King George III

George William Frederick was the eldest son and second child of Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales, himself son of King George II. He was born at Norfolk House on 4 June 1738. When his father died in 1751, he suddenly became next one in line to follow his grandfather. Even though he was (reportedly) not very intelligent, he became an interested supporter of arts and sciences later. After his grandfather´s death in 1760, he became King George III. He tried to get back the power which his two predecessors had lost (or given to the politicians), but even though he installed his favourites in leading positions ("King´s Friends") in order to manipulate the governments, none of them lasted long. In 1764, he had his first serious mental breakdown in a series of attacks over the next decades; it seems that he suffered under a hereditary illness called porphyria. In later years, he enjoyed a growing popularity, even though he "lost" the American colonies in the late 1770´s. In 1811, his mental state got so worse that his eldest son George had to take over responsibility as "Prince Regent". King George III died at Windsor Castle on 29 January 1820.

No other monarch´s signature has changed as much as that of King George III.  On top-right, you can see his signature in the second year of his reign (1761), on the left on documents from 1762 (top) and 1794 (below, a very typical example). On the right (below) you can see his signature when he was already mentally ill and blind, during the last years of his life.