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Janice Hadlow

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A Royal Experiment: The Private Life of King George III Kindle Edition

by Janice Hadlow (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.4 385 ratings

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The Times Best Books of the Year • The Sunday Times Best Books of the Year
The New Statesman Book of the Year selection by Lucy Hughes-Hallett
BBC History Magazine Book of the Year selection by Helen Rappaport
"A masterpiece . . . . [T]his heartbreaking narrative of family dysfunction and royal sacrifice is an absolute page-turner." —Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire

"[A] fascinating, story-filled account . . . . Each story is a revelation." —Jenny Uglow, The Guardian

The surprising, deliciously dramatic, and ultimately heartbreaking story of King George III's radical pursuit of happiness in his private life with Queen Charlotte and their 15 children

In the U.S., Britain's George III, the protagonist of A Royal Experiment, is known as the king from whom Americans won their independence and as "the mad king," but in Janice Hadlow's groundbreaking and entertaining new biography, he is another character altogether—compelling and relatable.

He was the first of Britain's three Hanoverian kings to be born in England, the first to identify as native of the nation he ruled. But this was far from the only difference between him and his predecessors. Neither of the previous Georges was faithful to his wife, nor to his mistresses. Both hated their own sons. And, overall, their children were angry, jealous, and disaffected schemers, whose palace shenanigans kick off Hadlow's juicy narrative and also made their lives unhappy ones.

Pained by his childhood amid this cruel and feuding family, George came to the throne aspiring to be a new kind of king—a force for moral good. And to be that new kind of king, he had to be a new kind of man. Against his irresistibly awful family background—of brutal royal intrigue, infidelity, and betrayal—George fervently pursued a radical domestic dream: he would have a faithful marriage and raise loving, educated, and resilient children.
The struggle of King George—along with his wife, Queen Charlotte, and their 15 children—to pursue a passion for family will surprise history buffs and delight a broad swath of biography readers and royal watchers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Fascinating . . . . Hadlow paints subtle psychological portraits . . . . [She] has extensively researched this story, never rushing through the ‘highlights' and giving a full picture of the family members in all their facets. She even dares to touch on the endless boredom of life at court . . . without ever becoming boring herself.” ―The New York Times Book Review

“Janice Hadlow's A Royal Experiment is a masterpiece. Beautifully written, impeccably researched, this heartbreaking narrative of family dysfunction and royal sacrifice is an absolute page-turner.” ―Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire and A World on Fire

“From the first pages of Janice Hadlow's enthralling A Royal Experiment you know you are in the hands of a master narrator as well as a profoundly perceptive historian. And like all great historical writing, the book transcends its immediate story--gripping and moving though that is--to be a timeless reflection on the human condition.” ―Simon Schama, whose works include The Embarrassment of Riches and The Story of the Jews

“Hadlow presents a richer portrait of the regent, showing him as son, husband and father as well as ruler. . . . A Royal Experiment will appeal to lovers of biography, Georgian England or royal scandal.” ―Shelf Awareness

“Particularly incisive--and, it should be stressed, completely accessible.” ―Booklist (Starred review)

“[A] fascinating, story-filled account. . . . In this densely detailed yet fast-paced book, as drama follows drama, the interest never flags. Each story is a revelation. . . . [George III and his family's] experience prefigures an enduring royal dilemma--how to live a private life in the glare of publicity.” ―The Guardian

“Positive and poignant . . . . Lovers of biography and those intrigued by dynastic and royal life should enjoy it.” ―Library Journal

“In this engrossing and thorough portrait . . . . Hadlow provides a critical, yet compassionate and intimate account of George III's trials and tribulations in undertaking to create the ideal family.” ―Publishers Weekly

“Hadlow debuts with a new take on England's King George III . . . . a better parent than his great-grandfather George I, who had his own son arrested, and a better husband than his flagrantly philandering grandfather George II . . . . [He] aimed to make the royal family a moral example to the nation . . . . Enjoyable for its vivid depiction of several varieties of royal lifestyles--and plenty of royal gossip.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“Truly engrossing. George III and his relatives give us the ultimate family saga; it almost defies belief that these events really happened. A real-life period drama to lose yourself in.” ―Lucy Worsley, Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces

“In readable prose, with a welter of detail, Hadlow succeeds in her considerable task . . . . enlivened by Hadlow's infectious enthusiasm.” ―The Telegraph

