him, testifying to a monarch who could endure ridicule with good humor. In A new way to pay the National Debt (1786), Gillray caricatured King George III and Queen Charlotte awash with treasury funds to cover royal debts, with Pitt handing him another money bag.


Political cartoons of the time depicted him in various amusing situations, such as "Farmer George" toasting muffins while his queen fried sprats, suggesting he was seen as having a relatable, down-to-earth quality that could be gently mocked. 

His ability to maintain his sense of humor despite intense political pressure and personal struggles demonstrates a resilient character.

RELATIONSHIPS Though George III was once enamoured with Lady Sarah Lennox, the beautiful daughter of the Duke of Richmond, political necessity and court advice prevailed. In 1761, at age 22, George asked his advisor John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, to compile a list of eligible German Protestant princesses, stating bluntly that marriage was inevitable and “a suitable match would save a great deal of trouble.”

The chosen bride was 17-year-old Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz—modest, pious, sweet-natured, and, by most accounts, plain. 

Sophie Charlotte left her native Mecklenburg just eight days after the death of her mother, setting out on a journey from which she would never return. At just 17, she was bound for marriage to King George III of Britain—a man she had never met. Her departure was marked by a three-day triumphal procession through the Kingdom of Hanover to the port of Stade, a ceremonial send-off fit for a queen-in-waiting.

On August 28, 1761, she boarded the lavishly outfitted royal yacht Royal Charlotte at Cuxhaven, on the edge of the North Sea. What followed was a miserable ten-day crossing, battered by storms that left her five ladies-in-waiting incapacitated with seasickness. Charlotte, however, remained remarkably composed. With little else to do and no English tutors on hand—the language hadn’t been part of her education at Neustrelitz—she taught herself a few key phrases and comforted herself by singing and playing the harpsichord.

Among the pieces she played was the English national anthem, “God Save the King”—an apt selection for a young woman about to begin her new life as consort to the British monarch.

They married on September 8, 1761 in the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace, the same day she arrived in London.

Wedding of George and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, oil sketch by Sir Joshua Reynolds, c. 1761

When she first arrived in London, the locals reportedly mocked her appearance, shouting “Pugface!”—a remark tactfully translated for the new Queen as “God bless Her Majesty.” During her wedding,  Charlotte was so nervous she could barely stand under the weight of her heavy cloth-of-silver gown. George, who reportedly winced at first sight of her - commenting privately that she resembled a monkey—nonetheless honoured his vows with lifelong fidelity.

Despite the lack of romance at the outset, the royal marriage blossomed into a genuine partnership that endured more than fifty years. Charlotte was described as "a fine Queen, and a very good woman" who shared the king's traditional, family-oriented outlook and wide range of interests. Their relationship was characterized by mutual devotion and shared interests in music, reading, and family life. 

George never took a mistress, a rare feat for monarchs of the Hanoverian dynasty, and he and Charlotte had fifteen children—nine sons and six daughters—making them the most prolific royal couple in British history. Charlotte managed the royal household with strength and grace, especially during the King’s increasingly frequent episodes of mental illness, and stood by him with the devotion of a true companion.

Portrait of Queen Charlotte by Nathaniel Dance-Holland, c. 1768

Still, the next generation proved a disappointment. Most of their surviving sons grew into indulgent, wayward men—spendthrifts, adulterers, and drunkards. The eldest, George, Prince of Wales (later George IV), was extravagant, weak-willed, and selfish. Though he became Prince Regent after 1811, when his father’s madness became permanent, he boasted absurdly of exploits at Waterloo—where he had not even been present.

Among his many children, two sons later became kings of the United Kingdom: George IV and William IV (the latter nicknamed the "Sailor King" after service in the Royal Navy, and sometimes mockingly called "Silly Billy" for his informal approach to kingship). Another son, Ernest Augustus, became King of Hanover, while one daughter, Charlotte, became Queen of Württemberg.

His second son, Frederick Augustus, Duke of York, is best remembered not for battlefield glory but for a famous nursery rhyme inspired by his less-than-stellar campaign in Flanders:

“The Grand Old Duke of York, he had ten thousand men,
He marched them up to the top of the hill, and he marched them down again.”

George III was notoriously controlling of his daughters' romantic lives. He neither allowed them to choose their own husbands nor made any great effort to arrange advantageous marriages for them. His favourite daughter, Princess Amelia, remained unmarried and her death in 1810 triggered the king’s final descent into permanent madness.

