George III
King of Great Britain and Ireland
1760-1820, (1738-1820)
Born 4 June 1738 Norfolk House
Died 29 January 1820 Windsor Castle
Married 8 September 1761 London, St.James's
Palace
Duchess Charlotte Sophie von Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Born 19 May 1744 Mirow
Died 17 November 1818 Kew Palace
The first British-born monarch since Queen Anne, he was the second child
of the Prince of Wales. He was educated by Lord Harcourt and the Bishop
of Norwich. Only twelve years old, he lost his father and became his grandfather's
heir, and king at twenty-two.
His first love was Lady Sarah Lennox but, regarding her unsuitable,
he decided on and married the German Princess Charlotte von Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
She came to England and was crowned with him.
They would become the parents of fifteen children. In 1764 the first
attack of porphyria occurred. When he recovered he insisted on a law which
would allow him to make Queen Charlotte, or
any other member of the royal family, Regent in case the illness returned.
The unsuitable marriages of two of his brothers led to the passage of the
Royal Marriages Act in 1772. The American War of
Independence distressed him greatly and, in 1789 porphyria returned
more seriously to last for over three months.
The French Revolution created even more concern and several attempts
on his life were made. The last ten years of his reign involved England
in the Napoleonic wars. His eyesight was failing and the death of his favourite
daughter, Amelia, started the last attack of porphyria---and this time
he never recovered.
The Regency Act was passed and his eldest son, George (IV), became
Regent for ten years. His last years were spent at Windsor, blind, deaf
and mad. He was unaware of his wife's death though he himself did not die
till two years later.
Porphyria: a group of rare, inherited disorders caused by a flaw in
the metabolism of porphyrins, the breakdown products of the red blood pigment.
The condition may be in the liver (hepatic porphyria) or in the bone marrow
(er ythropoiryic porphyria) or both. Characteristic features of the
defect are discoloration of the urine, which may turn dark brown if let
standing for an hour or so; sensitivity to sunlight, which causes blistering
skin rashes; bouts of abdominal pain; mental disturbances; and neuritis.The
underlying genetic fault cannot be corrected, and there is no specific
treatment.
Source: Leo van de Pas
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