King George III had the third-longest reign in British history (behind Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Victoria) and has recently come back into the spotlight with Bridgerton. This January also marks the anniversary of his death, 205 years ago, at Windsor Castle. It was the end of a sad story that had begun with hope.

The future King George III was the first Hanoverian monarch to be born in Great Britain when he was born to Frederick, Prince of Wales and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha in 1738 at Norfolk House. 

George inherited the throne in October 1761 when his grandfather, King George II, passed away. He set out to define himself as British rather than German from the beginning of his reign. 

He did however choose a German bride, marrying Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz on 8 September 1761 only hours after meeting her. Their love story was featured in Queen Charlotte on Netflix. 

King George is largely known for two things: losing the American colonies and his mental health problems.

George’s illness is a lasting legacy of his reign. Beginning in 1788, he was known to have fits of extreme mental health issues where he would speak for hours on end and appear largely disconnect from reality. He recovered in 1789, but had recurring bouts in the years that followed.

In 1810, he completely lapsed, possibly triggered by the death of his daughter Princess Amelia. His son, the Prince of Wales, served as Regent from 1811 to George’s death in 1820 (known as the Regency period). George spent his last years at Windsor Castle and his physical and mental health continued to deteriorate over the last decade of his life. 

He died there on January 29th 1820, unaware that his wife, Queen Charlotte, had died several years earlier. He was succeeded by his son as George IV.

The post The lonely death of a king at Windsor appeared first on Royal Central.

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