Our April ’26 talk by Rosalind Freeborn concerned the background story to her debut novel “Prince George and Master Frederick” published in 2025. Prompted by a story from her grandmother about a possible family connection with royalty (George 111) Rosalind embarked on research of her family history involving the adoption in 1765 of four year old orphan, Frederick Blomberg (rumoured to be the illegitimate son of King George 111) into the Royal Family of King George 111 as a playmate for Prince George, later King George IV, his son. Frederick was sent away to Kew Palace for schooling with strict tutors. At sixteen years old he is sent by the King to Cambridge to study Divinity and was ordained at Ely. He was given parishes in Somerset (Shepton Mallet) and Bradford on Avon and later became Chaplain to the Royal Family at Windsor Castle.
The family story may have sprung from her great-grandfather purchasing the estate that Frederick had been gifted by George IV. Frederick died unmarried and childless thus ruling out Rosalind being a direct descendant of Royalty.
Woven into the story is a ghost story (1764) from the Caribbean concerning Major Blomberg, two officers and a message concerning the whereabouts of his son (Frederick) to be conveyed to King George 111, which seemed to imply that Frederick was the King’s son. By the time the message was received Major Blomberg was dead and Frederick was an orphan.
This was a lively and entertaining presentation of a complicated family history researched. diligently and backed up by colourful portraits of Prince George and Master Frederick, one of which resurfaced in 2023 and was subsequently bought by King Charles 111, seeming to confirm Frederick’s acceptance into the Royal Family.