A closer look

Not every royal exit is a dignified affair on a velvet-draped deathbed. King George II of Great Britain met his undignified end in 1760 while attempting to resolve a severe bout of constipation. He strained so hard on his commode that the intense pressure actually ruptured an aortic aneurysm. He literally pushed himself to death, leaving his valet to find him collapsed on the floor, proving that biology plays no favorites with crowns.