Category Archives: British Royals

Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland; Credit – Wikipedia

Fans of Diana Gabaldon‘s novels of The Outlander series and the television series of the same name know that the Battle of Culloden in 1746 resulted in a decisive defeat of the Jacobite forces that wanted to restore the heirs of Roman Catholic Stuart King James II of England/ VII of Scotland to the throne. Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland was the British troops commander at the Battle of Culloden and is known by the nicknames “The Butcher of Culloden” and “Butcher Cumberland.”

Prince William Augustus was born at Leicester House in London, England on April 26, 1721. He was the second son and the fifth of the eight children of King George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach who were the Prince and Princess of Wales at the time of his birth. His paternal grandfather King George I was the current British monarch. Specific christening information is unknown, but it seems his godparents were his paternal aunt Sophia Dorothea and her husband Friedrich Wilhelm I, King in Prussia.

William Augustus had seven siblings:

George II and his family; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1725, at the age of four, William Augustus was created Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath, and the following year he was created Duke of Cumberland, Marquess of Berkhamstead, Earl of Kennington, Viscount Trematon, and Baron of Alderney. William Augustus’ mother Caroline of Ansbach had many scientific and artistic interests. She corresponded with several intellectuals including mathematician Gottfried Leibniz, whom she had met when she was a child, and Christian Thomasius, German jurist and philosopher. Caroline supported French philosopher Voltaire during his exile in England from 1726-1729 and was also considered one of the greatest promoters of the composer George Frideric Handel, who had come to England with King George I. Caroline made sure her son was well educated by appointing Astronomer Royal Edmund Halley and antiquarian, art collector and amateur architect Sir Andrew Fountaine as William Augustus’ tutors.

by Charles Jervas, oil on canvas, circa 1728

William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland by Charles Jervas, oil on canvas, circa 1728, NPG 802 © National Portrait Gallery, London

William Augustus was intended to eventually become Lord High Admiral of the Royal Navy. However, he became dissatisfied with the Royal Navy and pursued a career in the Royal Army instead. His first post, in 1741, was as Colonel of the First Regiment of Foot Guards.  In 1742, William Augustus became a Major General. He accompanied his father King George II, the last British monarch to personally lead troops in a battle, at the Battle of Dettingen (June 27, 1743) during the War of the Austrian Succession, where he was wounded in action. In 1745, he received the command of the Pragmatic Allies, comprising mainly Dutch, British, and Hanoverian troops, at the Battle of Fontenoy. His decision to launch a frontal assault against a larger French army caused a terrible defeat with heavy casualties.

The Battle of Fontenoy, William Augustus’ first battle as commander by Édouard Detaille; Credit – Wikipedia

William Augustus led the British forces against the Jacobite Rising of 1745-1746 led by the Catholic pretender Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie), grandson of the deposed King James II. The exhausted Jacobite forces consisted of about 5,000 men while the British forces numbered 9,000 well-trained troops. On April 16, 1746, near Inverness, Scotland, the superior British forces needed just 25 minutes to defeat the Jacobite forces in the Battle of Culloden.  Between 1,500 and 2,000 Jacobites were killed or wounded while the British losses were much lighter, with 50 dead and 259 wounded. William Augustus’ severity and brutality in pursuing the Jacobites after the battle earned him the nicknames “The Butcher of Culloden” and “Butcher Cumberland.” He ordered his troops to go through the battlefield and stab to death any wounded Jacobite troops and non-combatants. Towns suspected to be rebellious were burned and the livestock was confiscated. The captured Jacobites were hanged. Men and women suspected of being Jacobite sympathizers were arrested and shipped to London for trial. The conditions on the ships were horrible and many died en route. In Great Britain, William Augustus was nicknamed “Sweet William” by his Whig supporters and “The Butcher” by his Tory opponents. In Scotland, his name is still infamous. After the Battle of Culloden, there were no further Jacobite uprisings.

The Battle of Culloden by David Morier, 1746; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1757, during the Seven Years’ War, William Augusts and his forces from his father’s Electorate of Hanover had retreated to the fortified town of Stade (Germany) on the North Sea coast. King George II gave him discretionary powers to negotiate a separate peace with France. The Convention of Klosterzeven led to Hanover’s withdrawal from the war and partial occupation by French forces with 38,000 Hanoverian forces laying down their arms. King George II considered this so humiliating that William Augustus was forced to resign his military commands and retire from the army.

studio of Sir Joshua Reynolds, oil on canvas, circa 1758-1760

William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, studio of Sir Joshua Reynolds, oil on canvas, circa 1758-1760, NPG 625 © National Portrait Gallery, London

William Augustus never married and his final years were lived out under the reign of his nephew King George III. He grew quite fat and suffered a series of strokes before dying at the age of 44 at his London home in Upper Grosvenor Street on October 31, 1765. He was buried at Westminster Abbey in the Henry VII Chapel.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited
Abrufstatistik. “William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2016.
“Battle of Culloden.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Sept. 2016. Web. 24 Sept. 2016.
“Prince William, Duke of Cumberland.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Aug. 2016. Web. 24 Sept. 2016.
Susan. “Caroline of Ansbach, Queen of Great Britain.” British Royals. Unofficial Royalty, 23 Dec. 2015. Web. 24 Sept. 2016.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Anne, Princess Royal, Princess of Orange

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Anne, Princess Royal, Princess of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

Anne, Princess Royal was the eldest daughter and the second child of King George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach. She was born a Princess of Hanover on November 2, 1709, at Schloss Herrenhausen in Hanover, now in the German state of Lower Saxony. At the time of her birth, her great-grandmother Sophia, Electress of Hanover was the heiress presumptive to Queen Anne of Great Britain in accordance with the Act of Settlement 1701, but Sophia died two months before Queen Anne died. Christened shortly after her birth at Schloss Herrenhausen, Anne was named after Queen Anne of Great Britain, her grandfather’s second cousin.

Anne had seven siblings:

Anne, on the left, with two of her sisters, Amelia and Caroline; Credit – Wikipedia

Anne playing the harpsichord, Caroline playing the lute, Frederick playing the cello, and Amelia reading; Credit – Wikipedia

When Anne was five years old in 1714, her grandfather succeeded Queen Anne as King George I of Great Britain, and she was then styled Her Royal Highness Princess Anne of Great Britain. Anne accompanied her parents and her two sisters, Amelia and Caroline, to England. Her elder brother, seven-year-old Frederick, now second in the line of succession to the British throne, was left in Hanover in the care of his great-uncle Ernst August, Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück. Frederick did not see his family again for 14 years. Certainly, this long separation during childhood was a factor in the negative relationship Frederick had with his parents as an adult.

Anne’s father, George, now Prince of Wales, had a very poor relationship with his father. The first big rift occurred because of a disagreement over the choice of godparents for the Prince and Princess of Wales’ short-lived son George William, born in 1717. The disagreement grew out of proportion, and George was placed under arrest. The result was that George and Caroline were exiled from St. James’ Palace. They moved into Leicester House in Leicester Square, London which became their chief residence for the rest of King George I’s reign. However, their children were kept at St. James’ Palace in the custody of their grandfather. Anne and her sister missed their parents tremendously. She lamented that her grandfather, the King, did not even visit them, saying, “He does not love us enough for that.” Little Prince George William died when he was three months old. His parents blamed King George I for his death which only worsened the relationship between father and son. In 1720, Anne became ill with smallpox, and for a few days, it was feared she might die. King George I knew that the death of a second grandchild while under his care would be on his conscience, and soon he reconciled with his son and daughter-in-law.

As the eldest daughter of the Prince and Princess of Wales, Anne felt a great deal of self-importance. She told her mother that she wished she had no brothers so that she could become Queen. When her mother disciplined her for the remark, Anne said, “I would die tomorrow to be Queen today.” Anne insisted that a lady-in-waiting stand beside her bed and read aloud until she fell asleep. Once, Anne took so long to fall asleep that the lady-in-waiting fell asleep in the middle of a chapter. The Princess of Wales decided to teach Anne a lesson. The next night she called Anne to her bedside and asked Anne to read aloud. When Anne tried to sit down, her mother told her to continue standing because she would be able to hear better. The Princess of Wales would not let Anne stop reading despite her complaining that she was tired and her throat was dry. Eventually, Anne began to cry and her mother decided that she had learned her lesson and scolded her for her treatment of the lady-in-waiting.

Anne was an excellent student. By the time she was five years old, she spoke, read, and wrote German and French, spoke English, and was learning history and geography. As she grew older, she became skilled at painting, embroidery, singing, dancing, and playing the harpsichord. The famous composer Georg Friedrich Handel was appointed her music master. Handel did not like teaching, but he made an exception for Anne, whom he called “Anne, flower of princesses.”

On June 11, 1727, Anne’s grandfather King George I, and Anne’s father succeeded him as King George II.  On August 30, 1727, King George II created his eldest daughter Princess Royal, a title that had not been used since King Charles I first created it for his daughter Mary in 1642.

Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

A proposed marriage with King Louis XV of France fell through because the French insisted that Anne convert to Roman Catholicism and Anne’s family refused. Bored with life at her father’s court, Anne did not want to be a spinster and was anxious to marry. Anne had been disfigured by smallpox and was not considered attractive. Among the few Protestant possibilities, was Willem IV, Prince of Orange. Willem had a spinal deformity, which affected his appearance, but Anne was so anxious to marry that said she would marry him even “if he were a baboon.” Anne and Willem were betrothed in 1733. On March 25, 1734, Anne and Willem married at the Chapel Royal in St. James’s Palace in London.