MONEY AND FAME In 1760, upon ascending the throne, George III surrendered the revenues of the Crown Estate to Parliament in exchange for a fixed civil list annuity to cover the costs of running the royal household and the civil government. This financial arrangement laid the foundation for the modern system of royal funding in Britain.

Though political opponents accused him of using royal income to dispense bribes and secure loyalty, most historians dismiss such claims as fabrications circulated by disaffected factions.

During his reign, Parliament covered royal debts exceeding £3 million and periodically increased the civil list allowance to meet rising expenses. George also contributed generously from his private funds to public causes—he was a notable patron of the Royal Academy of Arts and is believed to have donated more than half of his personal income to charitable endeavours.

His reputation in Britain remained largely positive, with many viewing him as a thrifty, patriotic monarch and devoted family man. However, after the loss of the American colonies in 1776, his image abroad—particularly in the United States—shifted sharply, and he was increasingly portrayed as a tyrannical figure in revolutionary propaganda.

FOOD AND DRINK George III and Queen Charlotte were known for their modest appetites and simple tastes. The King preferred plain, wholesome fare—supper might consist of bread and potatoes, while the Queen often opted for a bowl of gruel. Their restrained dining habits stood in sharp contrast to the lavish banquets favoured by much of the aristocracy.

George was also curious about the diets of ordinary people. On one occasion, after observing workmen enjoying plates of beans, he tried them himself and was so delighted that he instituted an annual "bean-feast" in their honour.

Wine rarely featured at his table. Instead, George drank a mildly sweetened lemonade known as “cup,” while Queen Charlotte preferred barley water. (3)

Menus from the royal kitchens reflect the King’s consistent preference for simple dishes such as chicken broth, roast capon, mutton, asparagus, and spinach. Interestingly, occasional entries for “Turkish kebabs” hint at a willingness to sample more exotic fare, likely influenced by Britain’s growing imperial connections. 

"Give me a royal nice- it is my due,
  The virtuosest King the realm ever knew
  I through a decent reputable life
  Was constant to plain food, and a plain wife
  Ireland I risk'd, and lost america
  But dined on legs of mutton every day"

  William Makepiece Thackery "George III"

MUSIC AND ARTS George III was a devoted patron of music and the arts, with a genuine personal love of music that endured throughout his long reign. He supported the great Handel festivals and encouraged visits to England by prominent composers such as Joseph Haydn and the young Mozart. In 1790, he granted a Royal Charter to the Royal Society of Musicians, cementing his commitment to nurturing Britain’s musical life.

Though the King took harpsichord and flute lessons and found comfort in music during his frequent bouts of illness, his own musical talents were modest. He studied the violin under Peter Salomon but was neither enthusiastic nor particularly gifted. His wife, however, was far more accomplished—Queen Charlotte was a skilled harpsichordist who, when not occupied raising their fifteen children, took great pleasure in performing. George even appointed Johann Christian Bach, nephew of J.S. Bach, as her Music Master.

The royal couple’s enthusiasm for music permeated court life. At Kew Palace, they frequently hosted musical weekends, and weekday evenings featured regular 9:00 p.m. concerts in the palace’s Concert Room. George also sponsored grand public performances, including large-scale concerts celebrating Handel toward the end of the century.


In his old age, even as his health declined, George’s love of music remained undimmed. He would occasionally play the harpsichord himself, once famously interrupting a royal concert to demonstrate his technique—an unexpected and vigorous display from a monarch whose passion for music never waned.

King George collected paintings, most notably acquiring Canaletto works and Johannes Vermeer's "Lady at the Virginals". His art collection enriched the Royal Collection significantly. He aided the Royal Academy of Arts with large grants from his private funds, demonstrating his commitment to supporting British artistic endeavors.

Performances of "King Lear" were banned for 32 years during the latter part of King George's reign as the play was about a mad king.

LITERATURE George III was an avid book collector who amassed a library of 65,000 volumes. His literary interests were wide-ranging and reflected his intellectual curiosity across multiple disciplines. The King's Library was kept open and available to scholars, demonstrating his belief in the importance of learning and scholarship.

This impressive collection was later donated to the British Museum and formed the nucleus of today's British Library. 

Beyond collecting, he was also a writer, authoring anonymous essays on agriculture under the pseudonym "Ralph Robinson". 