“[A] colorful and brilliantly narrated royal chronicle . . . . Excellent both in her narrative skill and her scholarship, Hadlow . . . . has produced a perceptive, lively and wonderfully enjoyable book.” ―The Sunday Times

“Engrossing . . . . Hadlow, an accomplished storyteller, assembles . . . a picture full of emotional colour and drama, which still resonates today.” ―The Times

“Republicans and royalists alike will enjoy Janice Hadlow's authoritative debut, which looks at the strange world of the Hanoverian court . . . with wit and compassion . . . . A book that has all the flair and engaging storytelling as the documentaries that Hadlow was responsible for commissioning in her former roles in broadcasting [at the BBC].” ―The Observer

“In Janice Hadlow, George III and Queen Charlotte have a sympathetic yet scrupulous biographer who has spent years studying their court. The tale she tells is . . . engaging, written with verve and supported by a narrative eye doubtless honed during her years as a BBC controller.” ―The Times Literary Supplement

“Utterly engrossing . . . . Narrative history at its best from an impressive new talent in the genre.” ―BBC History Magazine

“A page turner . . . . [Hadlow has] handled the story with detailed scholarship and fun. There are intensely vivid insights . . . . [An] enthralling book.” ―Country Life

“[One of the season's] biographies to watch out for.” ―Vogue Fall 2014 Books Guide

About the Author

Janice Hadlow has worked at the BBC for 28 years, including more than 10 years as a top executive. She was educated at comprehensive school in Swanley, in north Kent, and graduated with a BA in history from King's College London. She currently lives in Bath. A Royal Experiment is her first book.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00G8BQAAE
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Henry Holt and Co.; First edition (November 18, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 18, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 8236 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 704 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #200,175 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #8 in Historical Irish Biographies
- #13 in 1714-1837 History of UK
- #143 in Biographies of Royalty (Kindle Store)

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4.4 385 ratings

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greenwheels313

Outstanding, intimate and engaging

Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2024

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As an American whose understanding of the role of King George III and Queen Charlotte was through the prism of the War of Independence, and more recently, popular plays (Hamilton) and fictional streaming series (Bridgerton, Queen Charlotte), this social history fascinated from beginning to end.

By putting George III’s own life in context as the first true British monarch (he spoke only English compared to his German father and grandfather), his groundbreaking approach to the monarchy made the reigns of Victoria and Elizabeth approachable. I couldn’t put it down.

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A Private Look into Royalty

Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2023

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Streaming services have brought attention to this era, but I wanted a more factual account of the lives of British royalty. This book definitely provided a detailed look into the life of George III, along with that of his direct family members. Trying to keep his 15 children straight as well as the supporting cast of their lives was a daunting task. However Janice Harlow, the author of this multi-page novel, did a superb job. It reads from a historical perspective, not as a historical novel, so it could be dry at times. I really did enjoy wading through the lives of this family.

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John D. Cofield

Royal Dysfunction

Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2015

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Janice Hadlow's superb family biography is far more than just "the private life of King George III" as the subtitle maintains: it is a chronicle of what must be one of the most dysfunctional families ever known. While the details of what went on within the House of Hanover in Britain during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries are often harrowing, Hadlow's sympathetic approach, often using psychological analysis to help readers better understand why these arrogant, self-centered, and deeply troubled individuals behaved as they did.

The House of Hanover became the British Royal Family in 1714 not because they were especially clever or gifted but because they were Protestant and malleable (at least part of the time) to the will of Parliament. Their first monarch was King George I, who never learned to speak English very well and who preferred to spend as much time as possible back home in Germany. He had had an unhappy marriage that collapsed when he imprisoned his wife for adultery, leaving her behind when he took the British throne and refusing to allow her to call herself Queen. He and his son became political rivals and enemies, starting a pattern that continued over the next several generations. King George II was a slight improvement on his father in that he loved his wife Queen Caroline and spent more time in Britain, but he was an unpleasant character who came to positively hate his own son and heir, Frederick. Internecine conflict continued until Frederick died unlamented by either parent, leaving his eldest son George to become Prince of Wales as a teenager.

