The First Royal Freemason
King George III (1738-1820) is probably best known to Americans as being the monarch who lost the American colony. However, American Freemasons should remember him for other important reasons.

King George’s father was a Freemason. Frederick Lewis, Prince of Wales (1707-1751), was heir to the throne of his father King George II. Frederick Lewis was of paramount importance because he was the first Royal Freemason. Once royalty entered the Craft, then everybody wanted to join, and the fraternity was assured of success. Frederick Lewis led a hedonistic lifestyle and died before his father, thrusting his son George III onto the thrones of England and Hanover in 1760 at the age of 20.

Three of King George's brothers followed their father Frederick Lewis into Freemasonry, including Henry, Duke of Cumberland (1745-1790) who in 1782 became Grand Master of the Premier Grand Lodge of England.

Strangely, although his father and three uncles were Freemasons, and all his sons joined the Craft, George III never became a Mason.

Gold guinea of King George III, depicted in the style of a Roman emperor. The legend in Latin, reads “Georgius III Dei Gratia” – George III by the grace of God.

King George III married Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in 1761 and fathered 15 children. Unlike his predecessors George I and George II – King George was very much loved by his English subjects.
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Born in England, King George III spoke English and preferred to live in England. Unlike his father, he was prudent, a conservative, interested in agriculture and architecture, but apparently presided over the dullest court in Europe! His behavior was in marked contrast to his father, his brothers, and his son the Prince Regent who all enjoyed parties, drinking, gambling and running up huge debts!

George III fathered six sons who lived to maturity, and they all became Freemasons:

1. George Augustus Frederick, Prince of Wales 1762-1830, King George IV, Grand Master

Prince of Wales is the title given to the first son, who is heir-apparent to the throne. George Augustus Frederick served as Prince Regent during his father’s bout with insanity. The distinctive Regency style of art takes its title from this period, and the Prince Regent was a huge patron of the arts
He had a poor relationship with both his father and his wife, Caroline of Brunswick, even excluding her from his own coronation when he assumed the throne as King George IV.

Coronation medallion of King George IV, also with a laurel around his head, classical-style.

At a special Lodge meeting held at the Star and Garter London in 1787, George Augustus Frederick was initiated into Freemasonry by his Uncle Henry. That year, he formed his own Lodge, The Prince of Wales's Lodge (now No. 259). Initially the members were a mixture of his friends and household such his dentist and his chief cook. The Lodge attracted other high-ranking Masons such as the Prime Minister George Canning. George was elected Grand Master on the death of his uncle in 1790. He enjoyed the social side of Freemasonry, and its imagery found its way into some of the designs at the splendiferous Royal Pavilion that he built in Brighton.

1. Frederick Augustus, Duke of York 1763- 1827 “The Grand Old Duke of York”

The Duke of York is the title given to the second son of the monarch (unless it is already held by an uncle). He served as the commander-in-chief of the British Army, and the well-known rhyme was written about him:

The grand old Duke of York,
He had ten thousand men.
He marched them up to the top of the hill
And he marched them down again.

And when they were up, they were up;
And when they were down, they were down.
But when they were only halfway up,
They were neither up nor down!

Frederick and the Prince of Wales were firm friends, often drinking and womanizing together, and the Duke of York became a Mason in the same year as his older brother. He was initiated in Britannic Lodge (now No. 33) and was made a Past Grand Master of the Premier Grand Lodge soon after.

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1. William Henry, Duke of Clarence 1765-1837,
   King William IV

At the age of thirteen he joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman, and was present at the Battle of Cape St Vincent in 1780. During the Revolutionary War he served in New York.
When his brother King George IV died childless in 1830 he ascended the throne as William IV. Unlike his extravagant brother, William was unassuming, and discouraged pomp and ceremony.

Coronation medal of King William IV

Unlike George III who became monarch at age 20, William was crowned at age 66.

4. Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent 1767-1820
Father of Queen Victoria
He went with his troops to Canada 1791 and in 1799 became commander-in-chief of the forces in British North America, living for most of that time in Halifax NS. In 1802 he was appointed governor of Gibraltar.
He predeceased his father, George III, by six days, and predeceased his three elder brothers. Since none of them had any surviving legitimate children, his daughter Victoria succeeded to the British throne on the death of King William IV in 1837.

5. Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland 1771- 1851
He lost his left eye during the Battle of Turcoing in 1794. The Duke of Cumberland had a reputation as one of the least pleasant of the sons of George III, opposing the 1828 Catholic Emancipation Bill, which would have given more rights to Catholics.
He could not succeed to the throne of Britain, but later became His Majesty Ernst August I, King of Hanover and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.

6. Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex 1773-1843
The only one of the brothers who did not pursue an army or naval career, perhaps because he was asthmatic. The Duke of Sussex was to become the favorite uncle of Queen Victoria, and he gave her away at her wedding to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.

They were men of very differing characters, with contrasting political and personal outlooks on life, but
all gained something from Freemasonry.