We were at Her Majesty's Theatre for last week's Sunday Snap. I asked what musical had been running there since 1986 and the answer is
Phantom of the Opera
Singing the right answer were Susan, Sarah, Kara, Anne, Bex, Mary, Jenna and an 'Unknown'!
Just down the road from Her Majesty's Theatre and round corner before you get to the National Gallery is this statute. Considering it is of a British monarch it is pretty tucked away. It was designed by Matthew Coates Wyatt and erected in 1836 – 16 years after this king's death.
At the time of his birth in 1738 he was the grandson of the reigning monarch and his father, Prince Frederick, was heir to the throne. He was supposedly born two months prematurely which makes his survival quite miraculous. His father died when he was just 12 and upon his death he became heir to the throne. When his grandfather died in 1760 he was aged 22 but single and childless. A hunt for a suitable wife was started and a year later he married Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Despite only meeting her for the first time on their wedding day their marriage was a very happy one which produced 15 children. Unusually as well for a monarch he never took a mistress.
During his reign he saw the loss of Britain's American colonies as they declared independence and the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. By the time the Duke of Wellington had triumphed in 1815 the King had passed all royal functions to his son who became known as the Prince Regent. Since 1788 he had various bouts of madness or mania. Some have attributed this to bipolar disorder. Others has said he had porphyria which is known to have run through the royal family. In 1994 a film was released based on the mental breakdown of the king.
In 1801 the Act of Union made Great British and Ireland the combined nation of the United Kingdom and thus he its first king. He was the third monarch from the House of Hanover but the first to be born in Britain and the first to use English as his first language. This week's question is
Which king is the statue of?
We were joined last week by Susan who was meeting up with blogging friends. Sarah has been spicing up her world. All aboard the steam train was Mary. Kara has chateau visiting and Go Ape. A river and field got Anne in reflective mood. It was carnival time in Newport for Bex. Jenna found the blossom and Sarah found the flowers. Finally, Jesh has been finding things mysterious in Italy.
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I am not sure, but it’s an interesting statue x
ReplyDeleteI know it's a King George. I think it's probably George III, but I'm not totally sure!
ReplyDeleteI believe you are talking about George III. Thanks for hosting
ReplyDeleteI really don't know this one :(
ReplyDeleteIt's the mad one - George III, favourite of Horrible Histories and Bit Player in Hamilton. When my son & I visited Windsor Castle we wandered round looking for pictures of this guy and couldn't help singing the horrible histories song all the way...
ReplyDeleteI have no idea on this one
ReplyDeleteWith this history it's not surprising he developed mental illness. Right now, we might have diagnosed him with PTSD! Thank you for telling me about your family tree! Wow!
ReplyDelete