The True Story of George III

The True Story of George III

Bridgerton is often at his best when he actively turns his back on the staid Regency-era conventions in which he is set. The most appealing aspects of the series are the eclectic casting, the dreamy Empire West rainbow gowns, and the soundtrack of string quartet covers of contemporary pop songs. The show's creator, Chris Van Dusen, said in an interview with Town & Country magazine after the first season aired, "It's not a history lesson, it's not a documentary."

Still, despite its many anachronisms, the series offers a glimpse into what life was like for the uptight aristocrats of early 19th century England. Queen Charlotte, played by Golda Rochevell (opens in new tab), was truly deeply involved in the love lives of her subjects. But while Charlotte is a regular at Bridgton's balls and garden parties, her husband, King George III, is much more mysterious. What was the actual relationship between George III, the so-called "Mad King," and Charlotte? [Actors like Jonathan Groff and Andrew Rannells embody the embattled and tantrum-prone king. In fact, one of King George's bad reputation was the fact that Britain lost control over the United States less than a third of the way through his 60-year reign.

But the Crown pushed back against that ancestral blame, noting in its history of George (open in new tab) that he was not the man to enact the stamp tax laws that Parliament supported and other taxation policies in the colonies that ultimately led to the Revolutionary War.

For his part, George seems to have accepted this loss without much pushback and with little malice to send him across Hamilton's Pond; in a letter from the 1780s (open in new tab), he wrote of the new country, ".... We hope to gain more advantage from their trade as a friendly nation than we shall gain from them as a colony."

There is reason to believe that we had more to gain from them while they were actually in rebellion and our common open connections were severed than when they were subject to the Crown.

George first met Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz on their wedding day in September 1761, and throughout their marriage, which lasted until Charlotte's death in 1818, all evidence suggests that they grew to be faithful and loving partners. Case in point: George never had a mistress during their more than half century together.

They had 15 children, 13 of whom grew to adulthood. They also shared a love of music, participating in regular jam sessions with the royal band, where they both played the harpsichord and George is said to have even picked up the flute

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Royal histories of George III attribute his repeated illnesses throughout his life to the stresses of the Revolutionary War and "family unrest."

By 1810, George III's illness became permanent, and he and Charlotte began to separate. At the same time, his eldest son, George IV, assumed his father's royal duties as regent until 1820, when George III died and his son formally ascended the throne.

What exactly the disease was remains a matter of debate. Some historians believe it was caused by porphyria (a group of inherited liver disorders that affect the nervous system and can cause anxiety, confusion, and hallucinations), while others believe George had bipolar disorder, dementia, or a combination of the two.

Bridgerton does not name his condition, but describes a mix of symptoms: in rare moments in the show's first two seasons, when George, played by James Fleet, appears, he is confused about where he is and what year it is, and is excited by his confusion He is portrayed as being excited by this confusion. In these instances, Charlotte is clearly heartbroken over her husband's illness and her inability to help him. This reaction is supported by the fact that the real-life queen, in a letter to her husband during that period, describes her separation from him as "painful."

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