After enduring two miscarriages and two stillbirths, Anne and Willem had three children, but only two survived to adulthood. Through their son, they are ancestors of the Dutch Royal Family.

Willem IV, Prince of Orange; Anne, Princess of Orange and their two children Carolina and Willem; Credit – Wikipedia

When Anne and Willem arrived in the Netherlands, they took up residence at the Stadhouderlijk Hof in Leeuwarden, the provincial capital and seat of the States of Friesland (now in the Netherlands). Anne’s husband Willem was the posthumous son of Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange, who died from drowning at age 23, and his wife Maria Louise of Hesse-Kassel.

Upon his birth, Willem succeeded his father as Stadtholder of Friesland and as Stadtholder of Groningen. In 1722, he was elected Stadtholder of Guelders. In April 1747, the French army entered Flanders, threatening the Netherlands, which was weakened by internal division. The Dutch decided their country needed a single strong executive and turned to the House of Orange. Willem and his family moved from Leeuwarden to The Hague. On May 4, 1747, the States-General of the Netherlands named Willem General Stadtholder of all seven of the United Provinces of the Netherlands and made the position hereditary for the first time.

Willem IV, Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

Willem IV died at age 40 from a stroke on October 22, 1751, at Huis ten Bosch in The Hague and was buried in the crypt of the House of Orange in the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) in Delft. He was succeeded by his three-year-old son Willem V with Anne serving as Regent.

As Regent, Anne was given all the powers normally given a hereditary Stadtholder of the Netherlands, except the military duties of the office, which were entrusted to Ludwig Ernst of Brunswick-Lüneburg.  She was hard-working, but arrogant and imperious, which made her unpopular. The 1750s were years of increasing tension and commercial rivalry between the Netherlands and Great Britain, which placed her in a difficult position.

Anne, Princess of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

Anne acted as Regent until her death from dropsy on January 12, 1759, at age 49 in The Hague, the Netherlands. As her son was underage, his paternal grandmother Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel became Regent. When Marie Louise died in 1765, Anne’s daughter Carolina, served as Regent until Willem V turned 18 in 1766. Anne was buried with her husband in the crypt of the House of Orange in the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) in Delft, the Netherlands.

The access to the royal crypt in the foreground; Credit – By Sander van der Wel from Netherlands – Royal grave tomb and the grave of Willem van Oranje, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28146859

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited
“Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Aug. 2016. Web. 10 Sept. 2016.
“John William Friso, Prince of Orange.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 15 July 2016. Web. 10 Sept. 2016.
Susan. “King George II of Great Britain.” British Royals. Unofficial Royalty, 21 Dec. 2015. Web. 10 Sept. 2016.
Van Der Kiste, John. The Georgian Princesses. Phoenix Mill: Sutton Publishing, 2000. Print.
“William IV, Prince of Orange.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 23 July 2016. Web. 10 Sept. 2016.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Caroline Matilda of Wales, Queen of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Caroline Matilda of Wales, Queen of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1751, Frederick, Prince of Wales, heir to the throne and son of King George II of Great Britain, died at the age of 44. He left eight children, including the future King George III, and a pregnant wife Augusta of Saxe-Coburg-Altenburg. Four months later, on July 22, 1751, at Leicester House in London, England, Princess Caroline Matilda of Wales was born.

Caroline Matilda had eight older siblings:

Family of Frederick, Prince of Wales painted in 1751 after the prince’s death; Credit – Wikipedia Front row: Henry, William, Frederick; Back row: Edward, George, Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales holding Caroline Matilda, Elizabeth, Louisa

The new princess was christened Caroline Matilda, Caroline after her late paternal grandmother Caroline of Ansbach and Matilda after her Norman and Angevin ancestors, on August 1, 1751, at Leicester House in London by Thomas Hayter, Bishop of Norwich.  She was called Caroline Matilda to avoid confusion with her paternal aunt, one of her godparents.

Caroline Matilda’s godparents:

Caroline Matilda, age three; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline Matilda, considered the most attractive of the four sisters, was educated with her elder sister by two years, Louisa. While Caroline Matilda loved being outdoors and riding, Louisa suffered from poor health and eventually died of tuberculosis at the age of 19. Caroline Matilda was well educated, as were all her siblings, and could speak French, German, and Italian. Her two eldest brothers George and Edward moved out of Leicester House to their own household when Caroline Matilda was five years old. Her sister Elizabeth, who also suffered from delicate health like Louisa, died in 1759 at the age of 18.

In 1760, Caroline Matilda’s grandfather King George II died and her brother succeeded to the throne as King George III. In 1764, her eldest sister Augusta married Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, and left for her new home. Certainly, Caroline Matilda knew that royal children did not marry for love and that only unmarried princesses such as her paternal aunts Princess Amelia and her godmother Princess Caroline stayed home in England. She certainly saw what it was like for Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, her brother George’s 17-year-old bride, when she arrived in England alone, terrified, and unable to speak English.

Caroline Matilda (seated) and her sister Louisa Credit – Wikipedia

Another of Caroline Matilda’s paternal aunts Princess Louisa had married King Frederik V of Denmark and Norway. Louisa had given birth to five children in five years before her death at age 27 due to complications from a miscarriage. In 1766, Caroline Matilda’s 17-year-old first cousin succeeded to the Danish throne as King Christian VII after the early death of his father. Since there was a connection between the British and Danish royal families and both families were Protestant, it was natural that a British bride should be sought for Christian. Even before the death of King Frederik V, negotiations for such a marriage were started. The preferred choice for a bride was initially Caroline Matilda’s sister Princess Louisa. However, when the Danish representative in London heard of her ill health, Caroline Matilda became the prospective bride. The betrothal was announced on January 10, 1765.

King Christian VII of Denmark and Norway, Credit – Wikipedia

On October 1, 1766, a proxy marriage was held at St. James’s Palace in London, with Caroline Matilda’s brother King George III standing in for King Christian VII. Fifteen-year-old Caroline Matilda soon left England for Denmark with a large contingent of attendants and servants. When she crossed the Danish border, Danish envoys sent her English attendants and servants back and replaced them with Danish ones. Caroline Matilda arrived in Copenhagen on November 8, 1766, and married Christian in person later that day in the Christiansborg Palace Chapel.

A copperplate engraving depicting the first dance of King Christian VII and Queen Caroline Mathilde at their wedding at Christiansborg Palace; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline Matilda and Christian had two children but probably, Christian was not the father of Louise Auguste.

Engraving of the newborn Crown Prince Frederik with his mother Queen Caroline Matilda; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Louise Auguste as a child; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline Matilda soon became a victim of the intrigues of Queen Dowager Juliana Maria, the second wife of Christian’s father, who coveted the succession for her son Frederik. Caroline Matilda also soon discovered that her husband was mentally ill. Christian was personable and intelligent as a child, but he was poorly educated and terrorized by a brutal governor, Christian Ditlev Reventlow, Count of Reventlow. It is unknown if Christian’s mental illness was caused by the brutal treatment of the Count of Reventlow, possible porphyria inherited from his Hanover mother, or schizophrenia. Christian’s behavior wandered into excesses, especially sexual promiscuity. He publicly declared that he could not love Caroline Matilda because it was “unfashionable to love one’s wife”. His symptoms included paranoia, self-mutilation, and hallucinations.

In May 1768, Christian VII took a long tour of Europe, including stays in Altona (now in Germany, then in Denmark), Paris, and London. The trip had been arranged because it was believed that new environments could change Christian’s behavior. On this journey, Christian became acquainted with the physician Johann Friedrich Struensee.  Struensee was the first person who understood that Christian was seriously ill.  When Christian came home from the trip, Struensee accompanied him and was employed as Christian’s personal physician. Struensee could handle Christian’s instability, which was a great relief to the king’s advisers, and Christian developed confidence in him.

Johann Friedrich Struensee; Credit – Wikipedia

Because of Christian’s confidence in him, Struensee gained political power. In 1770, Struensee became Master of Requests and Minister of the Royal Cabinet. He also became the lover of the ill-treated Caroline Matilda, whose marriage was less than satisfactory. When Caroline Matilda gave birth to her daughter Louise Auguste, no one doubted that Struensee was the father of the princess, who was given the unflattering nickname la petite Struensee, although Christian VII officially acknowledged her as his daughter. Eventually, Queen Dowager Juliana Maria maneuvered a coup that would bring about the fall of Struensee and discredit Caroline Matilda.

Early on the morning of January 17, 1772, following a ball at the court theater at Christiansborg Palace, Christian was awakened and forced to sign orders for the arrest of Struensee, his friend Count Enevold Brandt, and Caroline Matilda. Caroline Matilda was immediately taken to Kronberg Castle in Helsingør, Denmark, immortalized as Elsinore in William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, to await her fate. She was allowed to keep her daughter with her, but the four-year-old Crown Prince Frederik stayed with his father. Upon hearing of Caroline Matilda’s arrest, Struensee confessed to his relationship with her, and eventually, Caroline Matilda also confessed. Struensee and Brandt were condemned to death and both suffered brutal executions. In the presence of thousands of people, their right hands were severed first, then their bodies were broken on the wheel, and finally, they were beheaded.

