George III of the United Kingdom

George III (George William Frederick) (4 June 1738 – 29 January 1820)

William Pitt

For George III, Pitt's appointment was a great victory. The King felt that the scenario proved that he still had the power to appoint Prime Ministers without having to rely on any parliamentary group. Throughout Pitt's ministry, George eagerly supported many of his political aims. To aid Pitt, George created new peerage dignities at an unprecedented rate. The new peers flooded the House of Lords and allowed Pitt to maintain a firm majority.

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During Pitt's ministry, George III was extremely popular. The public supported the exploratory voyages to the Pacific Ocean which he sanctioned. George also aided the Royal Academy with large grants from his private funds. The British people admired their King for remaining faithful to his wife, unlike the two previous Hanoverian monarchs. Great strides were made in science and industry.

Related Topics:
Pacific Ocean - Royal Academy - Science - Industry

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George III's personal health, however, was in a poor condition. He suffered from a mental illness, now strongly believed to be a symptom of porphyria. (A 2004 study of the King's hair samples revealed extremely high levels of arsenic, a possible trigger of the disease http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3889903.stm and 2005 publication.) The King had previously suffered a brief episode of the disease in 1765, but a longer episode began in 1788. Though ill during the summer of 1788, George was sufficiently sane to prorogue Parliament from 25 September to 20 November. During the intervening time, however, George became seriously deranged and posed a threat to his own life. When Parliament reconvened in November, the King could not, as was customary, communicate to them the agenda for the upcoming legislative session. According to long-established practice, Parliament could not begin the transaction of business until the King had made the Speech from the Throne. Parliament, however, ignored the custom and began to debate provisions for a regency.

Related Topics:
Porphyria - Arsenic - 1765 - 1788 - 25 September - 20 November - Speech from the Throne

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Charles James Fox and William Pitt wrangled over which individual was entitled to take over government during the illness of the Sovereign. Although both parties agreed that it would be most reasonable for George III's eldest son and heir-apparent, the Prince of Wales, to act as Regent, they disagreed over the basis of a regency. Fox suggested that it was the Prince of Wales's absolute right to act on his ill father's behalf; Pitt argued that it was for Parliament to nominate a Regent.

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Proceedings were further delayed as the authority for Parliament to merely meet was questioned, as the session had not been formally opened by the Sovereign. Pitt proposed a remedy based on an obscure legal fiction. As was well-established at the time, the Sovereign could delegate many of his functions to Lords Commissioners by letters patent, which were validated by the attachment of the Great Seal. It was proposed that the custodian of the Great Seal, the Lord Chancellor, affix the Seal without the consent of the Sovereign. Although such an action would be unlawful, it would not be possible to question the validity of the letters patent, as the presence of the Great Seal would be deemed conclusive in court.

Related Topics:
Legal fiction - Letters patent - Great Seal - Lord Chancellor

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George III's second son, the Prince Frederick, Duke of York, denounced Pitt's proposal as "unconstitutional and illegal." Nonetheless, the Lords Commissioners were appointed and then opened Parliament. In February 1789, a Regency Bill, authorising the Prince of Wales to act as Prince Regent, was introduced and passed in the House of Commons. But before the House of Lords could pass the bill, George III recovered from his illness under the care of Dr. Francis Willis. He confirmed the actions of the Lords Commissioners as valid, but resumed full control of government.

Related Topics:
Prince Frederick, Duke of York - 1789 - Dr. Francis Willis

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