A GEORGE III ‘ROYAL’ MEDAL: London 1789, On the Occasion of the recovery from illness of King George III

Gold, enamelled in red, white and blue

Diameter: 3.5 cm

Lettered in gold, REGI ß AMATO ß REDVCI / MART ß X / MDCCLXXXIX and VIVAT /G III R

Made for Queen Charlotte; Queen Mary

The King’s recovery in 1789 from a serious illness, which has subsequently been diagnosed as prophyria, was greeted with widespread celebrations. Parliament presented addresses of congratulation to the King on 10th March, the date inscribed on this uniface enamelled gold medallion. Much rarer than the many other commemorative objects arising from the King’s recovery, it appears to have been commissioned by Queen Charlotte herself for presentation to individual courtiers; they include a loop and ring, for suspension when worn. Fanny Burney, who served Queen Charlotte as Second Keeper of the Robes from 1786-1791, recorded in her diary for March 1789 that Lord Harcourt ‘showed me a new medallion, just presented him by the Queen, with a Latin inscription in honour of the King’s recovery’. In the following month she was presented by Queen Charlotte with a medal of a different design: ‘an extremely pretty medal of green and gold, and a motto, Vive le Roi’.