Papers show King George III angry at loss of American colonies

Eric DuVall

A waxwork head of Britain's King George III, cast from an original mould by Madame Tussauds, is prepared for display at Kew Palace in London in 2006. A new trove of papers belonging to George III are being released, showing his frustration at losing the American colonies. File photo by Richard Lea-Hair/EPA

 

A trove of private papers belonging to British King George III show his frustration at losing the American colonies and his willingness to abdicate in the midst of a political storm.

Dubbed the "mad king" for the medical problems he suffered later in his reign, George III is Britain's longest serving king, ruling from 1760 to 1820. Fairly early in his reign, colonists in America declared their independence in 1776, triggering the Revolutionary War.

Included in the some of the 350,000 papers being released by King's College London is an essay George III wrote at the height of the American revolution, entitled "Essay on America and future colonial policy."

"America is lost!" the essay's first line reads. It goes on to question whether Britain has any ability to reclaim its lost colonies.

Another of the more interesting papers is a letter George III wrote in 1783, signaling his intent to abdicate the throne amid a political firestorm. George never sent the letter and continued to rule Britain for another 37 years.

The letters also include numerous correspondence between King George III and his wife, Charlotte. In one, Charlotte had sewn a lock of blonde hair belonging to the couple's child, Prince Alfred, who died as an infant.