Johann Friedrich Struensee and his companion Brandt are beheaded in Copenhagen on April 28, 1772; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline Matilda and Christian’s marriage was dissolved on April 6, 1772.  She lost her title of Queen and was forcibly separated from her children whom she never saw again. Caroline Matilda was not quite 20 years old. Originally, it was decided that Caroline Matilda was to be held in custody for life at Aalborghus Castle in Aalborg, Denmark, but her brother King George III intervened. King George III sent Sir Robert Murray Keith, a British diplomat, to negotiate her release from Danish imprisonment. On May 28, 1772, Caroline Matilda was sent to Celle in her brother’s Kingdom of Hanover and lived the rest of her life at Celle Castle.

Celle Castle; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline Matilda’s dowry was restored and she was able to live in comfort, but she missed her children terribly. Her imprisonment was not to last long. Caroline Matilda died of “a putrid fever and sore throat,” probably scarlet fever, on May 10, 1775, at the age of 23 at Celle Castle in Celle, Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, now in Lower Saxony, Germany. She was buried at the Stadtkirche St. Marien in Celle next to his great-grandmother Sophie Dorothea of Celle who suffered a similar fate.

Stadtkirche St. Marien in Celle, Germany; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline Matilda’s story was told in several novels including Norah Loft’s The Last Queen (1969) and Per Olov Enquist’s The Visit of the Royal Physician (1999) and also in the Danish film A Royal Affair (2012). Stella Tillyard also covers Caroline Matilda’s affair in her nonfiction book A Royal Affair: George III and His Scandalous Siblings (2006). King George III’s six daughters had very sheltered upbringings and they spent most of their time with their parents and each other. The living conditions of King George III’s daughters came to be known as “the Nunnery.” None of the daughters was allowed to marry at the age when most princesses would marry, and only three of the six daughters ever married. Perhaps this over-protection of King George III’s daughters was due to what happened to his sister Caroline Matilda when she married King Christian VII of Denmark.

The people of Celle raised money for a monument to Caroline Matilda which stands in the French Garden in Celle, now in Lower Saxony, Germany.

The Caroline Matilda Memorial in Celle; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited
“Caroline Matilda of Great Britain.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Sept. 2016. Web. 10 Sept. 2016.
“Christian VII of Denmark.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Aug. 2016. Web. 10 Sept. 2016.
Hadlow, Janice. A Royal Experiment. New York: Picador, 2014. Print.
“Johann Friedrich Struensee.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Aug. 2016. Web. 10 Sept. 2016.
Susan. “Sophia Dorothea of Celle, Electoral Princess of Hanover.” British Royals. Unofficial Royalty, 18 Dec. 2015. Web. 10 Sept. 2016.
Tillyard, Stella. A Royal Affair: George III and His Scandalous Siblings. New York: Random House, 2006. Print.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Princess Augusta of Wales, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Augusta of Wales, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on July 31, 1737, at St. James’ Palace in London, Princess Augusta of Wales was the eldest of the nine children of Frederick, Prince of Wales and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, Princess of Wales. Born during the reign of her grandfather King George II of Great Britain, Augusta was the elder sister of King George III, the mother of King George IV‘s wife Caroline of Brunswick, and the grandmother of their daughter Princess Charlotte of Wales.

True to the Hanoverian tradition, Augusta’s father Frederick, the eldest son, did not get along with his parents. When it was announced that the Princess of Wales was pregnant with her first child, Queen Caroline doubted that there was a pregnancy and then doubted that her son was the father. She told Robert Walpole, “At her labour I positively will be present. I will be sure it is her child.” Agreeing with Queen Caroline, King George II insisted that the birth should take place in their presence at Hampton Court Palace.

When the Princess of Wales went into labor in the middle of the night at Hampton Court Palace where King George I and Queen Caroline were in residence, Frederick insisted that Augusta endure a bumpy carriage ride back to St. James’ Palace in London to prevent his hated parents from being present at the birth. Of course, there was no preparation for the birth and there was a frantic search for napkins, tablecloths, and warming pans to be used during the baby’s delivery. The couple’s first child, Augusta, was born within an hour of her mother’s arrival at Hampton Court Palace. John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey saw Augusta within a few hours of her birth and described the infant as “a little rat of a girl about the bigness of a good large toothpick case.”

When Queen Caroline was told how tiny the new princess was, she conceded that Frederick was the father. Afterward, the king ordered them to leave St. James’ Palace and they moved to Kew Palace. The Queen paid a visit to Frederick and Augusta before they left St. James’ Palace and expressed a wish that she never see them again. Queen Caroline got her wish as she died several months later without reconciling with her son and daughter-in-law.

The infant princess was christened Augusta Frederica on August 29, 1737, at St James’ Palace by John Potter, Archbishop of Canterbury.  Her paternal grandparents were to be Augusta’s godparents, but neither came to the christening and both were represented by a proxy.

Augusta’s godparents were:

Augusta had eight younger siblings:

Family of Frederick, Prince of Wales painted in 1751 after the prince’s death; Credit – Wikipedia Front row: Henry, William, Frederick; Back row: Edward, George, Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales holding Caroline Matilda, Elizabeth, Louisa

The family of Frederick, Prince of Wales lived at Leicester House which stood on present-day Leicester Square in London. In 1751, when Augusta was 13, her father Frederick, Prince of Wales died, leaving a pregnant widow with eight children. King George II then created his grandson George Prince of Wales. Augusta was a rather boisterous child and not afraid to express her opinions. She loved music, acting, and dancing, and participated in amateur theatricals, a favorite pastime of the royal family.

Augusta at the age of 17 by Jean-Etienne Liotard, 1754; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 25, 1760, King George II died and his grandson became King George III at the age of 22. George’s choice for a wife fell upon an obscure German princess, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. On September 8, 1761, at 10 PM, George and Charlotte married in the Chapel Royal of St. James’ Palace. On September 22, 1761, their coronation was held at Westminster Abbey.

Around the same time, negotiations for a marriage between Augusta and Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel were being held. Augusta and Karl were both great-grandchildren of King George I of Great Britain, so they were second cousins. The negotiations were slow because Augusta’s mother, now The Dowager Princess of Wales, did not like the House of Brunswick. Finally, the marriage negotiations were settled and Karl came to England in January of 1764 to marry Augusta. Karl had a military career during the Seven Years’ War of 1756-63 serving in the Hanoverian Army of Observation under Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, Augusta’s paternal uncle. On January 16, 1764, Augusta and Karl were married at the Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace.

Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel by Gerrit Kamphuysen, 1763; Credit – Wikipedia

The couple had seven children:

Augusta with her firstborn son Karl by Angelica Kauffman, 1767; Credit – Wikipedia

In March 1780, Karl succeeded his father as reigning Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. By that time, Augusta and Karl had four sons and three surviving daughters. Three of the couple’s four sons suffered from disabilities. Their eldest son Karl was named heir apparent but suffered from a significant learning disability. However, he married Frederika of Orange-Nassau, daughter of William V, Prince of Orange, who remained devoted to him. He died childless at the age of 40, shortly before his father. The second son, Georg suffered from an even more severe learning disability than his elder brother. He never married, was declared incapacitated, and was excluded from the succession. The couple’s third son August was blind, was also excluded from the succession, and also never married. The fourth son Friedrich Wilhelm had no health or developmental issues and eventually succeeded his father, married, and had children.

Augusta’s son, Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel by Johann Christian August Schwartz, 1809; Credit – Wikipedia

Augusta never fully adapted to life in Brunswick nor was she well-liked.  Any popularity she had was damaged by the fact that her three eldest sons were born with handicaps. Although Augusta reported to her brother King George III that her marriage was happy, it was unhappy. Karl found Augusta dull and preferred to spend time with his mistresses.

In 1794, Augusta’s second daughter Caroline was chosen as a wife for her first cousin George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV). Caroline was rebellious and a tomboy who preferred playing with her brothers instead of with girls. She grew up not very educated in her mother Augusta’s uncultured court. Like many German princesses, she was brought up with no religious instruction to keep her options open for marriage to a prince of any religion. James Harris, 1st Earl of Malmesbury had been sent to Brunswick to escort Caroline to England. Lord Malmesbury was astounded by her behavior and personal hygiene, and he blamed Caroline’s mother Augusta.  He wrote about Caroline’s hygiene: “It is remarkable how on this point her education has been neglected, and how her mother, though an Englishwoman, was inattentive to it.” Nevertheless, Caroline and George were married on April 8, 1795, at the Chapel Royal, St. James’ Palace in London.

Caroline of Brunswick shortly before her wedding; Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage of Caroline of Brunswick and the future King George IV is one of the worst-ever royal marriages. Upon first seeing Caroline, George said to one of his attendants, “Harris, I am not well; pray get me a glass of brandy.” Caroline said George was fat and not as handsome as his portrait. It is doubtful that the couple spent more than a few nights together as husband and wife. Their only child, Princess Charlotte of Wales, was born nine months later. They found each other equally unattractive and never lived together or appeared in public together. Caroline was prevented from seeing her daughter. She eventually went to live abroad where she ran up debts and had lovers. Caroline returned to England when her husband George became king and he promptly started divorce proceedings. However, a parliamentary bill dissolving the marriage and stripping Caroline of her title of Queen failed. Caroline was turned away from Westminster Abbey during her husband’s coronation in 1821. She died a few weeks later and her remains were shipped back to her native Brunswick where she was buried at Brunswick Cathedral. The inscription on her tomb reads, “Here lies Caroline, the Injured Queen of England.”

