George III, the Complex King

George III is largely known as being the King who lost America, and his mind. He is also the longest-reigning male monarch in British history, reigning for almost 60 years. His reign was marked by scientific progress and discovery, but also political and social upheaval – and war.  

George III grew up with a great awareness of his duties as King, and made national or personal decisions for the benefit the United Kingdom. His choice of the German Princess Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg Strelitz, the future Queen Charlotte, as his wife – and his devotion to their family – were partly driven by a wish to set a good example to his subjects. His passion for arts, sciences, architecture and agriculture was driven by a desire to use his power to benefit the country.  

Although well intentioned, the personal pressure George felt to be a good king led to a stubbornness that affected his relationships with his family and his political decision-making.  

George's Marriage to Queen Charlotte

In addition to his political concerns, George needed to find himself a wife – not least because he was desperate for female companionship. 

Advising against a match with the King’s favourite Lady Sarah Lennox, lest it tie him into a political alliance, Bute set about finding a suitable German Queen-to-be. 

A Happy Family Life

By all accounts, George and Charlotte’s life as newlyweds was a happy one, until George’s first period of illness in 1788. They would duet together with Queen Charlotte playing the harpsichord and George playing the flute. Music concerts were held every week in each of the King’s residences.  

Within just two months of their marriage, Charlotte was pregnant with their first child. George, Prince of Wales (the future George IV) was born on 12 August 1762. The couple would have 14 more children over the next 20 years.  

The King was an active and devoted parent. The family used his childhood home of Kew as a retreat during summer weekends, with the children playing cricket and football in the gardens.

Tragedy struck George III’s family on 20 August 1782, when Prince Alfred died, aged just two. Just six months later, Prince Octavius died, aged four.  

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The Princesses' marriages

George III’s devotion and enthusiasm for his children when they were young manifested itself as controlling behaviour that some family members found quite stifling.  

For the Princesses, this meant that the King was reluctant to arrange marriages for them, which would give them freedom and independence. Only Charlotte, the Princess Royal was married before the age of 40. Princess Augusta described their situation as ‘suffering martyrdom from anxiety of mind and deprivation of happiness’. 

The Problem with the Prince of Wales

George and Charlotte were united in their belief that royals should live modest lives. Unfortunately for them, their eldest son lived extravagantly.   

Prince George, The Prince of Wales had numerous affairs, including with the wife of the Hanoverian Ambassador. In 1785, aged 21, he married the Roman Catholic, Maria Fitzherbert illegally and in secret. George III had banned any royals from marrying Catholics and without his permission.  

George III's Cultural Legacies

Kew Gardens

Under George’s leadership, Kew Gardens became a centre of discovery and attracted visits from leading scientists. The explorer and naturalist Joseph Banks ensured that any new discoveries were sent to the King's Garden first.  

The King patronised Captain Cook’s first voyages to Australia and the south pacific. In 1796, the first kangaroos to enter Britain were kept at Queen Charlotte's Cottage. 

However, Kew’s success was dependent on exploitation, particularly of First Peoples and moving plants around the world was inextricably linked with the trade in enslaved people. 

The Beginnings of the British Library

George invested heavily in his library. After his death, 65,000 of his books were given to the British Museum. This collection now forms the core of the British Library. 

The Discovery of Uranus

George III was the first European King to study natural sciences. He funded the astronomers William and Caroline Herschel, which eventually led to the discovery of a planet – which we now know as Uranus.  

A Collection of Canalettos

In 1762, George bought over 2,000 gems, drawings and paintings from Consul Joseph Smith, the agent of the artist Canaletto. The collection includes almost 300 of the artist’s finest works, some of which can be seen on display in Queen Charlotte’s Drawing Room at Kew Palace. 

The King's Observatory

In 1769, George commissioned the architect, William Chambers to build an observatory on his Richmond estates to view the Transit of Venus. It was believed astronomy could lead to improvements in naval and merchant navigation.  

George’s collection of scientific instruments and natural history specimens were transferred to Kings College London in 1824. 

George III and America

The American Revolution

The American Revolution began as a series of uprisings against British colonial rule by 13 separately governed colonies in North America. The Thirteen Colonies in their traditional groupings were: the New England Colonies (New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut); the Middle Colonies (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware); and the Southern Colonies (Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia).  

The uprisings were a response to various measures introduced by the British at the end of the Seven Years War (1756-1763) against France, where much of the fighting took place in the North American colonies as well as in Europe.

These wars left Great Britain in huge amounts of debt and with ongoing costs of securing North American borders against French incursions. The British introduced a series of taxes in the hope of raising funds to pay for these costs, and to regulate trade which was undermined by smuggling.  

The King's Health Declines

Despite George III's many accomplishments and complex reign, he is most remembered for periods marred by physical and mental illness in 1788-89, 1801 and 1804, and his final illness from 1810 until his death.  

George is often referred to as ‘The Mad King’, and his periods of ill health as his ‘madness’. These phrases are unhelpful, not least because they do not describe the extent of his ailments. They also undermine the rest of his achievements and cruelly suggest that he was somewhat lesser because of his illness.  

Most importantly, these phrases are insensitive because they perpetuate stigma surrounding mental illness. It is only in recent years, because of a better understanding of mental illness, that historians have re-evaluated George III’s reputation.  

How did George's Illness affect his marriage to Charlotte?

George’s illness forever changed his relationship with his wife, Queen Charlotte. His mania-induced rants often turned towards Elizabeth Herbert, the Countess of Pembroke, which was humiliating for the Queen.  

There is also the possibility that he was violent towards the Queen during his illness. In November 1789, the Queen’s dresser Frances Burney wrote, ‘The queen is almost overpowered with some secret terror.’ 

As the illness progressed, the King was moved as far away from the Queen as possible and locked in his room. The stress turned the Queen’s light brown hair white.  

Although George and Charlotte would make public appearances together, they lived separately after the illness of 1789. Despite the terrible circumstances, George never stopped loving his wife and often called for her during his illness.  

After 1811 when he was moved to isolation in Windsor, the Queen still visited him at least weekly. 

The death of Princess Amelia and the Regency

In 1810, George III was already blind and weak with age. The strain of worrying about the sickness of his youngest child and favourite daughter, Princess Amelia, seems to have brought on a final period of illness.

Amelia died on 2 November 1810, aged just 27. Soon after the King was moved to permanent seclusion in Windsor. He would never recover. 

On 29 January 1811, while the King was strapped into his jacket almost daily and still believing that Princess Amelia was alive, he signed the Regency Bill. His powers were handed over to his son, in effect ending his reign.  

The death of Queen Charlotte

Queen Charlotte died at Kew on 11 November 1818. When her coffin was brought to Windsor, staff lined the castle courtyards with straw to prevent the King from hearing her funeral procession.  

How should we remember George III?

George III could be stubborn and remarkably unfeeling when it came to the treatment of his own family members. But he could also show enormous amounts of empathy and humility.  

His childhood and education instilled in him a strong sense of duty and a determination to serve his country well. In his frugal living and love of the countryside and domestic life, he set out to create a popular example for his people.  

Perhaps it is best to remember George III as he remembered himself. In his final years in seclusion at Windsor, he would sometimes wear black, ‘In memory of George III who was a good man.’