George III

George III, born George William Frederick, was the King of Great Britain and Ireland, later becoming King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union 1800. He was also concurrently Duke and Prince-elector of Hanover in the Holy Roman Empire before becoming King of Hanover. Unlike his predecessors, he was born in Great Britain, spoke English as his first language, and never visited Hanover. His reign was marked by military conflicts, including the Seven Years’ War, the American War of Independence, and the Napoleonic Wars, with Britain emerging victorious in the Battle of Waterloo. George III had a large family, marrying Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and fathering 15 children. Later in life, he suffered from mental illness, speculated to be bipolar disorder or porphyria, leading to his son being named Prince Regent in 1811.

George III was the longest-lived and longest-reigning British monarch at the time of his death, with a reign lasting 59 years and 96 days. His life spanned the Georgian and Regency eras, and he was the longest-lived and longest-reigning male monarch in British history. His mental illness overshadowed his final years, and after a final relapse in 1810, he passed away at Windsor Castle in 1820, buried in the Royal Vault at St George’s Chapel.