In Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, we did not much like for King George. He frequently vanished from Charlotte’s life, and to be honest, he frequently used gaslighting tactics on her. When we learned what he was going through, our rage subsided and even changed into compassion for him. Even if we may admit that he is a good man, he doesn’t compare to the other Bridgerton leaders. But perhaps he never meant to. This is not a love story, despite the fact that this series is a Bridgerton franchise installment. We were never intended to fall in love with King George. In contrast to the stern figure with absurd hairdos that we saw in the previous seasons, he was an integral element of Queen Charlotte’s story and what gave her humanity.
King George was originally presented to the public not through the television series but rather through a trailer that was unveiled a few months earlier and showed their first encounter when he prevented Charlotte from jumping through the wall. We were aware right away that George and Charlotte both fell in love at that same moment, as George later admitted. However, after seeing the series, we realize that this was not at all what he had in mind. He shared Charlotte’s desire to leave the wedding, and if it had been any other woman, he might have assisted her in scaling the wall. King George, however, did exactly what he should not have done by bringing Charlotte into a life of deception. Love, however, makes one selfish.
We can infer George’s problems began from a chat between Princess Augusta and Lady Danbury. George’s mother and father were cared for by his grandfather after his unexpected demise. He was a brute, according to Augusta, who would not hesitate to harm his family physically. That was something both the mother and the son had to put up with, and their only option was to acquire some personal power. Even though George was already the heir apparent, their precarious circumstances increased his duties. For their own motives, Augusta and George’s grandpa must have increased the pressure on him to leave no space for error. George’s grandfather was being nasty, and Augusta needed to make sure that her life wasn’t in the hands of a horrible guy. As George once recalled, he was frequently warned that even the slightest error he made could lead to England’s demise. Imagine going through childhood in such a setting.
That was likely the origin of King George’s panic attacks. We’re just speculating here, but we think George’s suffering was made worse by the culture of concealment. He lived alone and was unwilling to interact with others due to his illness. George appears to be motivated in a significant way by his fear of hurting those around him. But based on what we could see, he never struck us as threatening. We must thus ponder the origin of his belief. What led him to believe that he posed a threat to everyone around him. It can be due to ignorance of the era in which any mental illness was viewed as abhorrent. Bipolar disorder and anxiety were not understood, which is likely why George suffered from them. We are aware that a significant portion of his first therapy consisted of bleeding him out, dietary restrictions, and other harsh measures. Then comes Doctor Munro, who had a good notion when he said that George needed to talk, and that’s how therapy is currently conceived. Unfortunately, Munro’s talking was more about forming his own assumptions about the person in front of him than it was about encouraging them to open up to him. He then planned a therapy without using any verifiable methods of tracking its development. Doctor Munro, in our opinion, had a good notion in the beginning, but somewhere down the line, his sadism took over.
He took pleasure in his influence over the king. King George was his master, and he enjoyed informing him that he was no good. He cherished the fact that he could torture George, the King of England, as much as he pleased without facing any consequences. Munro did not care to check on his patients’ development, which is something that any doctor worth their salt would do. Why would he require George’s advancement if he already had his submission?
George was ultimately freed from Munro by Charlotte, but we think the damage had already been done. George’s health had simply gotten worse as a result of the trauma caused by Doctor Munro’s techniques. Munro did nothing to alleviate George’s worry of doing anything wrong; instead, he caused bodily harm—the kind that the mind can never fully recover from. After letting go of Munro, Charlotte finally made time for George, hoping that her love and care would help him heal. In some ways, it was successful. George was able to get over some of his social anxiety and act like a true monarch thanks to Charlotte’s affection. But it’s important to keep in mind that Charlotte wasn’t a therapist either. She just had a small amount of empathy and caregiver skills, which, while they might have been useful, were undoubtedly insufficient.
The real-life monarch and queen of the era are represented by George and Charlotte. In reality, King George was thought to have porphyria, a genetic disease. His alleged insanity has been discussed extensively in real life, and the series appears to be influenced by it. When George was depicted as having this condition, he displayed some of the symptoms including anxiety, seizures, and hallucinations. We are aware that love is not a magic cure both in the series and in real life. Charlotte and George experienced a fair share of difficulties in their lives. It was crucial to uphold the monarchy, sometimes at the expense of their own love and happiness. But given that life’s setbacks did not interfere with George and Charlotte’s love for one another, perhaps that is what is meant when it is said that “love conquers all.” They were still just George and Charlotte when they were together, two people who had fallen in love and remained so despite all the loneliness, difficulties, and heartaches. This is more than most people receive throughout their entire lifetime.