Augusta and her husband Karl; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1806, when Prussia declared war on France during the Napoleonic Wars, 71-year-old Karl, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was appointed the commander-in-chief of the Prussian Army. Karl was mortally wounded at the Battle of Jena and died a few weeks later. Brunswick was occupied by the French and the widowed and nearly penniless Augusta escaped to Sweden with two of her sons and a widowed daughter-in-law. In 1807, Augusta’s brother King George III sent a British naval ship to transport his sister back home to England.

Augusta was reunited with her brother King George III at Windsor Castle, but her sister-in-law Queen Charlotte, whom she never got along with, was not so cordial. She lived at Montagu House in Blackheath, London with her daughter Caroline, Princess of Wales. Augusta got to know her granddaughter Princess Charlotte of Wales, who told her grandmother upon their first meeting “that she was the merriest old woman she ever saw.” In 1810, Augusta moved to a house on Hanover Square in London, and it was there that she died on March 23, 1813, at the age of 75. She was buried in the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor.

Works Cited
“Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 10 July 2016. Web. 25 Aug. 2016.
Fraser, Flora. Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. Print.
Hadlow, Janice. A Royal Experiment. New York: Picador, 2014. Print.
Hibbert, Christopher. George III. New York: Basic Books, 1998. Print.
“Princess Augusta of Great Britain.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Aug. 2016. Web. 25 Aug. 2016.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Princess Amelia of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Princess Amelia of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

Born twenty-one years after her eldest sibling, Princess Amelia was the sixth daughter and the youngest of the fifteen children of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. She was born on August 7, 1783, at Lower Lodge (now called Royal Lodge), in Windsor, England, the only child of George III not to be born at the Queen’s House (now Buckingham Palace).  Amelia was christened on September 18, 1783, in the Great Council Chamber at St. James’ Palace in London by John Moore, Archbishop of Canterbury.  She was named after her great-aunt, Princess Amelia, daughter of King George II. Her godparents were:

Princess Amelia in 1785 by John Hoppner; Credit – Wikipedia

Amelia had 14 siblings, but her brothers Octavius and Alfred both died shortly before her birth.

George III children

Queen Charlotte in 1779 with her 13 eldest children; Credit – http://www.royalcollection.org.uk

George III had dearly loved his son Octavius, who had died at age four just three months before Amelia’s birth. Although George still mourned Octavius, Amelia’s birth helped to raise his spirits. The three younger sisters, Mary, Sophia, and Amelia were educated together, spending much time with Charlotte de Montmollin, their new French governess, who taught the sisters French and exquisite needlework. Jane Gomm joined the sisters in 1786 as an English teacher and supervised the remainder of their education. Mary, Sophia, and Amelia lived much of the time apart from their parents, sometimes with the younger brothers at Kew Palace, but most often at Lower Lodge (now called Royal Lodge) at Windsor. The three younger sisters were much less disciplined than the three elder sisters. The artist John Singleton Copley discovered this when he painted Sophia, Mary, and Amelia with the family pets in 1785. The children, the dogs, and the parrots would not cooperate. Somehow Copley managed to finish the painting, but he then returned to historical painting and never painted another portrait. The Copley painting is below.

Left to right: Sophia, Amelia, and Mary, The Three Youngest Daughters of King George III by John Singleton Copley, 1785; Credit – Wikipedia

The living conditions of King George III’s daughters came to be known as “the Nunnery.” None of the daughters was allowed to marry at the age when most princesses would marry. Perhaps this over-protection of King George III’s daughters was due to what happened to his sister Caroline Matilda when she married King Christian VII of Denmark. Christian’s mental illness led to Caroline Matilda having an affair, being caught, the execution of her lover, her exile, and her early death from scarlet fever at age 23. The story was told in several novels including Per Olov Enquist’s The Visit of the Royal Physician (1999) and in the Danish film A Royal Affair (2012). Stella Tillyard also covers Caroline Matilda’s affair in her nonfiction book A Royal Affair: George III and His Scandalous Siblings (2006). Despite what happened to their aunt, the sisters longed to escape from “the Nunnery.”

Before King George’s first bout with what may have been porphyria in 1788, he had told his daughters that he would take them to Hanover to find husbands for them. Further bouts occurred in 1801 and 1804 and prevented talk of marriage for his daughters. Queen Charlotte feared that the subject of marriage, which had always bothered her husband, would push him back into insanity. She was stressed by her husband’s illness and wanted her daughters to remain close to her. The sisters – Charlotte, Augusta, Elizabeth, Mary, Sophia, and Amelia – continued to be over-protected and isolated which restricted them from meeting eligible suitors.

In 1798, 15-year-old Amelia developed a pain in her knee and was sent to the seaside town of Worthing for recovery. She wrote to her father, “Certainly the vapour and warm sea bath are of use and therefore I hope that I shall be able to assure you that I am better.” This was the beginning of the poor health that would plague Amelia for the rest of her short life. Amelia’s symptoms indicated tuberculosis, which usually affects the lungs, but can also affect the joints. Her pain was severe and she was determined not to complain and she had to endure painful, frightening treatments.

Limited in exposure to eligible men, Amelia and several of her sisters became involved with courtiers and equerries. In 1801, Amelia went to the seaside town of Weymouth to take a cure. Accompanying Amelia was Colonel The Honorable Charles Fitzroy, an equerry to King George III and a son of Charles FitzRoy, 1st Baron Southampton.  The name “Fitzroy” was often given to illegitimate children of British kings. Fitzroy was a great-great-great-grandson of King Charles II of England and his mistress Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland, through their son Henry Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Grafton.  While in Weymouth, the 18-year-old Amelia and Fitzroy, who was 21 years older, began an open romance despite the disapproval of her governess Jane Gomm. Amelia refused to hide the relationship, riding with Fitzroy and insisting on playing at his card table. Queen Charlotte learned of Amelia’s attraction to Fitzroy around 1803, but she kept it a secret from King George so he would not be upset. The Queen continually lectured Amelia about “this unpleasant business” which Amelia considered unforgivable.  She was determined to marry Fitzroy, but she knew the permission required by the Royal Marriages Act would never be given.

Princess Amelia by Andrew Robertson, 1807; Credit – Wikipedia

By 1810, Amelia was fatally ill with pulmonary tuberculosis. She was sent to the seaside at Weymouth on one last unsuccessful cure and returned in the autumn of 1810 when she was settled at Augusta Lodge at Windsor near her birthplace Lower Lodge (now Royal Lodge). Her father King George III visited her every day. Now in addition to tuberculosis, Amelia was suffering from erysipelas,  an acute skin infection. Before the advent of antibiotics, erysipelas frequently resulted in death. Amelia’s case of erysipelas was particularly severe with the rash literally from her head to her toes.

Amelia made a will and left all her clothing to her maid. She left everything else to Fitzroy with this note: “Should my cruel situation continue to separate our persons, be assured my heart is and long has been joined and united with yours. I live but for you, I love you with the purest affection, the greatest gratitude.” Amelia made one last attempt to marry Fitzroy when she asked her doctor to seek permission from her father to marry. The doctor, Sir Henry Halford, refused saying that it would “entail great wretchedness upon yourself and misery upon all the Royal Family for ages to come..this blow to the King’s peace of mind must be so heavy as to endanger the loss of His Majesty’s happiness but also of his health.” Amelia died on November 2, 1810, at the age of 27 with her sister Mary at her bedside. Mary wrote to Fitzroy, “My dear Fitzroy, Our beloved Amelia is no more but her last words to me were, ‘Tell Charles I die blessing him.'”

Amelia’s funeral occurred on November 13, 1810, at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor. Her sisters and mother, as was tradition, were not at her funeral, but her brothers “in floods of tears” attended as did Amelia’s ladies-in-waiting. Amelia was buried in the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel. Her death is partly credited to the decline in her father’s health which resulted in his final insanity and the Regency Act of 1811.

by and published by A & G Minasi, after Louisa Anne Beresford (nÈe Stuart), Marchioness of Waterford, stipple engraving, published 1811

Princess Amelia by and published by A & G Minasi, after Louisa Anne Byam, stipple engraving, published 1811 NPG D33325 © National Portrait Gallery, London

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited
Fraser, Flora. Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. Print.
Hibbert, Christopher. George III. New York: Basic Books, 1998. Print.
“Princess Amelia of the United Kingdom.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 30 July 2016. Web. 24 Aug. 2016.
Van Der Kiste, John. The Georgian Princesses. Phoenix Mill: Sutton Publishing, 2000. Print.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Prince Octavius of Great Britain

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Prince Octavius of Great Britain; Credit – Wikipedia

Note: Prince Octavius is “of Great Britain” because it was not until 1801, after his death, that his father’s title changed to “of the United Kingdom.”

Prince Octavius of Great Britain was born on February 23, 1779, at the Queen’s House (now Buckingham Palace) in London. He was the eighth son and the thirteenth of the fifteen children of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The prince’s name comes from the Latin for the number eight, octavus, as Octavius was his parents’ eighth son. Octavius was christened on March 23, 1779, in the Great Council Chamber at St. James’ Palace in London by Frederick Cornwallis, The Archbishop of Canterbury. His godparents were:

Octavius had fourteen siblings:

George III children

Queen Charlotte painted by Benjamin West in 1779 with her 13 eldest children, Octavius is the baby in this portrait; Photo Credit – http://www.royalcollection.org.uk

Octavius was a beautiful child and a favorite of his father. King George III’s elder sons (Octavius’ oldest brother George was 17 years older than him) were causing trouble, so King George enjoyed spending time with his younger children. He enjoyed giving them presents, attending their birthday parties, and arranging special outings. Sophia, who was two years older than Octavius, was very close to him and called him “my son.”

