Book Review: "Queens and Kings" by Lucy Worsley (Pt.4)

Welcome to the section regarding the Hanoverians and I think that if there's something that Lucy Worsley is definitely doing in this book it is dismantling fakeries that we once believed because of dramas or circulating salacious stories often serving as some kind of propaganda for something. She explains that dramas are often not trustworthy as historical sources as their concentration is on exemplifying the characters and the conflict far past what it was, or in fact, making it up altogether. This part gets into the Georgian era and how we may have not only got it wrong, but we may actually be concentrating on the wrong people.

One of the most interesting parts of this section is the formidable curator of the Kew Gardens, Caroline of Ansbach - the wife of George II. Lucy Worsley explains that this woman is one of her personal favourite royals as she was into science and culture, a well-read woman who was initially adored by her husband for her refusal to submit to the Spanish royal family because of religious differences. One thing I definitely felt through this was Lucy Worsley's passion and intelligence. She definitely knows her stuff yes, but she also enjoys telling us the story of this woman who is often, as we read from the author, often forgotten.

Orphaned at a young age and raised in various courts to become the unexpected Queen Consort of England, Caroline would ultimately die after many, many days of what would be very painful operations where she would stay resilient, stoic and often laughing. Worsley ends her section by telling us that she would have loved to have met Caroline because of her willingness to accept science and culture. Caroline's progressive nature meant that her children could be vaccinated against smallpox as well. I genuinely loved learning about this woman. Intertwined with the author's own work and life, this makes for a deeply personal story, the passions of the author shining through as part and parcel of every single piece of history.

When Lucy Worsley covers George III, we get her want to dismantle the myths surrounding his reign come through. She discusses how one cannot expect to learn history from television dramas yes, but she also goes through the 'madness' which King George III faced and what it perhaps more likely was. One thing we have often assumed as common folk is that George III was either disliked or ignored by his people, assuming that we think he suffered from a terrible mental illness. Lucy Worsley on the other hand, states that through research, George III perhaps was not suffering a mental illness in the common sense but that the mental disintegration was caused by a physical illness. Atop of this, he was not disliked or ignored but in fact, because of his ability to step back from public life and allowing Parliament to run the show, he was beloved more than a lot of other monarchs of the last century.

Even though his reign was not successful by any means, Lucy Worsley teaches us about how George III's recovery was celebrated by the British people and yet, once he got sick again he would not recover though his people would continue to believe in him. I was intrigued to learn about the fact that he was kept at Kew Gardens, a place not of isolation (as I had once believed), but one of scientific progression and study. Thus, we can only assume that George III's keeping in the gardens was a result of his illness and a want for him to be cured. This is nothing like what is depicted in the common media surrounding this king.

I have to say, I am still very much enjoying Lucy Worsley's depiction of the private lives of some of the most intriguing people of the monarchy and yet, I find myself unable to wait for the next section: one completely dedicated to Queen Victoria. Having read Queen Victoria by Lucy Worsley, in which she depicts in ten chapters, ten important days during the queen's life, this is going to be a greatly researched section. Hopefully, you are still enjoying these reviews as well. Don't worry, we are approaching the end soon...