NATURE George III was a passionate agricultural improver who experimented with crop rotation, livestock breeding, and forestry at Windsor and Kew. His hands-on approach to estate management earned him the affectionate nickname "Farmer George". 

His enthusiasm for agricultural improvement was part of the broader Agricultural Revolution that reached its peak during his reign. King George was also interested in expanding Kew Gardens and supporting botanical research.

“A better Farmer ne’er brushed dew from lawn,
A worse King never left a Realm undone,”

From Lord Byron's 1822 satirical poem "The Vision of Judgement"

PETS George III kept various pets including terriers, spaniels, greyhounds, and a Newfoundland dog. He also accepted an exotic zebra named Zanga from the Cape Colony.  His love of animals was consistent with his interest in agriculture and rural life. 

HOBBIES AND SPORTS George III had diverse interests beyond his royal duties. His primary hobbies revolved around agriculture and farming. He was a hands-on monarch in this regard, actively involved in the management of his farms.

King George was passionate about astronomy and instrument collecting, commissioning tables, orreries, and telescopes. 

He enjoyed architecture drawing under the tutelage of Joshua Kirby, with one of his architectural elevations published in The Perspective of Architecture in 1761. 

The king also enjoyed riding, hunting, and walking with his family around Windsor's Long Walk. 

SCIENCE AND MATHS George III was the first British monarch to study science systematically. He built the King's Observatory in Richmond in 1769 for his own observations of the transit of Venus. His collection of mathematical and scientific instruments is now housed in the Science Museum, London. He made detailed drawings and calculations of the Transit of Venus across the sun on June 23, 1769, and his accurate forecasts of further transits in 1874 and 2004 can be viewed via the Georgian Papers portal. 

Extract from Observations on the Transit of Venus, a manuscript notebook from the collections of George II

King George's scientific interests were encouraged by his tutor Lord Bute, who believed that using instruments and undertaking mathematical exercises helped cultivate the rational mind. This scientific approach reflected the broader Enlightenment movement of his era.

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY George III was a devout Anglican who regarded kingship as a moral trust under God. This belief was reflected in his strict personal piety and his opposition to Catholic emancipation. 

In 1801, King George forced William Pitt's resignation in 1801 by refusing to allow Catholic emancipation, using his weapon of threatened madness to defeat him. He claimed that to emancipate Catholics would violate his coronation oath, in which sovereigns promise to maintain Protestantism.

While he read Enlightenment treatises, he remained wary of radical republican philosophy. 

King George's theological views were shaped by his education, which was wholly Anglican, and his belief that he governed the nation according to reason and virtue. 

REIGN For someone remembered as the king who “lost America,” George III had a rather astonishing reign—spanning nearly 60 years, it was packed with more drama, revolution, science, farming, and stubborn patriotism than a season of The Crown crossed with a Royal Horticultural Society lecture.

When he ascended the throne in 1760, George was just 22 and very keen to point out that he was, unlike his predecessors, actually born in Britain. “A British born king,” he declared, as if that settled everything—never mind that he still wrote letters to his German relatives in slightly clumsy French. 

On September 22, 1761, George III and his consort Queen Charlotte were crowned at Westminster Abbey in what was meant to be a glittering display of majesty and order. In practice, it was six hours of muddle. Much of the nobility hadn’t the faintest idea what to do or when to do it, the Archbishop of Canterbury bungled his lines, and Horace Walpole—who was there to see it all—dismissed the day as “a triumph of awkwardness.” Still, for all its shambolic charm, the coronation marked George’s debut as monarch, a carefully staged attempt to reassure the nation that after years of scandal and excess, a reign of sobriety and duty was finally at hand.

Allan Ramsay - King George III in coronation robes 

The early years of his reign were turbulent, marked by revolving-door ministries and parliamentary squabbles that gave Westminster all the stability of a hedgehog on a bouncy castle. His fondness for Tory ministers earned him accusations of being a closet autocrat, but in practice, George largely respected the limits of constitutional monarchy. He also struck a bargain that would shape royal finances for centuries: he gave up income from the Crown Estate in exchange for a tidy annual allowance, the Civil List. It was, in short, the royal equivalent of going on a direct debit.