Prince Octavius by Benjamin West, 1783; Credit – Wikipedia

Smallpox, now eradicated, was a serious contagious disease that killed many and left many survivors scarred. The disease knew no class boundaries and royalty was as likely to suffer from it as the common folk. Smallpox was a leading cause of death in the 18th century. It killed an estimated 400,000 Europeans each year in the 18th century. By having their children inoculated against smallpox, King George III and Queen Charlotte were trying to protect them and starting down the long road that would eventually lead to the eradication of this terrible disease. During the 17th century, the British House of Stuart was greatly affected by smallpox.  King William III’s parents William II, Prince of Orange and Mary, Princess Royal (daughter of King Charles I) both died of smallpox as did King William III’s wife and co-ruler Queen Mary II.  Other Stuarts who died from smallpox were: Henry, Duke of Gloucester (son of King Charles I), Charles, Duke of Cambridge (son of King James II), and William, Duke of Gloucester (only surviving child of Queen Anne).  In addition, King Charles II, Henrietta (daughter of King Charles I), King William III, and Queen Anne all had smallpox and survived.

Before Edward Jenner developed the smallpox vaccine that contained the cowpox virus in 1796 and that ultimately led to the eradication of smallpox, there was another way to possibly prevent smallpox called variolation. First seen in China in the fifteenth century, live smallpox virus in the liquid from a smallpox blister in a mild case of the disease was put into a cut of a healthy person who developed a very mild case of smallpox. However, there was some risk in using a live virus. About 3% of those inoculated developed a severe case of smallpox and died but that was preferable to catching smallpox with its mortality rate of 20–40% and scarred survivors. In 1722, King George I allowed the inoculation of two of his grandchildren, the children of the Prince and Princess of Wales, and they survived.  The inoculation gained acceptance and was used until Edward Jenner developed his much safer vaccination using the cowpox virus instead of the smallpox virus.

Two of the 3% who died after receiving the smallpox inoculation were the two youngest sons of King George III, Prince Octavius and Prince Alfred. 19 months younger than Octavius, Prince Alfred was born on September 22, 1780. Alfred was probably a “blue baby” due to a heart defect and was always in delicate health.  In 1782, Alfred received the smallpox vaccination. However, Alfred did not recover as he should have. His face and his eyelids had eruptions from the smallpox inoculation and he had difficulty with breathing. The doctors agreed that he would survive for only a few weeks more which came as a great shock to his family. After suffering from prolonged bouts of fever, Alfred died on August 20, 1782, a month short of his second birthday. King George III said, “I am very sorry for Alfred, but if it had been Octavius, I should have died too.”

Less than a year later, Octavius and his sister Sophia had their smallpox inoculations. Sophia recovered without incident, but four-year-old Octavius became ill and died several days later, on May 3, 1783, at Kew Palace. King George III was heartbroken, “There will be no heaven for me, if Octavius is not there.” Little Octavius was the last member of the British Royal Family to suffer from smallpox. On May 10, 1783, Octavius was buried beside his brother Alfred at Westminster Abbey. Shortly after King George III died in 1820, Octavius and Alfred’s eldest brother, now King George IV, ordered their remains transferred from Westminster Abbey to the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle so they could rest in peace with their parents.

Prince Octavius meeting his brother Prince Alfred in heaven by Benjamin West, 1783; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited
Fraser, Flora. Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. Print.
“Lady Mary Wortley Montagu.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Aug. 2016. Web. 18 Aug. 2016.
“Prince Octavius of Great Britain.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 22 July 2016. Web. 18 Aug. 2016.
Van Der Kiste, John. The Georgian Princesses. Phoenix Mill: Sutton Publishing, 2000. Print.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Princess Sophia of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Princess Sophia of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

Known for giving birth to an illegitimate son, Princess Sophia of the United Kingdom was the fifth daughter and the twelfth of the fifteen children of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. She was born at the Queen’s House (now Buckingham Palace) in London, England on November 3, 1777. Sophia’s mother wrote to her brother Karl about the birth, “I was taken ill and delivered in the space of fifteen minutes.”

On December 1, 1777, she was christened Sophia Matilda in the Great Council Chamber at St. James’ Palace by Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury. Her godparents were:

Sophia at age 5 by Thomas Gainsborough, 1782; Credit – Wikipedia

Sophia had fourteen siblings:

George III children

Queen Charlotte painted by Benjamin West in 1779 with her 13 eldest children; Credit – http://www.royalcollection.org.uk

The three younger sisters, Mary, Sophia, and Amelia were educated together, spending much time with Charlotte de Montmollin, their new French governess, who taught the sisters French and needlework.  Jane Gomm joined the sisters in 1786 as an English teacher and then supervised the rest of their education.  Mary, Sophia, and Amelia lived much of the time apart from their parents sometimes with the younger brothers at Kew Palace, but most often at Lower Lodge (now called Royal Lodge) at Windsor.  The three younger sisters were much less disciplined than the three elder sisters. The artist John Singleton Copley discovered this when he painted Sophia, Mary, and Amelia with the family pets in 1785.  The children, the dogs, and the parrots would not cooperate. Somehow Copley managed to finish the painting, but he then returned to historical painting and never painted another portrait.  The Copley painting is below.

Left to right: Sophia, Amelia, and Mary, The Three Youngest Daughters of King George III by John Singleton Copley, 1785; Credit – Wikipedia

Sophia was the favorite of many of her tutors and attendants and considered the cleverest of the sisters. As a child, she showed amazing sympathy for the less fortunate. She listened carefully when her father read newspaper articles aloud at the breakfast table. One day when she had been told about prisons and the situation of prisoners, she offered to give all her allowance to buy bread for the prisoners. Her parents were so touched that they agreed to contribute additional money.

Sophia’s childhood was very sheltered, spending most of her time with her parents and sisters. The living conditions of King George’s daughters came to be known as “the Nunnery.” None of the daughters was allowed to marry at the age when most princesses would marry. Perhaps this over-protection of King George III’s daughters was due to what happened to his sister Caroline Matilda when she married King Christian VII of Denmark. Christian’s mental illness led to Caroline Matilda having an affair, being caught, the execution of her lover, her exile, and her early death from scarlet fever at age 23. The story was told in several novels including Per Olov Enquist’s The Visit of the Royal Physician (1999) and in the Danish film A Royal Affair (2012). Stella Tillyard also covers Caroline Matilda’s affair in her nonfiction book A Royal Affair: George III and His Scandalous Siblings (2006). Despite what happened to their aunt, the sisters longed to escape from “the Nunnery.”

Before King George’s first bout with what probably was porphyria in 1788, he had told his daughters that he would take them to Hanover to find husbands. Further bouts occurred in 1801 and 1804 and prevented talk of marriage for his daughters. Queen Charlotte feared that the subject of marriage, which had always bothered her husband, would push him back into insanity. She was stressed by her husband’s illness and wanted her daughters to remain close to her. The sisters – Charlotte, Augusta, Elizabeth, Mary, Sophia, and Amelia – continued to be over-protected and isolated which restricted them from meeting eligible suitors.

In December of 1800, Sophia wrote a rather cryptic letter to Elizabeth Harcourt, wife of George Harcourt, 2nd Earl Harcourt, who was one of her mother’s ladies of the bedchamber: “…the excessive kindness of your manner has, I assure you, greatly soothed my distressed and unhappy days & hours…It is grievous to think what a little trifle will slur a young woman’s character forever. I do not complain, I submit patiently, & promise to strive to regain mine, which, however imprudent I have been, has I assure you been injured unjustly.” It seems that this referred to Sophia’s affair with Major-General Thomas Garth.

With limited exposure to eligible men, Sophia and several sisters became involved with courtiers and equerries.  Major-General Thomas Garth, an equerry to King George III, was 56 years old, 33 years older than Sophia, and had a large purple birthmark that disfigured his face. Sophia and Garth were allegedly lovers during the winter of 1799 at Windsor Castle, resulting in a pregnancy. In the summer of 1800, Sophia went to the seaside town of Weymouth, a holiday destination for the royal family, pretending to be suffering from dropsy.

Apparently, on August 5, 1800, Sophia gave birth to a son in Weymouth who was christened at the parish church on August 11, 1800. He is listed in the parish register as “Thomas Ward, stranger,” stranger meaning foundling, and adopted by Samuel and Charlotte Sharland. Samuel Sharland was a local tailor and a colonel in the Weymouth Volunteers. Eventually, Major-General Garth adopted the boy, renamed him Thomas Garth (Tommy), paid for his education at Harrow School, made him his heir, and helped him in an army career in the 15th The King’s Hussars, his old regiment. Later, defamatory rumors circulated that the child’s father was Sophia’s brother Prince Ernest, Duke of Cumberland. Legend has it that when King George III noticed that Sophia was gaining weight, he was told it was caused by eating roast beef and was later cured by sea-bathing.

