The King's English?

[TechBear]

I was reading a list of trivia facts about the US Declaration of Independence, and one of the bits was that King George III probably never read it, as he didn't read, write or even speak English very well.

I know that the House of Hanover came from Hanover, in what is now Germany, and I know that Kings George I and II were born in Hanover and never learned to speak English all that well. George III was born in the UK and presumably had British tutors, so even if he spoke German among his family, he would have learned English well enough to read and understand the DoI. Right?

So to our many British members, I ask: is the above mentioned trivia likely true, or not?

[Ruanaidh]

That George III couldn't read English is an old tale. English was his primary language and he was fluent in German and French, also.

[Southern Breeze]

I was reading a list of trivia facts about the US Declaration of Independence, and one of the bits was that King George III probably never read it, as he didn't read, write or even speak English very well.

I know that the House of Hanover came from Hanover, in what is now Germany, and I know that Kings George I and II were born in Hanover and never learned to speak English all that well. George III was born in the UK and presumably had British tutors, so even if he spoke German among his family, he would have learned English well enough to read and understand the DoI. Right?

So to our many British members, I ask: is the above mentioned trivia likely true, or not?

I've never heard that. Where did you find it?

[auld argonian]

You might enjoy this:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=5526473

They run this every Fourth Of July during the morning news program on NPR. I always set the alarm clock so that I wake up to it and it never fails to give me a chill to hear the Declaration read so well. Hit the "listen" button.

Of special note is the little postscript concerning King George.

I'd also like to not how much influence it seems that the Declaration of Arbroath hed upon the Declaration of Independence...I doubt that this was a coincidence.

Best

AA

[TechBear]

I've never heard that. Where did you find it?

The list I mentioned is from a private message board I subscribe to. I remember hearing something similar about George's lack of English from high school history classes, too, but I don't recall which King George.

[Southern Breeze]

George of the jungle perhaps? It seems highly unlikely that King George III would be deficent concerning the English language.