When King George III goes mad, his Lieutenants try to adjust the rules to run the country without his participation.

Aging King George III of England (Sir Nigel Hawthorne) is exhibiting signs of madness, a problem little understood in 1788. As the monarch alternates between bouts of confusion and near-violent outbursts of temper, his hapless doctors attempt the ineffectual cures of the day. Meanwhile, Queen Charlotte (Dame Helen Mirren) and Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger (Julian Wadham) attempt to prevent the King's political enemies, led by the Prince of Wales (Rupert Everett), from usurping the throne.—Jwelch5742

A meditation on power, and the metaphor of the body of state, based on the real episode of dementia experienced by King George III (Sir Nigel Hawthorne) (now suspected a victim of porphyria, a blood disorder). As he loses his senses, he becomes both more alive, and more politically marginalized, neither effect desirable to his Lieutenants, who jimmy the rules to avoid a challenge to regal authority, raising the question of who is really in charge.—Dan Hartung <[email protected]>

The story of King George III of England's (Sir Nigel Hawthorne's) slide into insanity, and the political and royal back-stabbing which results from his incapacitation. Despite being very amusing at times, this is a sad tale of medical practices in the later 1700s, as well as an insight into life inside and around the royaly of the time.—Rob Hartill