Painting of Sophia commissioned by The Prince of Wales by Sir William Beechey, 1797; Credit – Wikipedia

Sophia’s eldest sister Charlotte, Princess Royal had married at age 31, the earliest age of the three sisters who married. George, Prince of Wales (future King George IV) felt sympathetic to the plight of his sisters in “the Nunnery.” Sophia lived with her mother until she died in 1818. George’s efforts to help his sisters led to the marriages of Mary and Elizabeth. After Queen Charlotte died in 1818, George allowed Augusta and Sophia their domestic freedom, although it was too late for them to marry. From her mother, Sophia inherited Lower Lodge at Windsor Great Park, which she gave to her brother George. Sophia lived at Kensington Palace after the death of her mother, next to her niece Princess Victoria of Kent, the future Queen Victoria. As a result, Sophia was one of the few paternal relatives that Victoria often saw.

In the early 1830s, Sophia’s eyesight began to cause her problems. By 1832, she had lost sight in her right eye. However, Sophia remained in good spirits and continued to ride and play music. On June 20, 1837, Sophia’s brother King William IV died and her niece Victoria became Queen. Sophia wrote to Victoria, “My dear Victoria, The awful day is arrived which calls you to fill the most exalted and important station in our country.”  Sophia had to move from Kensington Palace as that part of the palace needed to be renovated. Her new home was York Place in Vicarage House, adjacent to Kensington Palace. Unfortunately, the sight in her good eye, the left one, was also diminishing. By December of 1837, Sophia’s eyesight had completely failed. By 1838, she could only see light when she was outdoors. Her friend Frances, Baroness Bunsen described Sophia as “never complaining, always cheerful, talking of the many blessings she had to be thankful for.”

by Thomas Fairland, after Sir William Charles Ross, lithograph, circa 1840s

Princess Sophia by Thomas Fairland, after Sir William Charles Ross, lithograph, circa 1840s, NPG D33323 © National Portrait Gallery, London

After Victoria became Queen and moved to Buckingham Palace, Sophia and Victoria continued to correspond. In January 1846, Queen Victoria and her five-year-old daughter Victoria, Princess Royal paid a luncheon visit to Sophia. Queen Victoria noted in her diary that they found, “a sad sufferer and a complete cripple, unable to move, and quite blind. In spite of it all, she is quite cheerful. She was much pleased at my bringing Vicky who was civil and good.” In January 1848, Sophia’s brother Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge reported to Queen Victoria that Sophia was “in a precarious state and, I fear, sinking…she seems herself not to wish to live on.” On February 14, 1848, Queen Victoria made a visit to Sophia and found her “much altered. She is nearly bent double, and very much wasted, and her voice is very feeble.”

On the morning of May 27, 1848, Sophia’s family was warned that the end was near. She was visited by her sister Mary, her sister-in-law Queen Adelaide, and her nephew-in-law Prince Albert. She died later that evening at the age of 70, with her sister Mary and her sisters-in-law Duchesses of Kent and Cambridge present. Two days after her death, Sophia’s banker brought a letter to Queen Victoria in which Sophia stated she wished to be buried in Kensal Green Cemetery in Kensal Green, London close to where her brother Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex had been buried, and that she wished her funeral to be as private as possible. Her funeral was private and she was temporarily laid to rest in the cemetery’s vault while a tomb was built. A year later, Sophia’s remains were transferred to the tomb.

Princess Sophia’s tomb at Kensal Green Cemetery; Photo Credit – Von Perseus1984 – Eigenes Werk, CC-BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49670156

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited
Fraser, Flora. Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. Print.
“Princess Sophia of the United Kingdom.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 17 July 2016. Web. 18 Aug. 2016.
Van Der Kiste, John. The Georgian Princesses. Phoenix Mill: Sutton Publishing, 2000. Print.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, Duchess of Teck

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, Duchess of Teck; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge was a male-line grandchild of King George III of the United Kingdom, a first cousin of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and the mother of Mary of Teck, wife of King George V of the United Kingdom. Through her daughter Mary (known as May), Mary Adelaide is the great-grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and an ancestor of the members of the House of Windsor. Princess Mary Adelaide, the youngest of the three children of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (the seventh son and tenth child of King George III and Queen Charlotte) and Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel. She was born on November 27, 1833, at Cambridge House in the Kingdom of Hanover where her father served as Viceroy of Hanover for his brothers King George IV and King William IV, who were also Kings of Hanover.

The infant princess was christened on January 9, 1834, at Cambridge House in Hanover by Reverend John Ryle Wood, chaplain to her father. She was named Mary Adelaide Wilhelmina Elizabeth for her godparents. Her godparents were:

Mary Adelaide had an older brother and an older sister:

Upon the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837, Mary Adelaide’s family returned to England. Because Hanover followed the Salic Law which allowed only male succession through the male line, Queen Victoria could not become Hanover’s monarch and the Kingdom of Hanover separated from the British crown. Queen Victoria’s eldest surviving paternal uncle, Prince Ernest Augustus, became King of Hanover, and he moved to his new kingdom.

In 1838, the Duke of Cambridge’s family made their permanent residence at Cambridge Cottage in Kew Gardens. It had been purchased from John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute who had helped Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, the Dowager Princess of Wales (mother of King George III) create Kew Gardens.  In 1806, King George III settled the Cambridge Cottage on his youngest surviving son Adolphus Frederick, Duke of Cambridge.  From 1839 – 1843, Cambridge Cottage was remodeled and extended to form the building it is today.

In 1850, Mary Adelaide’s father Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, died. By this time both Mary Adelaide’s siblings, who were much older, had married. The Duchess of Cambridge continued to live at Cambridge Cottage with Mary Adelaide. When the Duchess died in 1889, her son George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge, moved into the Cottage with his wife and lived there until his own death in 1904. He had no legitimate male heirs so the title Duke of Cambridge became extinct and King Edward VII presented Cambridge Cottage to Kew Gardens. Today Cambridge Cottage is used for weddings and other events.

Cambridge cottage from Kinloch-Cooke 1900 2

Cambridge Cottage; Credit – www.regencyhistory.net

In 1851, 17-year-old Mary Adelaide made her social debut at the official opening of the Great Exhibition which Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert had helped organize. Soon the Duchess of Cambridge and Mary Adelaide were enjoying the social events in London. They also gave receptions and parties at Cambridge Cottage and lived a genial and happy existence in contrast to the more formal atmosphere of Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. For the next fifteen years, Mary Adelaide and her mother led a very active social life.

Princess Augusta Wilhelmina Louisa, Duchess of Cambridge; Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck by Camille Silvy, albumen carte-de-visite, 9 October 1860 NPG Ax46799 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Princess Mary Adelaide weighed approximately 250 pounds and was affectionately known as “Fat Mary.” Her first cousin Queen Victoria wrote of her, “Her size is fearful. It is really a misfortune.” Because of her large size, many members of her family considered her unmarriageable. Mary Adelaide, however, was high-spirited and full of life and was adored by the Victorian public who called her “The People’s Princess.” After failed marriage prospects with Prince Oscar of Sweden (the future King Oscar II of Sweden) and others, a suitable candidate was eventually found in Württemberg, Prince Francis of Teck.

His Serene Highness Prince Francis of Teck was the product of a morganatic marriage. Prince Francis’ father, Duke Alexander of Württemberg, was once heir to the throne of Württemberg. However, Duke Alexander contracted a morganatic marriage (marriage to a person of a lower rank) to a Hungarian countess, Claudine Rhedey. Alexander lost his rights to the throne and his children lost the right to use the Württemberg name. Francis’ cousin King Karl of Württemberg eventually elevated him to the more important Germanic title of Duke of Teck. “Fat” Mary Adelaide (age 33) and genealogically-tainted Francis (age 29) married on June 12, 1866, at St. Anne’s Church in Kew in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.

Mary Adelaide and Francis with their first child, Princess Victoria Mary of Teck,; Credit – Wikipedia

The couple had four children:

During World War I in 1917, when British royals were anglicizing names and titles, Adolphus became the Marquess of Cambridge and Alexander became the Earl of Athlone. Both Adolphus and Alexander adopted the surname Cambridge.

Mary Adelaide with her children by Alexander Bassano, half-plate glass negative, circa 1884 NPG x96004 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Mary Adelaide and Francis had a happy marriage but had chronic financial problems due to Mary Adelaide’s extravagance and generosity. Queen Victoria gave them an apartment at Kensington Palace where their four children were born. In 1883, the Tecks fled from their creditors to the European continent where it was cheaper to live. The family lived with various relatives in Europe and eventually settled down in Florence, Italy. The Tecks returned from Italy in 1885 and continued to live at Kensington Palace and White Lodge in Richmond Park. Mary Adelaide devoted her life to charity, serving as the first royal patron of Barnardo’s, a charity still in existence, founded by Thomas Barnardo in 1866 to care for vulnerable children and young people. Barnardo’s has a long history of royal patrons and presidents including Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary (Mary Adelaide’s daughter), Queen Elizabeth II, Diana, Princess of Wales, and Queen Camilla.

