View source for George III of the United Kingdom

==Early life==
[[File:Francis Ayscough with the Prince of Wales (later King George III) and Edward Augustus, Duke of York and Albany by Richard Wilson.jpg|thumb|left|George (right) with his brother [[Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany]], and their tutor, [[Francis Ayscough]], later [[Dean (Christianity)|Dean]] of [[Bristol Cathedral|Bristol]], c. 1749|alt=Conversation piece in oils: Ayscough dressed in black with a clerical collar stands beside a settee on which the two boys sit, one wearing a grey suit the other a blue one. He holds a sheet of paper; the boys hold a book.]]
George was born in London at [[Norfolk House]] in [[St James's Square]]. He was the grandson of [[George II of Great Britain|King George II]], and the eldest son of [[Frederick, Prince of Wales]], and [[Augusta of Saxe-Gotha]]. As he was born two months prematurely and thought unlikely to survive, he was baptised the same day by [[Thomas Secker]], who was both Rector of [[St James's Church, Piccadilly|St James's]] and [[Bishop of Oxford]].<ref>Hibbert, p. 8</ref>
One month later, he was publicly baptised at Norfolk House, again by Secker. His godparents were King [[Frederick I of Sweden]] (for whom [[Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore|Lord Baltimore]] stood proxy), his uncle [[Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha]] (for whom [[Henry Brydges, 2nd Duke of Chandos|Lord Carnarvon]] stood proxy), and his great-aunt [[Sophia Dorothea, Queen in Prussia]] (for whom [[James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton#Marriage and issue|Lady Charlotte Edwin]] stood proxy).<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=7712|date=20 June 1738|page=2}}</ref>

Prince George grew into a healthy but reserved and shy child. The family moved to [[Leicester Square]], where George and his younger brother [[Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany]], were educated together by private tutors. Family letters show that he could read and write in both English and German, as well as comment on political events of the time, by the age of eight.<ref>Brooke, pp. 23–41</ref> He was the first British monarch to study science systematically. Apart from chemistry and physics, his lessons included astronomy, mathematics, French, Latin, history, music, geography, commerce, agriculture and constitutional law, along with sporting and social accomplishments such as dancing, fencing, and riding. His religious education was wholly [[Anglican]].<ref>Brooke, pp. 42–44, 55</ref> At age 10, George took part in a family production of [[Joseph Addison]]'s play ''[[Cato, a Tragedy|Cato]]'' and said in the new prologue: "What, tho' a boy! It may with truth be said, A boy in ''England'' born, in England bred."<ref name=dnb/> Historian [[Romney Sedgwick]] argued that these lines appear "to be the source of the only historical phrase with which he is associated".<ref>Sedgwick, pp. ix–x</ref>

King George II disliked the Prince of Wales, and took little interest in his grandchildren. However, in 1751 the Prince died unexpectedly from a lung injury at the age of 44, and his son George became [[heir apparent]] to the throne and inherited his father's title of [[Duke of Edinburgh]]. Now more interested in his grandson, three weeks later the King created George [[Prince of Wales]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=9050|date=16 April 1751|page=1}}</ref><ref>Hibbert, pp. 3–15</ref>
[[File:George, Prince of Wales (1738-1820), by Jean-Étienne Liotard.jpg|thumb|left|Pastel portrait of George as [[Prince of Wales]] by [[Jean-Étienne Liotard]], 1754|alt=Head-and-shoulders portrait of a young clean-shaven George wearing a finely-embroidered jacket, the blue sash of the Order of the Garter, and a powdered wig.]]
In the spring of 1756, as George approached his eighteenth birthday, the King offered him a grand establishment at [[St James's Palace]], but George refused the offer, guided by his mother and her confidant, [[John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute|Lord Bute]], who would later serve as [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]].<ref>Brooke, pp. 51–52; Hibbert, pp. 24–25</ref> George's mother, now the [[Dowager]] Princess of Wales, preferred to keep George at home where she could imbue him with her strict moral values.<ref>Bullion, John L. (2004). [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/46829 "Augusta, princess of Wales (1719–1772)"]. ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''. Oxford University Press. {{doi|10.1093/ref:odnb/46829}}. Retrieved 17 September 2008 (Subscription required)</ref><ref>Ayling, p. 33</ref>