1776

The book opens on October 26, 1775, with King George III making a procession in his magnificent four-ton coach pulled by eight Hanoverian cream horses. He designed the allegorical vehicle himself with three gilded cherubim to represent England, Scotland, and Ireland, though he had never traveled outside England. Over the spokes of the wheels were gilded sea gods representing England’s domination of the seas. The entire coach symbolized of England’s vast colonies and wealth.

The king’s attire was usually much less ornate. Rather than dalliance at court, he preferred a farmer’s life at Windsor and the company of his plain wife, to whom he was faithful. Some thought him unattractive and unintelligent, but this was hardly the case. He was tall with clear blue eyes, and he loved music, playing both the violin and the piano. He also collected art. People liked him. One of the most important men of the age, Samuel Johnson, found him good company. The so-called “madness” for which he was long remembered was really porphyria, an inherited disease of malfunctioning enzymes.

Though not a military man, he firmly believed the flagrantly misbehaving colonies must be made to obey. Though there were some dissenters, most Whigs and Tories agreed with the king.