THE FAMILY RAMBLING LINE
Kew Palace was first and foremost the family home and country retreat of King George III and his family.It was a place where the family could enjoy birthday celebrations and music recitals, play games and go for walks.  In this film we imagine King George gathering his children together to walk hand in hand through the grounds of the Palace before enjoying playful games in the gardens.

THE DISORIENTATION OF KING GEORGE
King George III suffered a devastating but unknown illness during his life which led to him being characterised as ‘mad’.  It is unclear today what caused the illness and theories range from the blood disease Porphyria to arsenic poisoning or Bipolar Disorder.  He first became seriously ill in 1788 and during his illness retreated to Kew Palace where he received the brutal medical treatments of the day.  In 1789, he recovered and ruled for the next twelve years without suffering major attacks.  However in 1810, the illness returned with a vengeance following the death of his beloved daughter Princess Amelia.  

QUEEN CHARLOTTE’S SADNESS
This film is inspired by the desperate sadness of the Queen, caused by the deaths of Prince Alfred who died aged two in 1782 and Prince Octavius who died a year later, aged four, both as a result of sickness arising from inoculation against the smallpox virus.  The Queen
was devastated by their deaths but was not permitted a formal period of mourning due to their young age. 

A FAMILY PORTRAIT
Family was very important to King George III and he adored his 15 children and, unusually for a King of the time, was faithful to his wife.  As a result, his Court was deemed dull by his critics.  He was a virtuous, pious and frugal man and was renowned for his parsimonious eating habits.  His love of eating boiled eggs for breakfast was mocked in James Gillray’s famous cartoon ‘Temperance Enjoying a Frugal Meal’, which shows the King eating a boiled egg and chervils while the Queen dines on salad.  
 
THE GILDED CAGE
The King was reluctant to let his beloved six daughters marry, a wish diligently acted upon by Queen Charlotte in his later life who did all she could to prevent her daughters ‘leaving the family nest’, partly to protect the King’s health.  This film is inspired by Princesses Augusta and Sophia who in 1812 decided to fight back against the isolation, misery and seclusion of their lives, writing four letters to their mother, alongside their sisters Elizabeth and Mary, asking for more freedom.  Their letters were met with consternation and anger by the Queen.  Neither Augusta nor Sophia ever married.

A RIGHT ROYAL PICNIC
In this film, we imagine the servants preparing a Royal Picnic and the Family enjoying it outside the queen Charlotte’s Cottage.  The children’s dances are inspired by the American War of Independence, which took place during King George III’s reign, and the King and Queen’s insistence on a rigorous education for their daughters as well as their sons.  Geography was taught using ‘Jigsaw Maps’ and these are shown in the Princesses’ dance.