Of course, the thing everyone remembers is America. George III’s stubborn resolve to keep the American colonies was one part pride, one part imperial logic, and about four parts sheer British refusal to back down. When tea got dumped into Boston Harbor on December 16, 1773, George responded with stern laws and hired German mercenaries—because nothing soothes political unrest like angry Hessians. He clung to the idea of American loyalty long past its expiry date and only accepted the inevitable on September 3, 1783 with the Treaty of Paris, after eight long years of war and the loss of what was shaping up to be a very profitable bit of the empire. Oddly enough, this defeat didn’t make him wildly unpopular back home. Britons admired his tenacity—or at least his ability to look dignified while losing an entire continent.


But George wasn’t all powdered wigs and red-coated rigidity. Nicknamed “Farmer George,” originally as a sneer, he took the jibe and ploughed it into public favor. He threw himself into agricultural experiments, crop rotation, and the kind of rural tinkering that made him more relatable than many aristocrats of his time. He built the King’s Observatory, helped fund the discovery of Uranus (a cosmic first), and stocked up on so many scientific books that his collection formed the seed of the British Library. He was the only king likely to discuss ploughing techniques and planetary motion before breakfast.

There was war again, of course—this time with revolutionary France and then Napoleon. George left the military strategy to others, but his steady presence during the chaos helped stabilize national morale. When Britain eventually triumphed in 1815, he had become a symbol of stoic national endurance. By that point, however, his health was failing. From 1811, bouts of mental illness—likely porphyria or bipolar disorder—left him incapacitated. His son ruled as Prince Regent while George spent his final years in seclusion, blind, deaf, and increasingly detached from the world.

And yet, George III left Britain transformed. Yes, he lost America, but he also helped shape a modern monarchy, lent steady encouragement to science and the arts, and became—quite unexpectedly—the poster king for agricultural improvement. His reign gave us lasting institutions like the Royal Academy of Arts, the modernization of Britain’s gold coinage, and the idea that monarchs could work within a constitutional system without regularly firing their prime ministers in fits of pique.

In the end, George III was neither the tyrant painted by American revolutionaries nor the fool of later caricature. He was stubborn, dutiful, occasionally unwell—but undeniably devoted to his country, its people, and, quite remarkably, its turnips.

POLITICS George III operated firmly within the bounds of constitutional monarchy, but he was far from a passive figurehead. He wielded considerable behind-the-scenes influence—especially through his ministerial appointments and a torrent of handwritten notes and letters to his cabinet. At first, his accession in 1760 was met with enthusiasm across the political spectrum. But as time went on, his preference for Tory ministers became more apparent, prompting the Whigs to label him an autocrat—more meddling monarch than impartial referee.

He took hardline stances on some of the most divisive issues of his reign. He opposed American independence with a dogged determination that has often been criticized but, in context, was not unusual. At the time, no monarch was expected to simply wave goodbye to such vast and economically vital territory. He also resisted Catholic emancipation, fearing it would undermine the established Church and the constitution.

His steadfastness during the war with Revolutionary France earned him praise as a symbol of national resistance, even if he left the battlefield decisions to his generals. 

George’s political philosophy owed much to Henry St John, Viscount Bolingbroke, whose treatise The Idea of the Patriot King argued that a monarch should rise above party politics and govern in the interest of the whole nation. George took this seriously—perhaps too seriously—believing it was his duty not just to reign, but to guide. Whether one views that guidance as principled or heavy-handed depends very much on which side of the aisle you were sitting on.

George travelling to the State Opening of Parliament in the Gold State Coach, 1762 by John Wooton

SCANDAL Of all the colourful tales to swirl around George III, none proved more durable—or more dubious—than the persistent rumour that he secretly married a Quaker woman named Hannah Lightfoot in his youth and fathered a brood of illegitimate children. It’s the kind of story that has everything: forbidden love, royal scandal, and religious taboo. Alas, like many delicious historical morsels, it’s almost certainly nonsense. Serious historians have long filed it under the heading of “popular mythology,” alongside the idea that Lord Bute, his early advisor, was the power behind the throne. While Bute was influential in George’s early reign, claims of puppet-master control have largely been debunked.

The real scandal of George’s life came in the form of the 1788–89 Regency Crisis, when his mental health collapsed so severely that Parliament debated stripping him of power. The partisan press had a field day. Satirical prints depicted him in straitjackets, raving mad, while his political enemies jostled over succession and influence. George recovered—temporarily—but the public image of a troubled, unstable king lingered. Still, he managed to rule for another three decades, bouts of lucidity and all.

The extravagant lifestyles, gambling debts, and numerous mistresses of his sons (especially the Prince of Wales) caused considerable embarrassment and financial strain for the Crown. 

