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.