George III

## 1807 - 1808

from *Victory of Eagles*

Following the invasion of Britain and occupation of London by Napoleon's troops in December 1807, the King was evacuated to Edinburgh Castle in Scotland. At the time, he was in the grip of his madness, coming out onto the upper court of the castle in the rain, wearing only his nightshirt and bed slippers. Meeting Laurence, the King mistook him for Joachim Murat, Napoleon's brother-in-law, and asked, "Are you here to kill me?"

Laurence and the two Marines who were present also at first failed to recognize their King in this sick old man. When Laurence did by his profile, which would have appeared on coins, he put his own cloak over the King and tried to persuade him to come indoors. The King continued to complain that his son, the Prince of Wales, wanted him to cross the ocean to Halifax. When Laurence - who at the time had already been sentenced to death - suggested that this was for his own safety, the King replied, "I will not go... I ought not go. I will die in England." Servants came to take the King away.

## Real World

### Facts

* **Reign:** 25 October 1760 – 29 January 1820
* **Coronation:** 22 September 1761
* **Predecessor:** George II
* **Successor:** George IV
* **Born:** 4 June 1738 [NS][c] Norfolk House, St James's Square, London, England
* **Died:** 29 January 1820 (aged 81) Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, England
* **Burial:** 16 February 1820, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
* **Spouse:** Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (m. 1761; died 1818)
* **Issue:**
	+ George IV of the United Kingdom
	+ Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
	+ William IV of the United Kingdom
	+ Charlotte, Queen of Württemberg
	+ Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn
	+ Princess Augusta
	+ Elizabeth, Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg
	+ Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover
	+ Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex
	+ Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge
	+ Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh
	+ Princess Sophia
	+ Prince Octavius
	+ Prince Alfred
	+ Princess Amelia
* **Names:** George William Frederick
* **House:** Hanover
* **Father:** Frederick, Prince of Wales
* **Mother:** Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
* **Religion:** Protestant

### Biography

George III ascended to the throne on 25 October 1760 as the King of Great Britain and King of Ireland. He became King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 January 1801, following the passage of the Act of Union 1800 by the British and Irish Parliaments.

In the latter half of King George's life, he suffered from recurrent and, eventually, permanent mental illness. This baffled medical science at the time, although it is now generally thought that he suffered from the blood disease porphyria. The poison arsenic can trigger porphyria, and recent studies have shown high levels of arsenic in locks of the King's hair. The source of the arsenic is not known, but it could have been a component of medicines or cosmetics.

The King may have previously suffered a brief episode of the disease in 1765, but a longer episode began in the summer of 1788 and lasted into the following year. In 1804, George was again affected by his recurrent illness.

After the Battle of Shoeburyness in March 1808, King George retired to Kensington Palace, and the Prince of Wales was made regent for him.

for more information, visit wikipedia:George III