He was, for Americans, the ultimate villain in the Revolutionary War. Their Declaration of Independence reads like an indictment: “a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny.” In other words, to the United States, he was less a misguided monarch than a cartoon baddie. As one wag put it, George III did for Anglo-American relations what King Herod did for babysitting.

Pulling Down the Statue of George III at Bowling Green, 9 July 1776, William Walcutt (1854)

He also had an extraordinary knack for dodging death. In 1787, a mentally ill woman named Margaret Nicholson lunged at him with a knife. George, rather than demanding vengeance, calmly asked the crowd not to hurt her, reportedly saying, “The poor creature is mad. Do not hurt her, for she has not hurt me.” Eleven years later, he survived two assassination attempts in a single day: first, a musket shot at a troop review in Hyde Park wounded the man standing beside him; then, later that evening, a would-be assassin named James Hatfield fired at the royal box during a performance. A fellow audience member spoiled his aim.

His struggles with mental illness, now thought to be caused by porphyria or bipolar disorder, sometimes led to dark and disturbing episodes. During one such period, he reportedly attempted to strangle his eldest son, the future George IV, and had to be restrained in a straitjacket. At other times, he lapsed into obscenity, babbled for hours, or conversed with imaginary companions.

As E.C. Bentley summed him up with poetic disdain in Biography for Beginners:

“George the Third
Ought never to have occurred.
One can only wonder
At so grotesque a blunder.”

Yet for all his flaws and afflictions, George III’s reign was a turning point in British history: awkward, tragic, occasionally absurd—but undeniably significant.

MILITARY RECORD George III served as commander-in-chief in name and strategized with his ministers during the Seven Years' War, American War of Independence, and Napoleonic Wars. He approved military reforms and oversaw the expansion of the Royal Navy. During the American War of Independence, he insisted on prolonging the war in 1779 to prevent copycat protests elsewhere. His military leadership culminated in witnessing the final victory at Waterloo in 1815. 

While King George never personally led troops in battle like his grandfather George II, he was deeply involved in military planning and strategy throughout his reign. He was deeply affected by the loss of the American colonies and even considered abdication. 

Portrait of George III by Sir William Beechey, 1799/1800

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS By the end of his life, George III had become one of history’s most poignant royal figures—once a monarch of extraordinary vigor and reforming ambition, now a man shuffling through palace halls in a velvet cap, blind, deaf, and completely unmoored from reality. His long and painful descent into mental illness remains one of the most infamous sagas of the British monarchy.

Historians and medical experts have long debated the exact nature of his condition. For many years, the leading theory was porphyria—a rare hereditary blood disorder that can produce a kaleidoscope of grim symptoms, including stomach pain, insomnia, hallucinations, and manic behavior. It was dubbed the “Royal Disease,” in part due to its supposed presence in various European royals, including Mary, Queen of Scots. Modern scholarship, however, led by figures like historian Andrew Roberts, leans toward a more contemporary diagnosis: bipolar disorder.

Whatever the cause, the symptoms were undeniable. George’s first major mental collapse in 1788-89 came with alarming speed. A second followed in 1801. By 1810, after the death of his youngest and most beloved daughter, Princess Amelia, he fell into a final, irretrievable decline. He became blind from cataracts, nearly deaf, and suffered what his doctors reluctantly admitted was “violent insanity.” Parliament established a formal Regency under his son, the future George IV, and consigned the king to seclusion at Windsor, where he remained for the last decade of his life under 24-hour care.

His treatments, by modern standards, were not just ineffective but barbaric. Dr. Francis Willis, a clergyman-turned-physician, famously oversaw one of the king’s recoveries with a regimen that included iron clamps, ropes, and a straitjacket. So harrowing was the experience that George reportedly had a nervous breakdown from the treatment alone. Nonetheless, when he recovered, Willis was hailed as a miracle-worker. Parliament, showing its gratitude, awarded him a generous pension for life.

The king sought relief in other ways. A trip to Cheltenham made its mineral waters briefly fashionable among the gentry, though they did little to stem his episodes. During fits of madness, he would often talk to himself with his hat pulled low over his eyes. On one memorable occasion, he insisted on ending every sentence with the word “peacock”—a tic that sent his ministers into a panic. Eventually, someone had the inspired idea to tell the king that “peacock” was a sacred, royal word and must only be whispered. George nodded solemnly and complied.

