# King Egbert — The World Set Free character guide > King Egbert in The World Set Free by H. G. Wells. **Role:** minor **Also known as:** Gilbert, Egbert **First appearance:** 0005-ii ## Who they are A European monarch involved in pre-war diplomacy. ## Relationships ### [Firmin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/firmin) _professional_ Firmin serves as a key advisor and confidant to King Egbert, often involved in political and strategic discussions. ### [Doctor Pestovitch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/doctor_pestovitch) _professional_ Doctor Pestovitch acts as a medical and scientific advisor to King Egbert, providing expertise on global crises. ### [Leblanc](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/leblanc) _professional_ King Egbert relies on Leblanc as a trusted diplomat and envoy for sensitive international negotiations. ### [The American](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/the_american) _professional_ King Egbert negotiates with The American as a representative of a powerful foreign state, balancing diplomacy and strategic interests. ### [The Woman at the Window](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/the_woman_at_the_window) _social_ King Egbert and The Woman at the Window have a distant, formal acquaintance, marked by curiosity and restraint. ### [Firmin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/firmin) _professional_ Firmin serves as a key advisor and confidant to King Egbert, often involved in political and strategic discussions. ### [Firmin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/firmin) _professional_ Firmin serves as a key advisor and confidant to King Egbert, often involved in political and strategic discussions. ### [The American](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/the_american) _professional_ King Egbert negotiates with The American as a representative of a powerful foreign state, balancing diplomacy and strategic interests. ### [Leblanc](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/leblanc) _professional_ King Egbert relies on Leblanc as a trusted diplomat and envoy for sensitive international negotiations. ### [The Woman at the Window](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/the_woman_at_the_window) _social_ King Egbert and The Woman at the Window have a distant, formal acquaintance, marked by curiosity and restraint. ### [Doctor Pestovitch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/doctor_pestovitch) _professional_ Doctor Pestovitch acts as a medical and scientific advisor to King Egbert, providing expertise on global crises. ### [Doctor Pestovitch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/doctor_pestovitch) _professional_ Doctor Pestovitch acts as a medical and scientific advisor to King Egbert, providing expertise on global crises. ## In the story ### [§ V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/v) Referenced as Gilbert, Queen Elizabeth's court physician, who first experimented with rubbed amber and glass, initiating the study of electricity. ### [III: The Ending of War](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/iii-the-ending-of-war) A rebel king who walks to the Brissago conference, advocating for a single world government and dismissing old nationalist games. ### [§ II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/ii) The young king walks to the Brissago conference, carrying bread and cheese, and declares his intention to renounce his crown and support a single world government, rejecting the haggling of traditional politics. ### [The Conference at Brissago](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/iii) Presides over the conference, speaks of the impersonal will of the race and science as the new king, and leads the establishment of the World State. ### [§ IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/iv) King Egbert speaks at length about simplicity, praises Leblanc, and attempts to bestow the Order of Merit upon him. ### [The Balkan King's Defiance and the Brissago Plot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/vi) Ex-monarch taken into Leblanc's confidence, recalling his fantasy of Leblanc as a fisherman under a green umbrella. ### [§ VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/vii) The ex-king and envoy from Brissago, who confidently negotiates the search for atomic bombs with a genial but hard-eyed demeanor, unaware of the king's secret plot. ### [§ VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/viii) Ex-king who receives news of the rebel king's death, directs the disposal of bombs and bodies, and reflects on the folly of kings. ### [§ II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/ii) The ex-king who wrote memoirs about the council, poking fun at the American president and describing trivialities. ### [§ VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/viii) Mentioned as a senior member of the council, offering wisdom to baffled new members. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/king_egbert - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters