A Royal Experiment: The Private Life of King George III

Although George III (r. 1760–1820) is most remembered for his "tyrannical" behavior toward the American colonies and episodes of "madness" that resulted from a mysterious affliction unknown to 18th-century medicine, the king was unlike nearly all his Hanoverian predecessors in his desire to live a devoted, righteous, and moral family life. In the process, he hoped to remake the monarchy into a national model for principled domestic happiness. Using a vast array of sources, Hadlow (controller, seasons and special projects; BBC) has written an engrossing saga detailing the private lives and domestic relationships of George, his wife, Charlotte, and their 15 sons and daughters. This is a positive and poignant portrayal of the king's successes and failures as a husband and father. Sufficient historical context is provided so that readers may understand the political and international events of the era, but political details never cloud the personal side of this story. Readers will learn about the lonely journey of Queen Charlotte, who endured years of perpetual childbearing, survived the deaths of several of her children, and witnessed the physical and mental disintegration of her husband.