When George III became king in 1760, he allegedly remarked to an uncle that ‘it had not been common in their family to live well together; but he was determined to live well with all his family’. If this was intended to be a serious component of his royal project, he failed to achieve his aim in spectacular fashion. Quarrels with grandparents and siblings were followed by quarrels with sons and daughters. The Hanoverians seemed to be cursed in their personal lives unto the fourth and fifth generations.

The new king set out with the best of intentions, taking enormous trouble in the selection of a wife. Looking for une princesse solide, he drew up a list of German princesses who were available, detailing virtues and faults with the care of a breeder of prize cattle. Intellect and