Was King George III a bumbling tyrant or a deeply engaged monarch?

King George III is often remembered in unflattering terms – as the monarch who lost the American colonies and later endured periods of significant mental ill health. In Britain, his legacy remains mixed. In the United States, however, he has long been cast as the villain in the story of America’s independence.

For many Americans, George III embodies tyranny. He is portrayed as the oppressive figure against whom the revolutionaries fought – most recently lampooned as a deluded, jilted lover in the Broadway hit Hamilton, where he threatens to “send a fully armed battalion to remind you of my love.”

But this popular image has to be due for reconsideration thanks to the Georgian Papers Programme.

This programme is a collaborative initiative between King’s College London and the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture – with historians gaining new insight into George III’s reign, particularly during the American Revolutionary period.

Rick Atkinson, an American historian involved in the project, said in 2017: “The American stereotype of a tyrannical nincompoop quickly dissolves with a little exposure to the Georgian papers,” said Rick Atkinson, an American historian involved in the project.

Far from being a detached or ill-informed ruler, the papers paint a picture of a king actively engaged in the governance of his kingdom and its empire. The archive includes extensive correspondence not only with ministers, but also with scientists, diplomats, military commanders, and intelligence officers. It shows a monarch seeking out knowledge, requesting reports, and demonstrating a genuine curiosity about the world around him.

In one notable exchange, George III discusses the cost of a telescope with the British-German astronomer William Herschel. When Herschel later discovered a new planet, he proposed naming it the “Georgian Star” – or Georgium Sidus – in honour of the king. Though the name didn’t stick (Uranus being the ultimate choice), it marked a moment in which science and monarchy directly intersected.

“He wasn’t just dabbling in topics and half-understanding them,” said Oliver Urquhart Irvine, Royal Librarian and Assistant Keeper of the Queen’s Archive. “He was really engaging with the material.”

Today, in 2025, the Georgian Papers Programme continues to enrich public and scholarly understanding of this complex era. While not fully complete, the programme has delivered extensive digitisation, transcription, and cataloguing. The online portal is publicly accessible and regularly updated with new material

As more of the archive becomes available, it may help reshape perceptions of King George III – not as the caricatured tyrant of revolutionary myth, but as a conscientious and intellectually engaged monarch navigating a complex and volatile period of history.