Britain under rule of a mentally diseased King

Britain under rule of a mentally diseased King.

King George III’s insanity as well as the relationship that he had with his son, the Prince of Wales, were the main themes in the film “The madness of the King”. All along the film, we could see all the treatments he had received and how close he was to lose the throne by his son, who was an ambitious man.

According to the film, the King’s illness started in 1788, after the American colonies have thrown off George's rule. As the madness was increasing, the King’s physician, Dr. Pepys analyzed the King's stool and urine because he believed that body wastes could contain clue to George’s disease. He suffered from Porphyria that is a genetic blood disorder and which symptoms include aches and pains, as well as blue urine. Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales’ personal physician, Dr. Warren, also tried to cure George’s mental disorder. However, who saved the king, at least for a time, was a man named Willis, who had revolutionary ideas about mental health. He tried to cure the insane through behavior modification, and he began the King’s restoration. Willis tried to break the king down so he could build him up again, but the king resisted. Dr. Willis made good progress with the King, managing to bring him from his raving and violent state of mind back to a level of normality. We felt that the first doctor who treated him caused more damage than cure, because he used harder methods over the king. 
In the meantime, his son conspired to have his father declared mad, so he could become Prince Regent, although he had a secret marriage to Maria Fitzherbert, who was a Catholic woman. This was illegal because they did not have the King’s consent. He also associated with the King’s political opposition, led by Charles James Fox. Because of that, the government was determined to keep him out but the both parties in the Parliament disagreed over the regency. However, the Prime Minister William Pitt and the Queen Charlotte were determined to protect the throne. The drama culminated when the King came back to the throne and his son had to kneel upon him. We believed that while the Prince wanted to become King of England, he did not respect George’s rules and moreover he did not take into account his father health.

In conclusion, despite his illness, George III was a dedicated and diligent king, and won the respect of his politicians. In fact, it was said that his illness certainly did not stop George III from being a successful king. So, taking into account what we have mentioned before, it is clear that having a mentally disorder was not an impediment for the King to have a good reign over a country