Queen of Bedlam

Bittersweet and heartbreaking in places. We know the tales of Mad King George but I loved how Laura Purcell humanises King George 3rd as well as highlights the struggles and hopes of those blinded in his orbit. Queen Charlotte is a fascinating character, both very fragile and strong as steel. A seeming oxymoron but she straddles the lines of both gracefully.

I felt that Laura's approach to mental health was one of love and understanding. One of the phrases that really stuck out to me was from one of the daughters after their Father had his last breakdown, along the lines of “the day finally came that we had all dreaded. Yet life continued” Which I found to be very humbling. There's scary dreadful things in the world we fear, and believe we won't cope if and when they do happen. But life continues and we do cope, someone, and things can be right again. That was the lasting message I got from this poignant story.