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Queen Victoria’s unfortunate cousin and her untimely death that cleared the way to a throne.
George III of Great Britain, the infamous king who went mad and the enemy of the American revolutionaries, had a prodigious number of children. Despite being blessed with a bountiful number of offspring, 15 in total, with 13 of that number reaching adulthood, he lacked for heirs. His wife insisted on keeping her daughters as companions, and the bad marriages of his own sisters certainly clouded George’s judgment. George’s own mental health struggles also impacted finding his children spouses. Only one daughter, his eldest, Charlotte, made a marriage at an age where having children was likely, 31. His other two daughters that married, Elizabeth and Mary, were 48 and 40 respectively, at the time of their marriages.
Meanwhile his sons preferred women outside of the marriage bed. The first to marry, to a suitable royal bride, was his second son, Frederick. He was 28 years old when he married Princess Frederica of Prussia. Their marriage was unhappy, and they separated early on, with Frederick taking mistresses. Frederick did not father any children with his wife, or his mistresses that we know of, unlike his brothers.
The next son to marry was the eldest, the Prince of Wales, George. Frederick had been prompted to marry due to…
