THE MIND BEHIND THE MYTH

On the 200th anniversary of the death of King George III, Kew Palace invites us to discover the real man behind the myth. Claire Saul learns more

- Claire Saul

The bicentenary of George III’s death is a timely opportunity to celebrate the achievements of this remarkable and complex king. Opening this month at Kew Palace, George III: The Mind Behind the Myth also examines common assumptions and misunderstandings about him, presenting a more rounded appreciation and tipping the balance of focus from the one aspect – his mental health - which tends to define him.

“George III was fantastically clever,” says Rachel Mackay, manager of Historic Royal Palaces at Kew. “He had a huge library of books, he was very musical, a great patron of the arts and also very interested in science. He was interested in clocks and would take them apart and put them together again, and he would visit the observatory in Richmond every Saturday to take measurements. There were many aspects to his personality.”

JOINING THE KEW Kew Palace is the building most closely associated with King George. He spent much of his childhood there, tutored by some of the most celebrated theologians, architects and musicians of the day. During adulthood, Kew was a beloved riverside summer home for the king, Queen Charlotte and their fifteen children. George supported the development of the surrounding botanic gardens that we still enjoy today, a fascination with the natural world which is reflected in Kew’s new displays, along with items from his worldfamous library and examples of artworks he acquired for the Royal Collection.