The Mad King Chained Inside His Own Palace

Blind, deaf and screaming for hours, he was restrained by his own doctors while his family hid from him.

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King George III ruled Britain for almost sixty years, and by the end of his life servants claimed the old king wandered through Windsor Castle talking to people who were not there while his skin turned blue beneath layers of bandages soaked in blood and medicine, and during his violent mental breakdowns he screamed for hours without stopping, foamed at the mouth, and had to be physically restrained by doctors while members of the royal family locked the doors and hid from him inside the palace, and as his illness worsened he became completely blind, partially deaf, and so unstable that attendants reportedly chained him to a chair during his episodes to stop him tearing at his own clothes and flesh, and while Britain still called him king George spent his final years isolated inside darkened rooms speaking to dead relatives nobody else could see until he finally died alone at Windsor Castle in 1820 believing he was still surrounded by ghosts.

Interesting Fact:

Modern historians believe George III may have suffered from porphyria or severe mental illness, although his exact condition remains debated. During one episode he reportedly talked continuously for over fifty hours without pause. Doctors at the time used painful treatments including bleeding, blistering, and physical restraint in attempts to control him.

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