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Exhibition The Two Georges: Parallel Lives in an Age of Revolution

The Two Georges: Parallel Lives in an Age of Revolution

The Royal Children

The text panel in front of you reads:

George, Prince of Wales, was the oldest son of George III and Queen Charlotte and heir to the throne. He was intelligent, confident, charming, and a connoisseur and collector of art. But his extravagance, wildness, and alliance with his father’s political opponents disappointed his parents. When George III was permanently disabled by illness in 1811, the prince took over as Prince Regent. When his father died in 1820, he became King George IV.

Even with the constraints imposed by their father, Prince George and his brothers had much more freedom than their six sisters. Fed up with the tedium of life at Windsor Castle, the princesses threatened to “quit this Paternal Roof” if they were not allowed to participate in London social life from time to time. The Prince Regent successfully interceded with Queen Charlotte on their behalf.

Windsor Castle

There is a large graphic on the wall to your left. The label reads:

George III, Queen Charlotte, and their family spent much of their time at Windsor Castle. George III would call it “the place I love best in the world.”

Exhibit Item(s)

  • Windsor Castle. Entrance from the Town. © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust. A black-and-white print showing a castle with soldiers on horseback and men, women, and children standing in the foreground.

The display case to your left contains three objects:

1. The Prince Regent

The Prince Regent’s irresponsible behavior made him a favorite target for caricaturists, such as James Gillray. The period known as the Regency was characterized by his extravagant tastes.

Exhibit Item(s)

  • James Gillray. A Voluptuary under the horrors of Digestion, July 2, 1792 (reproduction). British Cartoon Prints Collection, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (035.01.00). A color political cartoon depicting the Prince Regent picking his teeth with a fork surrounded by the remnants of a meal.

2. “If He is resolved to ruin His Character”

George III wrote this letter to his son, the Prince of Wales, rebuking him (in the third person) for his debts and extravagance. “I constantly suffer from His reprehensible conduct, which has grown worse every year,” he wrote. “If He is resolved to ruin His Character, at least I will not bear any part of the blame.”

Exhibit Item(s)

  • King George III to the Prince of Wales, August 27, 1784, p. 2 (reproduction). © His Majesty King Charles III 2025 (034.01.00). A page from a handwritten letter beginning with the words “Fêtes given, and at this hour considerable additional are again begun.”

3. “I . . . do not in the least want a separation”

Queen Charlotte wrote this letter to George III after her brother proposed that his son come to England to look over their six daughters and choose one to marry. The king replied: “I cannot deny that I have never wished to see any of them marry: I am happy in their company and do not in the least want a separation.” Three of their daughters later married during their brother’s Regency, when their father was no longer able to object.

Exhibit Item(s)

  • Queen Charlotte to King George III, April 7, 1805, pp. 2–3 (reproduction). © His Majesty King Charles III 2025 (036.01.00). A handwritten letter beginning with the words, “his own choice provided your Majesty gives him leave to do so, and that He has some hopes of Your approbation, and of succeeding in his Suit.”

A quote to the right of the label reads:

“My Brother wishes to see His Son settled, and anxiously desires him to Marry one of the younger Princesses. . . . Every one of them have at different times assured me, that happy as they are, they should like to settle if they could and I feel I can not blame them.”
—Queen Charlotte to King George III, April 7, 1805

The Royal Family

To the right of the display case and the text panel is a text block on the wall that reads:

King George and Queen Charlotte had fifteen children: six daughters and nine sons, of whom thirteen lived to adulthood. Not unlike the American colonies, some of the king’s children rebelled against what they considered his tyranny.

In 1772, George III pushed for the passage of the Royal Marriages Act, which prevented members of his family from marrying without his consent. The result was a spate of secret marriages and illegitimate children among the princes. Meanwhile, the six princesses languished in what they called the “nunnery.” The royal couple’s struggles with their rebellious children made them not so different from other families in this rebellious era, including the Washingtons.

To the left of this text are two framed pictures. The labels read:

1. George III and Queen Charlotte with Their Thirteen Children

To the left of the king and queen are princes George, Frederick, William, Edward, Ernest, and Augustus. To their right are princesses Charlotte, Augusta, Elizabeth, Mary, Sophia, Amelia, and prince Adolphus. Two boys, Alfred and Octavius, had died by the time this painting was made.

Exhibit Item(s)

  • John Murphy (after Thomas Stothard). George III and Queen Charlotte with Their Thirteen Children, 1794 (reproduction). © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust (032.01.00). A black-and-white print depicting King Georges III and Queen Charlotte surrounded by their children.

2. Shopping in Windsor

This cartoon shows George III and Queen Charlotte admiring hats and muffs at a Windsor milliner’s shop. They are accompanied by several young women, probably intended to represent their daughters. The royal family is represented here as not much different from any other prosperous British family. George III and Queen Charlotte started this association of the royal family with ordinary British family life that continues today.

Exhibit Item(s)

  • S. Fores. A Milliner’s Shop, 1787 (reproduction). British Cartoon Prints Collection, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (037.00.00). A black-and-white cartoon showing a man and six women being served at a counter in a hat shop.

A quote on the wall above the framed objects reads:

“The Prince of Wales ought to know that every step He takes is of consequence, that if He once loses the good opinion of this Nation it is not to be regained.”
—King George III to the Prince of Wales, August 27, 1784

Direction to Next QR Code

To continue, turn around and walk a few feet until you get to the next display case. There is a text panel to the right of this display case titled “The Georges at War.” Scan the QR code at the top left corner of the text panel.