Onset of the Regency Crisis of 1788

Background. William Pitt had served as prime minister since 1783, and by 1788 his government had pursued European alliances, including the Triple Alliance with Prussia and the Dutch Republic concluded that year. In the summer of 1788 George III may have begun a longer episode of disease, and in late October the King descended into a bout of mental illness that incapacitated him.

The King's Illness. George III had possibly experienced a brief episode of disease in 1765, but a longer episode began in the summer of 1788. In late October 1788 the King descended into a bout of mental illness. Pitt's biographical account describes the King falling victim to a mysterious illness, a form of mental disorder that incapacitated him, creating a major crisis for the government.

Constitutional Stakes. Because the sovereign could no longer fulfil his constitutional duties, Parliament would need to appoint a regent to rule in his place. All factions agreed that the only viable candidate was the King's eldest son, George, Prince of Wales, who supported Fox. Had the Prince come to power, he would almost surely have dismissed Pitt, so Parliament spent months debating legal technicalities relating to the regency.