The Public and Private Life of His Late Majesty, George the Third

What it is

This biography by Robert Huish was published in 1821, shortly after George III's death. It covers his life in several roles, as son, husband, father, friend and sovereign, and includes what are described as secret anecdotes about the king, the royal family and other figures connected with the British court. It also contains a historical memoir of the House of Brunswick.

Why it matters

Written right after the king's death, this book reflects how he was remembered at that moment, mixing personal anecdote with political history. It shows the public appetite for stories about the private life of a monarch who had reigned for decades, as well as the difficulty of separating fact from anecdote in accounts written so soon after a death.

Look closer

• Why might a book like this appear so quickly after the king's death?
• What does the promise of 'secret anecdotes' suggest about what readers wanted?
• How might a biography written immediately after death differ from one written later?