King George III asserted his claim on the colonies strenuously. The king saw the relationship of Britain and America as that of a parent to a child. A disobedient child, of course, must be punished.

Roberts’s new book is The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of George III, a biography of the ... accusing the White House of failing to comply with his initial order.

The loss of the American colonies was a great blow to the King and the Napoleonic Wars, with threat of invasion, dominated the end of his reign. His son George acted as Prince Regent during the years ...