Mary Adelaide, circa 1880; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Mary Adelaide wanted her daughter May to marry one of the sons of The Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII).  Prince Albert Victor, known as Prince Eddy, was the Prince of Wales’ eldest son and therefore, second in the line of succession. Eddy was backward and lazy. He was an apathetic student and received very little education. He was primarily interested in pursuing pleasure which often led him into trouble. His lack of concentration on anything serious caused great concern in his family. Eddy’s family decided that finding a suitable wife might help correct his attitude and behavior. It was at this time that, unbeknownst to her, May was considered the most suitable bride for Eddy. Eddy offered no resistance to this suggestion. May had been brought up to revere the monarchy and to be proud that she was a member of the British Royal Family. The fact that May’s father was a product of a morganatic marriage could have presented difficulties for her in the marriage market. Despite Eddy’s shortcomings, May felt it was her duty to marry him. The engagement was announced on December 6, 1891, and the wedding was set for February 27, 1892.

Amid the wedding preparations, Eddy developed a high fever on January 7, 1892. Two days later, his lungs became inflamed and pneumonia was diagnosed. On the morning of January 14, 1892, Eddy died, surrounded by his parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, his brother George, his sisters Louise, Victoria, and Maud, his fiancée May, and her mother the Duchess of Teck. Eddy’s funeral was held at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor where he is buried in the Albert Memorial Chapel. May’s wedding bouquet of orange blossoms lay on his coffin.

After the death of Prince Eddy, May and Eddy’s brother George, who replaced his brother as the second in the line of succession to the throne, spent much time together. As time passed and their common grief eased, there was hope that a marriage might take place between them. George proposed to May on April 29, 1893. The engagement was announced on May 3, 1893, with the blessing of Queen Victoria. May and George were married on July 6, 1893, at the Chapel Royal, St. James’ Palace in London.

George and May on their wedding day; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary Adelaide’s dream was fulfilled. Her only daughter would one day be Queen of the United Kingdom. After the marriage of her daughter, Mary Adelaide’s health declined. She dreadfully missed May. Queen Victoria wrote: “What Mary will do without May, I cannot think, for she is her right hand.” Mary Adelaide lived long enough to see May’s first three children: the future King Edward VIII, the future King George VI, and the future Mary, Princess Royal. She was a godmother of the future King Edward VIII and the future Mary, Princess Royal.

By the summer of 1896, Mary Adelaide’s health was worsening. In April 1897, she had a serious emergency operation, but she made a quick recovery that allowed her to participate in Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee celebration on June 22, 1897. On October 25, 1897, May noted in her diary, “Mama was not quite well.” The next day, the doctors decided that another emergency operation was necessary. Two hours after the operation was completed, Mary Adelaide died from heart failure at the age of 63. Mary Adelaide was buried in the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor. Her husband Francis, Duke of Teck died on January 20, 1900, and was buried with his wife.

Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck, 3 July 1897; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited
2016, Barnardo’s. Barnardos links between Barnardo’s children charity and royalty. 2016. Web. 17 Aug. 2016.
Pope-Hennessy, James. Queen Mary. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1960. Print.
“Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 28 June 2016. Web. 17 Aug. 2016.
Unofficial Royalty. Wedding of George V and Princess May of Teck. Unofficial Royalty, 16 Aug. 2016. Web. 17 Aug. 2016.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge was a male-line grandson of King George III, a first cousin of Queen Victoria, and the maternal uncle of Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, the wife of King George V. In addition, he made a marriage in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act 1772. George was born on March 26, 1819, at Cambridge House in the Kingdom of Hanover where his father was serving as Viceroy of Hanover. He was the only son and the eldest of the three children of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge and Augusta of Hesse-Kassel.

Prince George was born amidst the race for an heir to the British throne in the third generation. The death of Princess Charlotte of Wales in childbirth in 1817 left King George III without any legitimate grandchildren. Prince George was born two months before the eventual heir, Alexandrina Victoria (Queen Victoria), who was ahead of her cousin in the line of succession by being the child of King George III’s fourth son. George was the son of King George III’s seventh son. The baby prince was christened George William Frederick Charles on May 11, 1819, at Cambridge House in Hanover by Reverend John Stanford, chaplain to his father.

His godparents were:

George had two younger sisters:

by Camille Silvy, albumen carte-de-visite, 9 October 1860

George’s mother and youngest sister, Princess Augusta Wilhelmina Louisa, Duchess of Cambridge; Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck by Camille Silvy, albumen carte-de-visite, 9 October 1860 NPG Ax46799 © National Portrait Gallery, London

George received his early education from tutors in Hanover and then, beginning in 1830, from Reverand J. R. Wood, a canon of Worcester Cathedral. Like his father, George had a career in the army, starting as a colonel in the Hanoverian army when he was 18 years old, and then as a brevet colonel in the British army. George saw action in the Crimean War (1853-1856) and participated in the Battle of the Alma, Battle of Balaclava, Battle of Inkerman, and at the Siege of Sevastopol.

He held the following positions in the British army:

  • 1842–1852: Colonel of the 17th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons (Lancers)
  • 1852–1861: Colonel of the Scots Fusilier Guards
  • 1856–1895: Commander-in-Chief of the Forces
  • 1861–1904: Colonel of the Grenadier Guards
  • 1856: Promoted to General
  • 1862: Promoted to Field Marshal

As Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, George took a traditional view and was very reluctant to changing promotions from being based on social position to being based on merit. The armies of Germany and France were prodigious in the amount of military research and writing they produced, while the British army did very little. As a result, the British Army was not progressing and advancing as were other European armies. George did institute some reforms: the establishment of the Staff College and the Royal Military School of Music, the promotion of a plan of annual military maneuvers, and a restriction of corporal punishment. Following the defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), Prime Minister William Gladstone and Secretary of State for War Edward Cardwell called for major reforms in the British Army. A number of reforms were instituted, many of which George was against. This disagreement occurred over a long period and George resisted pressure to resign for several years until Queen Victoria advised him to resign his position as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in 1895.

George in 1855; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1840, George met an actress, Sarah Louisa Fairbrother, known as Louisa, born in 1816 in London, and the daughter of a servant. In 1832, despite her parents’ opposition, Louisa started an acting career at the Drury Lane Theater in London and developed a reputation as a pantomime actress. She also appeared in plays at the Lyceum, Royal Opera House, and Covent Garden Theatre, all in London. In 1839, Louisa gave birth to a son Charles Manners Sutton Fairbrother, who was probably the son of Charles Manners-Sutton, 2nd Viscount Canterbury.

It is known that Louisa and George first met on February 10, 1840, the wedding day of his first cousin Queen Victoria, because George recorded the meeting in his diary. George had been considered by Victoria’s predecessor King William IV as a potential husband for his niece Victoria but instead Victoria married another first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. In 1841, Louisa gave birth to a daughter Louisa Catherine, It is thought that Louisa Catherine was the daughter of an army officer Thomas Bernard of Castle Bernard, in Kinnitty, County Offaly, Ireland. However, Louisa Catherine used the name FitzGeorge and was present at George’s death. Louisa definitely gave birth to two sons of George in 1843 and 1847. While pregnant with her second son, Louisa married George on January 8, 1847, at St. John Clerkenwell in London.

by Richard James Lane, printed by JÈrÈmie Graf, published by John Mitchell, after Alfred Edward Chalon, lithograph, published December 1839

Louisa Fairbrother (‘Mrs FitzGeorge’) as Columbine by Richard James Lane, printed by Jérémie Graf, published by John Mitchell, after Alfred Edward Chalon, lithograph, published December 1839 NPG D22385 © National Portrait Gallery, London

In 1772, the Royal Marriages Act was passed because two brothers of King George III had made marriages that the King considered very unsuitable. The Royal Marriages Act said that no descendant of King George II, other than the issue of princesses who had married into foreign families, could marry without the consent of the sovereign. In addition, any member of the Royal Family over the age of 25 who had been refused the sovereign’s consent could marry one year after giving notice to the Privy Council of their intention to marry unless both houses of Parliament declared their disapproval. Any marriage in contravention of the act was void, and any children would be illegitimate and not have any succession rights. A member of the Royal Family who contracted such a marriage would not lose his or her place in the succession. George and Louisa’s marriage was in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act, any children born of the marriage would be considered illegitimate, and Louisa would be unable to be styled and titled as befitted the wife of George. Louisa was first known as Mrs. Fairbrother and later as Mrs. FitzGeorge. Her existence was ignored by Queen Victoria. In 1850, George’s father died and George became the 2nd Duke of Cambridge.

Sarah Louisa Fairbrother as Abdullah in Open Sesame, staged in 1844; Credit – Wikipedia

George and Louisa’s three sons:

George provided Louisa and her children with a house at 6 Queen Street in the Mayfair section of London, close to where George lived at Gloucester House in the Piccadilly section of London. However, George continued to have affairs. Louisa died at her Queen Street home on January 12, 1890, at the age of 73. She was buried in the mausoleum George had built for them at Kensal Green Cemetery in Kensal Green, London, England.

Prince George, Duke of Cambridge, 1883; Credit – Wikipedia

George’s health began to fail as he grew older. He had hearing loss and his strength and physical stamina diminished. George attended the funeral of his cousin Queen Victoria in 1901 but had to ride in a carriage instead of riding on a horse as he wished. On March 17, 1904, Prince George, Duke of Cambridge died at his home, Gloucester House, aged 84. After a funeral service at Westminster Abbey on March 22, 1904, George was buried next to Louisa in the mausoleum at Kensal Green Cemetery. Because George’s sons were illegitimate, his title Duke of Cambridge became extinct. 107 years later, the title Duke of Cambridge was created for Prince William, his father’s great great great great grandson, on the occasion of William’s wedding.