George grew up shy and awkward, intimidated by his grandfather the King and out of the public eye. He became King at 20, abandoned his first love Lady Sarah Lennox, and made a suitable dynastic marriage with Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. There was much to commend about King George III and Queen Charlotte. They were intelligent people who were determined to set a good example of family affection. They had fifteen children over 21 years, raising them in a happy atmosphere with lots of romping. Unfortunately as the children grew up things soured. The seven sons (two others died as infants) were relentlessly criticized and disciplined for any shortcomings and in consequence were rackety and sexually profligate, conducting one affair after another with unsuitable women that produced many illegitimate children, but failing to marry until late in their lives, spending lavishly and getting deep into debt. It was even worse for the six daughters. George III adored them and could not bear to think of any of them leaving him, so with total disregard for their feelings he refused to allow them to marry as young women. Eventually some of them did manage to find husbands in middle age, while the rest had secret love affairs of their own which produced at least one illegitimate child.

The most important of George III's children was the eldest son. George, Prince of Wales made a disastrous marriage that produced one daughter, spent years partying, then became Regent when his father's health broke down in 1810. His daughter Charlotte, raised in isolation from both parents, grew up boisterous and romantic. She made a happy marriage but then died in childbirth in 1817 three years before George III himself passed away, blind and insane.

This long chronicle of family tragedy is fascinating to read. Hadlow does an excellent job of describing the personalities and careers of the Hanovers from generation to generation. It was especially interesting to read about the lives of the various Queens and Princesses, many of whom were intellectually inclined (far more so than the men in the family)and who put up with endless problems caused by their Royal status. I was also intrigued by Hadlow's material on King George III's many illnesses, which contrary to long-established belief may not have been porphyria-related. I finished the book with fresh admiration for the most important of King George III's grandchildren, the future Queen Victoria, who despite her own numerous eccentricities seemed positively normal compared to her forebears and other relations.

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gammyjill

Superb biography of a family.

Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2014

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Generally, historical biographies can be written in two ways. The first is a look at the subject's public life, with a bit of the private. The second is a look at the private life, with a bit about the public life. Historian Janice Hadlow has written a superb biography of England's King George III, looking mostly at his private life as a son, husband, and father of 15 children.

George was the third Hanoverian king of Great Britain. His great-grandfather and grandfather - both named George - ruled before him. His father, Frederick, died before he could take the throne on his father's - George II - death. George III became king at age 22 and ruled for roughly 60 years, though the last 9 years of his life, Britain was ruled by his son, George IV, as a regent for his sick father.

George was raised in what might be called today a "toxic" environment. His great-grandfather loathed his son and heir, that man loathed HIS son and heir, and George was not highly thought of by his father, Frederick. That same pattern extended itself to George's relationship with his own first son. But George seemed to recognise the familial strain handed down to him and he resolved to have a happy marriage and home life. He married, soon after becoming king, a minor German princess, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. They proceeded to have 15 children - all but two reached adulthood - and George and Charlotte were keen to set up a "happy house" in which to raise these children. That is what Janice Hadlow refers to as "A Royal Experiment". However, did "fate" or "genes" or indifferent parenting produce 13 children who lived variously unhappy and unfulfilled lives? His seven living sons produced no legitimate heirs before George's death, though most had illegitimate off-spring. His daughters either married late or remained unmarried, pressed into duty as companions to their parents. All were well-educated for the time, at their parents' express desires - but none seemed to live the happy lives their parents had envisioned for them.

Hadlow also looks at the long marriage of George and Charlotte. George's own paternal ancestors had had bad marriages, and George wanted to break the pattern. His choice of Charlotte, as smart as she was prolific, began happily as Charlotte adapted her personality and interests to George's. It ended in sadness, as many long-term marriages do.

Janice Hadlow has written a lively, readable book filled with strange, unfulfilled, and in some cases, tragic figures. One of the pictures in the book is a drawing of the old George III before his death. He is terribly gaunt and wild-eyed and looks as insane as he was reputed to be. It's a picture of an old, old man, who suffered in life and is moving to his death. It sums up George's life.

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Top reviews from other countries

David Young

Good book

Reviewed in Canada on April 10, 2021

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This is a long, very detailed biography of George 3, his Queen and their 14 children. He had a horrible childhood and vowed when he got married and they had children he would do it differently. He didn't cheat on his wife - life so many royal and aristocractic men did - but he controlled his children with an iron fist and ruined many of the relationships with them. Especially his sons. The book is primarily concerned with the family life and not the politics of the times. Overall worth reading.

Nancy

Very interesting and well written for historical book.

Reviewed in Canada on May 22, 2015

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Very interesting book. Tremendous research went into to. If you are into royal history, this is a great read.

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