Richard XIII of Estmere
| William III | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 William while King of Estmere, 1927 | |||||
| King of Estmere | |||||
| Reign | 12 March 1918 – 31 December 1936 | ||||
| Predecessor | Charles II | ||||
| Successor | Monarchy abolished (Wolfgar Godfredson as President of the Federated Republics of Estmere | ||||
| Prime Minister | See list | ||||
| Born | 29 January 1911 Ashcombe, Kingdom of Estmere | ||||
| Died | 23 June 1984 (aged 76) Garrafrauns, Caldia | ||||
| Spouse | Henry Jasper, Viscount Hopemore (m. 1941) | ||||
| |||||
| House | Vernon-Dryden | ||||
| Father | Charles II | ||||
| Mother | Sophia of Werania | ||||
| Religion | High Estmerish Church | ||||
William III (29 January 1908 – 23 June 1984), was the last King of Estmere and the Lands beyond the Sea, reigning from 12 March 1918 until the abolition of the Estmerish monarchy on 31 December 1936.
He was the eldest son of Charles II and Sophia of Werania and was first in the line of secession. William had two sisters, Charlotte, Duchess of Hadleigh and Minnie, Princess Royal, and two younger twin brothers, princes Clovis and Richard. Following the death of his father in the Taverly Rail Disaster, William unexpectedly became king at the age of ten in 1918. His mother served as regent but was replaced by the king's uncle, Prince George, Duke of Ardougne in 1922. Soon after his reign began, Estmere and Swetania wer at war in May 1918. The conflict defined the early years of his reign. In the years after the war, his reign was marked by attempts to curtail Gaullican influence globally after national functionalists took power. The foreign policy of H. H. Arterbury resulted in the outbreak of the Great War on 2 February 1927. At the wars onset, William was only 19 years old. The country's poor performance in the war was in part blamed on his weak rule, as the powers of the monarchy over foreign policy had largely been relegated to the government. He fled Estmere alongside his government in 1928 and joined the government-in-exile in Occupied Caldia. He played an active role in exile, but was sidelined by Edward G. Norcross in 1931 after which he showed little interest in politics. Following the end of the Great War and the failed communist revolution, William agreed to abdicate in favor of the establishment of a republican government.
After the end of his reign, William remained in Caldia and became a private citizen. He finished his university education and became a practicing lawyer. In Caldia, he was known as William Vernon-Dryden. On 21 August 1941, married his long-time lover, Henry Jasper, Viscount Hopemore. William remained in Caldia until his death on 23 June 1984. He was survived by Jasper and had no issue.
His intellect, sexuality, and mental health caused much scandal in Estmere before the end of his reign in 1936. William struggled in his academics and required extensive tutoring before he could attend the prestigious University of Catherby. Willian was a homosexual and was involved in several high-profile relationships. He began a relationship with his tutor, Stephen James, when he was sixteen-years-old. It was broken off by his uncle, Prince George, following the Augustine Street scandal, which involved a homosexual brothel. Rumors at the time linked William with the scandal. He later began a relationship with Jasper, which was an open-secret in elite circles. The issue of his sexuality was frequently brought up by his political opponents and drew immense criticism. As a teenager, William was also reported to have been at times suicidal and struggled with his father's death and his mother's own mental health issues.
Early life
William was born on the morning of 29 January 1908 at the Royal Palace in Ashcombe. He was the third child and first son of Charles II and Sophia of Werania. His father was the second son of William II and Marguerite of Florena, and his mother was the eldest daughter of Kaiser Sigismund and Kaiserin Victoria of Werania.
As the eldest son of the King, he immediately surpassed his sisters in the line of succession and became his father's heir. He was formally styled His Royal Highness Prince William of Estmere from birth. He was baptized as William Henry Charles Clovis Richard in the private chapel of the Royal Palace on 15 February 1908.
During his childhood, William had a close relationship with older sisters Princess Charlotte and Princess Minne. He was eight-years-old when his twin brothers, the princes Clovis and Richard, were born on 19 July 1916. The family lived at the Royal Palace with his paternal grandmother, Celine of Gaullica.
During a trip to the family's seaside estate in Solihull, the royal train derailed on 12 March 1918. In the wreck, Charles II was killed shielding his daughters from the collapsed roof of the dining car. His mother was injured and grandmother later died from her injuries. A number of other relatives and friends of the royal family were wounded or killed. Following his father's death, William became king. He was seven at the time of the accident.
Education
The Queen appointed Richard Dalton as William's tutor in 1917. The prince was given a strict program of study by Dalton. covering a variety of academic subjects. He struggled at first, but in a letter to her husband the Queen commented on Dalton's patience writing that he had "a way with the boy". Dalton was killed in the Taverly Rail Disaster. He was replaced by Sir Edmund White who struggled to make progress with William. White complained that the young king's mind was "abnormally resistant" to an education and that he was progressing "far too slowly" in his academics. While he was able to learn and speak Weranic, he struggled in Gaullican and the classical languages. Frustrated by the slow progress of the king, White left the position in 1923. The royal physician, Sir Oscar Gull, speculated that William's inattentiveness in his academics was the result of absence seizures, which he began to suffer from after the Taverly disaster. These seizures are often associated with learning difficulties. However, the Queen Mother blamed White for her son's poor education and slow progress, believing he was uninspiring and bothersome.
William later had a number of tutors who had been appointed by his uncle. His academic progress remained slow and he showed little interest in his studies. Despite this, his uncle maintained plans for the king to attend the University of Catherby. Catherby was Estmere's second-oldest university and it was expected that William would cram before attending university in 1927. To prepare him, Prince George appointed Stephen James as William's tutor in 1924. James was a recent graduate of Catherby and had come highly recommended by Sir Anthony Harling, the university's chancellor. William began to show a new interest in his studies under James' guidance, who was optimistic about tutoring the king. The two began a relationship during the summer of 1936. The king's uncle knew about their relationship but did was content with progress made with William's studies and did not initially intervene. Plans for William to attend the University of Catherby were cancelled after the outbreak of war with Gaullica in 1927.