All hail George III and Hamilton!

THe monarch was in the room where it was happening — and he made his presence felt.

‘ladies and gentlemen, this is your King!’ came the authoritative tones of Michael Jibson as George III, commanding the audience to put their phones on silent and ‘enjoy my show’.

And the people, packed into every single seat at the Victoria Palace on Wednesday night for the first preview of the much ballyhooed musical Hamilton, created by lin-Manuel Miranda, obeyed.

later, when Jibson sang a number reminding the Americans that despite ‘our estrangement’, they’ll be back, the UK crowd roared their approval (at a much higher level than their cousins did when the show originated at the Public Theater in new York).

Director Thomas Kail and his team have blinged the King up a bit, with a glittering medal and ankle sparklers.

The vibe from the circle, where I sat, suggested that old George was going to grab those colonies right back again — and give them a good talking to. The quality of the cast was far higher than many had expected. Giles Terera gave Aaron Burr — a revolutionary statesman who clashed with Alexander Hamilton — a flavour I hadn’t felt before.

And Jamael Westman’s portrait of the title character gave us a founding father who was a fiercer rapper and dancer than his predecessors (including Mr Miranda).

Some acquaintances in the house on Wednesday had expressed worry that Hamilton was just over-hyped nonsense. But they were soon texting me about how much they loved it.

even so, the creative team had notes for the cast — par for the course after a first preview — and by the official first night on December 21 they should be even more electrifying.