Duke of Cambridge’s mausoleum; Credit – Wikipedia

Works Cited
“Prince George, Duke of Cambridge.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 21 July 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2016.
“Sarah Louisa Fairbrother.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 28 May 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2016.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex is infamously known for making two marriages in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act 1772.  He was born at the Queen’s House (now Buckingham Palace) in London, England on January 27, 1773, the sixth son and the ninth of the fifteen children of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. On February 25, 1773, he was christened Augustus Frederick in the Great Council Chamber at St. James’s Palace by Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury. His godparents were:

Augustus had fourteen siblings:

George III children

Queen Charlotte painted by Benjamin West in 1779 with her 13 eldest children; Credit – http://www.royalcollection.org.uk

Augustus and his siblings were raised by their governess Lady Charlotte Finch who served the Royal Family for over 30 years. Lady Charlotte supervised the royal nursery and was responsible for the princes’ education until they lived in their own households and for the princesses until they turned 21. After leaving the nursery, Augustus lived in a household with his brothers Ernest and Adolphus near the royal residence Kew Palace, where the three brothers were educated by private tutors. In 1786, Ernest, Adolphus, and Augustus were sent to the University of Göttingen in the Electorate of Hanover under the supervision of Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, a mathematics and physics professor.

Augustus by Thomas Gainsborough, 1782; Credit -Wikipedia

Augustus suffered from asthma and because of that, a military career was considered inappropriate. He was quite ill during the summer of 1790 and was confined to his room for five weeks. His doctors advised him to avoid the winter in England, so in December 1790, he began a journey through southern France and Italy, which would last a few years. On his travels, Augustus met a young Englishman who had also attended the University of Göttingen, Josiah Dornford. Dornford’s father was active in prison reform and this young man’s liberal views influenced Augustus.

In August 1791, Augustus was still traveling through France and Italy. At that time, he considered becoming a cleric in the Church of England and so he wrote to his father: “…at a moment when in some measure the Church of England is attacked, nothing can give it more strength than your Majesty’s giving one of your sons a place in it.” King George III never answered Augustus’ letter, and so he continued wandering around Europe, becoming more and more restless.

Augustus by French painter Louis Gauffier, 1793; Credit – Wikipedia

Augustus went to Rome in November 1792, where there was a group of English aristocrats living abroad. He met Lady Augusta Murray, exactly five years older than him to the day, the daughter of John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore and Lady Charlotte Stewart, daughter of Alexander Stewart, 6th Earl of Galloway. Lord Dunmore had been Governor of the Province of New York, Governor of the Province of Virginia, and Royal Governor of the Bahamas. Augustus fell passionately in love with Augusta.

Lady Augusta Murray; Credit – Wikipedia

In January 1793, Augustus once again wrote to his father: “…should your Majesty think my presence of any use at this moment in England you have only to order…”, and once again, King George III did not answer. Frustrated and bored, Augustus felt his life had no direction. He proposed marriage to Augusta without the knowledge of anyone in the Royal Family. In 1772, the Royal Marriages Act was passed because two brothers of King George III had made marriages that the King considered very unsuitable. The Royal Marriages Act said that no descendant of King George II, other than the issue of princesses who had married into foreign families, could marry without the consent of the sovereign. In addition, any member of the Royal Family over the age of 25 who had been refused the sovereign’s consent could marry one year after giving notice to the Privy Council of their intention to so marry unless both houses of Parliament declared their disapproval. Any marriage in contravention of the act was void, and any children would be illegitimate and not have any succession rights. A member of the Royal Family who contracted such a marriage would not lose his or her place in the succession. Augustus was only 20 years old and needed his father’s permission to marry.

At first, Augusta refused Augustus’ proposal because of the situation their marriage would place Augustus regarding the Royal Marriages Act. However, this only fueled Augustus’ passion and he would not take “no” for an answer to his proposal. On April 4, 1793, after Augusta’s mother had left the Hotel Sarmiento for the evening, where they were staying in Rome, Augustus and a Church of England cleric entered the hotel. The marriage ceremony was performed without witnesses and all three swore to keep it secret, although Augusta’s mother was told. In August 1793, Augustus was recalled to England because his governor, who had no idea that a marriage had taken place, alerted Augustus’ parents that he was forming a dangerous relationship. Augusta and her mother followed him back to England, and Augustus continued visiting them in their London home. By this time, Augusta was pregnant.

During the autumn of 1793, banns of marriage for a Mr. Augustus Frederick and a Miss Augusta Murray were read at St. George’s, Hanover Square, in London without suspicion of the couple’s true identities. On December 5, 1793, a very pregnant Miss Augusta Murray and Mr. Augustus Frederick were married at the church. The bride explained that they had been married in Italy when the groom was underage and that they wanted to be remarried in England. On January 13, 1794, Augusta gave birth to a boy, named after his father Augustus Frederick.

The marriage greatly angered King George III and was declared null and void in August 1794. Despite this, Augustus and Augusta continued to live together. A daughter named Augusta Emma was born in London on August 11, 1801. The two children, deemed illegitimate, used the last name D’Este as both their parents were descendants of the House of Este.

In 1801, some kind of deal was brokered and Augustus and Augusta separated. Augustus was created Duke of Sussex, Earl of Inverness, and Baron Arklow and received a parliamentary grant of £12,000. Augusta retained custody of the children and received £4,000 a year. On March 5, 1830, Augusta died at the age of 62 in Ramsgate, Kent, England. Augustus was saddened at her death: “When one looks back to events of thirty-seven years ago one cannot do it without a sigh.”

Augustus Duke of Sussex 2

Augustus, Duke of Sussex, 1812; Credit – Royal Collection Trust/© His Majesty King Charles III

Augustus and Augusta’s son, Augustus Frederick D’Este was an active member of the Aborigines Protection Society and was particularly interested in Native Americans. He was also the earliest recorded person for whom a definite diagnosis of multiple sclerosis can be made. The diagnosis was made in 1948 after the discovery of the diaries he kept for 22 years detailing his symptoms. He never married, probably due to his illness, and died in 1848 at the age of 54.

The couple’s daughter Augusta Emma D’Este married Thomas Wilde, 1st Baron Truro, but their marriage was childless. Like her father, she suffered from asthma and spent time in the warmer climates of Europe to ease her symptoms. Augusta kept in touch with her father and spent time at court attending Queen Adelaide, the wife of her uncle King William IV. She died in 1866 at the age of 65.

Augusta Emma D’Este; Credit – Wikipedia

After the death of Augusta in 1830, Augustus married again in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act. He had become friendly with a widow Lady Cecilia Buggin.  Lady Cecilia was the eldest daughter of Arthur Gore, 2nd Earl of Arran and Elizabeth Underwood. Augustus and Cecilia married at Great Cumberland Place in London, on May 2, 1831. Because marriage was not considered legal, Cecilia could not take the style and title Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex, so instead, she assumed the surname Underwood, her mother’s maiden name, and was known as Lady Cecilia Underwood. The couple lived at Augustus’ apartments in Kensington Palace.

Cecilia Underwood, Duchess of Inverness; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1837, Augustus’ niece succeeded to the throne as Queen Victoria. Neither Victoria’s mother nor Lord Melbourne, her mentor and first Prime Minister, had anything positive to say about her uncles, but Augustus had always been genuinely fond of his niece. Queen Victoria gave Augustus the respect she knew was due to him. She appointed him Grand Master of the Order of the Bath. Augustus was also given the honor to move the Address to the Throne in the House of Lords at the first session of a new parliament in the new reign. At Queen Victoria’s coronation, Augustus received the biggest ovation from the crowd of all Victoria’s aunts and uncles on their way to and from Westminster Abbey.

Augustus, Duke of Sussex; Credit – Royal Collection Trust/© His Majesty King Charles III

However, Augustus’ biggest honor was yet to come. Victoria requested that Lord Melbourne write to Augustus to ask if he would give her away at her marriage to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha “as her nearest relation in this country and one who stands in the place of a Father.” Augustus was overjoyed to accept and sobbed emotionally throughout the wedding ceremony. As a token of her gratitude, Queen Victoria created Augustus’ wife Cecilia Duchess of Inverness in her own right in 1840. The protocol had created problems with Cecilia’s precedence at court, and from then on these problems would be resolved. In 1841, Augustus was one of the godparents at the christening of Queen Victoria’s first child, Victoria, Princess Royal.

Queen Victoria’s wedding, Augustus is wearing the black cap, standing to the right of Queen Victoria; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 21, 1843, Augustus died from erysipelas at the age of 70 with his brother Adolphus and his wife Cecilia at his bedside. Because Augustus feared that Cecilia would not be allowed to be buried in the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, he left instructions that he be buried at Kensal Green Cemetery in Kensal Green, London, England, where he was buried in front of the main chapel, opposite the tomb of his sister Princess Sophia. His wife Cecilia continued to live at Kensington Palace and survived him by 30 years, dying on August 1, 1873, at the age of 88. She was buried next to Augustus at Kensal Green Cemetery.

Grave of Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited
“Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 21 July 2016. Web. 13 Aug. 2016.
“Lady Augusta Murray.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 28 May 2016. Web. 13 Aug. 2016.
“Cecilia Underwood, Duchess of Inverness.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 28 May 2016. Web. 13 Aug. 2016.
Van Der Kiste, John. George III’s Children. Trowbridge: Alan Sutton Publishing Limited, 1999. Print.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.