Book description
The young George III was a poignant figure, humdrum on the surface
yet turbulent beneath: hiding his own passions, he tried hard to be a
father to his siblings and his nation. This intimate, fast-moving book
tells their intertwined stories. His sisters were doomed to marry
foreign princes and leave home forever; his brothers had no role and
too much time on their hands - a recipe for disaster.
At the heart of Tillyard's story is Caroline Mathilde, who married
the mad Christian of Denmark in her teens, but fell in love with the
royal doctor Struensee: a terrible fate awaited them, despite George's
agonized negotiations. At the same time he faced his tumultuous
American colonies. And at every step a feverish press pounced on the
gossip, fostering a new national passion - a heated mix of celebrity
and sex.
Stella Tillyard has been described by Simon Schama as 'a phenomenally
gifted writer'. Her books include
Aristocrats: Caroline, Emily,
Louisa and Sarah Lennox,1740-1832
;
Citizen Lord: Edward Fitzgerald, 1763-1798
, and most recently
Tides of War
. She has lived in the USA and Italy and now lives in London.