Then there were the delusions. Once, while traveling through Windsor Great Park, he ordered his carriage to stop so he could disembark and greet a gnarled oak tree. He shook one of its branches warmly and chatted with it for several minutes, believing he was speaking to the King of Prussia. At Windsor Castle, he would often be found aimlessly wandering in a purple dressing gown, lost in conversation with no one in particular.

After Princess Amelia’s death in November 1810, any fragile hold he had on reality was finally severed. From that point forward, George lived in near-total darkness—literally and figuratively. His mind was gone, his sight extinguished, and his hearing all but vanished. Though doctors and courtiers clung to hopes of recovery, Parliament made his son Prince Regent in 1811, and the Queen was charged with his custody.

George III’s madness, tragic and grotesque in equal measure, not only reshaped the monarchy but became a defining chapter in the British imagination—a sad, bizarre coda to the reign of a man who had once ruled an empire. (3)


HOMES  George III's primary residences included:

St. James's Palace: The traditional London residence, though less frequently used for private living during his reign.

Buckingham House (later Buckingham Palace): In 1762 King George brought a mansion, Buckingham House (later enlarged to become Buckingham Palace) as a gift for his newly wed wife, Queen Charlotte leaving St James Palace to be the official royal residence. He paid £28,000 for the property and it became a much-loved private residence for the royal family, especially Queen Charlotte. (3)

Windsor Castle: A favorite retreat for George III, where he pursued his agricultural interests and enjoyed the country life. He undertook significant renovations and improvements there.

Kew Palace: A smaller, more intimate residence, particularly used by Queen Charlotte and their daughters, and later a place where George III stayed during his periods of illness.

 In the 1790s, the king and his family took holidays at Weymouth, Dorset, which he helped popularize as one of England's first seaside resorts.

TRAVEL George III did not travel extensively and spent his entire life in southern England. He never visited Hanover, unlike his predecessors. His limited travel was partly due to his focus on domestic British affairs and his preference for the familiar surroundings of his various residences. 

The king undertook some regional tours, including visits to the Midlands in 1778 and in the 1790s, the king and his family took holidays at Weymouth, Dorset, which he helped popularize as one of England's first seaside resorts. George would make his way via a bathing machine into the sea as the Band played "God Save The King."

In July 1788, King George III traveled to the small market town of Cheltenham, accompanied by Queen Charlotte and royal princesses, seeking relief for his ongoing health issues by “taking the waters”—a popular remedy of the time. The royal family stayed for five weeks, engaging in local activities such as drinking from the spa well early each morning, riding into the countryside, and strolling through the town, often mingling with both townsfolk and nobility. The relaxed and informal nature of this stay was widely noticed and celebrated by locals. The presence of the monarchy catapulted Cheltenham into national prominence, making it highly fashionable among the aristocracy and gentry.

DEATH George III died of pneumonia at Windsor Castle at 8:38 pm on January 29, 1820, six days after the death of his fourth son Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn. He was 81 years old at the time of his death. His favorite son, Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, was with him during his final moments. 

The king lay in state for two days, and his funeral and interment took place on February 16 in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. 

He was succeeded by his eldest son, who became George IV. At the time of his death, he was the longest-lived and longest-reigning British monarch, records later surpassed only by Queens Victoria and Elizabeth II.


APPEARANCES IN MEDIA George III has been portrayed in numerous films and television productions. Notable appearances include:

Nigel Hawthorne's Oscar-winning performance in The Madness of King George (1994), based on Alan Bennett's play. 

Tom Hollander portrayed him in the HBO miniseries John Adams (2008), depicting the diplomatic audience of 1785.

In the musical Hamilton and its 2020 Disney+ film adaptation, Jonathan Groff played the king in satirical songs like "You'll Be Back". 

He appeared in Netflix's Queen Charlotte (2023), portrayed by Corey Mylchreest and James Fleet in a fictionalized romance. 

The children's television series Horrible Histories featured Simon Farnaby in a comic reinterpretation titled "Gorgeous George III."

ACHIEVEMENTS Longest-reigning monarch before Victoria

Oversaw creation of the United Kingdom

Promoted Enlightenment science and arts

Supported Handel, Bach, and landscape gardening

Lived a moral personal life in contrast to his peers

Influenced transition toward parliamentary monarchy

Encouraged agricultural reform and scientific education

No comments:

Post a Comment