On This Day In History . 23 February 1779 . Prince Octavius was born . . ◼ Prince Octavius was born on 23 February 1779, at Buckingham House (now Buckingham Palace). He was the thirteenth child & eighth son of King George III & his queen consort Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. . ▪ The prince’s name derives from Latin octavus, the eighth, indicating that he was the eighth son of his parents. . ◼ Six months after the death of his brother Prince Alfred (20 August 1782), Octavius was inoculated with the smallpox virus. Several days later, he became ill.. . ◼ His subsequent death on 3 May 1783 at the age of four devastated his parents, & in particular his father. George bemoaned his son’s death, of whom he was exceedingly fond; the king’s later bouts of madness would involve hallucinations of his young son. . . . #OnThisDayInHistory #ThisDayInHistory #onthisday #PrinceOctavius #GreatBritain #Royalty #HouseofHanover #History #BritishMonarchy #theyear1779 #d23feb #britishroyals #britishroyalfamily #britishroyalty #Otd #Hanover #prince #britishprince #buckinghampalace #RoyalHistory #RoyalFamily #GeorgeIII #Queencharlotte #KingGeorgeIII (at Buckingham Palace) https://www.instagram.com/p/B858xNkg6WG/?igshid=zrw738d46lp9