Category Archives: British Royals

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 lead to the eradication of smallpox, there was another way to possibly prevent smallpox called variolation and it was first seen in China in the fifteenth century. Live smallpox virus in the liquid taken 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, after the inoculation, 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, 1867; 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 the shortcomings Eddy had, 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 had 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 English man 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.

King George III was greatly angered by the marriage, and it was declared null and void in August 1794. Despite this, Augustus and Augusta continued to live together. Another child, a daughter named Augusta Emma, was born in London on August 11, 1801. The two children, who were 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 the couple 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.

Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Hanover, Duchess of Cumberland

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Hanover, Duchess of Cumberland; Credit – Wikipedia

Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was the wife of her first cousin King Ernst August I of Hanover. Through her two previous marriages, she was also a Princess of Prussia and a Princess of Solms-Braunfels. She was born on March 3, 1778, at the Altes Palais in Hanover,  Electorate of Hanover, now in the German state of Lower Saxony, where her father – the future Carl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – was serving as Governor of Hanover for his brother-in-law, King George III of the United Kingdom who was also the Elector of Hanover. Her mother was Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt.

Friederike was christened on March 15, 1778, and given the names Friederike Caroline Sophie Alexandrine. She had nine siblings:

Friederike’s mother died in May 1782, just days after giving birth to her last child. The family left the Altes Palais and moved to Schloss Herrenhausen, also in Hanover, Friederike and her siblings were raised by a governess Frau von Wolzogen. In 1784, her father married again to Princess Charlotte of Hesse-Darmstadt, his first wife’s younger sister. From this marriage, Friederike had one additional half-sibling:

In 1785, Friederike lost three of the people closest to her. In September, her elder sister, Charlotte married the Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen and moved away, taking Frau von Wolzogen with her. In December, her stepmother (and aunt) died a few weeks after giving birth to her only child. Her father gave up his position in Hanover and the family moved to Darmstadt, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, now in the German state of Hesse, where the children were raised by their maternal grandmother Princess Maria Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt.  Friederike’s grandmother took charge of their education, ensuring that her grandchildren learned French and received a strong religious education. She also ensured that they traveled extensively to other royal courts, and they attended the coronations of the Holy Roman Emperors Leopold II in 1790 and Franz II in 1792.

painted by Johann Friedrich August Tischbein. source: Wikipedia

Having left Darmstadt in 1792 to avoid the advancing French army, Friederike and her sister Luise returned to Darmstadt in March 1793. On the way back, they received an invitation to visit their mother’s cousin, the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, in Frankfurt, so that he could introduce them to King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia, and more specifically, to his two sons. The sisters attended the theater in Frankfurt and were presented to the King, who found them quite charming. The following day, they were introduced to the King’s sons, Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm and Prince Ludwig. Relationships quickly developed, and just a month later, on April 24, 1793, the official engagements were announced. Luise was to marry the Crown Prince, while Friederike would marry Prince Ludwig. Always very close, Friederike and Luise were overjoyed that they would remain near to each other after their marriages.

Prince Ludwig of Prussia, painted by Edward Francis Cunningham. source: Wikipedia

After making their grand entrance into Berlin, the two marriages took place at the City Palace in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg. Friederike and Ludwig were married on December 26, 1793, just two days after her sister’s marriage. They took up residence at a townhouse in Berlin – just opposite the Crown Prince’s Palace – and had three children:

By Johann Gottfried Schadow – Till Niermann, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4359214

In 1795, sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadow began work on a statue of Friederike and her sister Luise. The statue, known as the Prinzessinnengruppe, is displayed in the Friedrichswerder Church in Berlin.

The marriage between Friederike and Ludwig was not very happy, with both of them allegedly having affairs. Rumors spread that Friederike was having an affair with her husband’s cousin, Prince Ludwig Ferdinand. And the marriage was not to be long-lasting. Prince Ludwig died of diphtheria on December 28, 1796, just two days after their third wedding anniversary. Just 18 years old, and widowed with three small children, Friederike was given an income and a residence, Schönhausen Palace, by her father-in-law.

Two years later, In 1798, Friederike accepted a marriageproposal from Prince Adolphus of the United Kingdom, Duke of Cambridge, her first cousin. He was the seventh son of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Friederike’s maternal aunt. However, King George III refused to consent to the marriage until the end of the war with the French revolutionaries. The couple continued their correspondence, both hoping that the war would soon end and they could marry.

However, Friederike was not very lonely. Despite her unofficial engagement to Adolphus, she soon found herself pregnant with the child of Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Solms-Braunfels. He was the son of Ferdinand, 2nd Prince of Solms-Braunfels and Countess Sophie of Solms-Laubach. Friederike and Friedrich were quietly married in Berlin on December 10, 1798. The scandal caused a rift with her sister Luise, and enraged her aunt – and intended mother-in-law – Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom. Friederike and Friedrich left the court in Berlin and moved to Ansbach, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Bavaria, where their first child was born two months later. Together they had six children:

  • Princess Caroline of Solms-Braunfels (born and died 1799)
  • Prince Wilhelm of Solms-Braunfels (1801–1868), married Countess Maria Anna Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau, had nine children
  • Princess Sophie of Solms-Braunfels (born and died 1803)
  • Princess Auguste Luise of Solms-Braunfels (1804–1865), married Prince Albert of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, had four children
  • Prince Friedrich of Solms-Braunfels (1807–1867), married Baroness Louise of Landsberg-Velen, had one child
  • Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels (1812–1875), married (1) morganatically Louise Beyrich, had three children  (2) Princess Sophie of Loewenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, had five children

Within a few years of the marriage, the couple had drifted very far apart. Friedrich resigned from his military posts, and Friederike had to support their family with her own resources. The marriage was so broken that her brother-in-law, the reigning Prince of Solms-Braunfels, advised Friederike, and gave his blessing, to divorce her husband. However, the couple remained married.

Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, painting by George Dawe, c1828. source: Wikipedia

It was in 1813 that Friederike met the man who would become her third husband, Prince Ernest Augustus of the United Kingdom, Duke of Cumberland. Another first cousin, he was also the son of King George III of the United Kingdom and Friederike’s aunt Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Finding herself in love with her British cousin, Friederike asked for, and received, permission from the Prussian king to divorce her husband. Before proceedings could move forward, Prince Friedrich died suddenly on April 13, 1814. Many believed that Friederike had poisoned her husband, to avoid the public scandal of a divorce.

The Duke of Cumberland proposed, and Friederike accepted on the condition that her aunt, Queen Charlotte, gave her approval. The Queen did consent to the marriage, and the couple married on May 29, 1815, at the parish church in Neustrelitz, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

After the wedding, her husband returned to London to try – unsuccessfully – to get an increase in his appanage from the British Parliament. Despite being turned down, he returned to Germany and brought Friederike back to London, where they were married in a Church of England ceremony at Carlton House on August 29, 1815. One very notable absentee at the wedding was Queen Charlotte. Despite having given her consent the previous year, the Queen issued a statement explaining why she should not receive her new daughter-in-law. She stated that she had received “information from many respectable quarters which induced her to accept the painful resolution upon which she has since acted”, and that her feelings toward the marriage had been “conveyed to her son, The Prince Regent, not only long before the marriage of the Duke of Cumberland was solemnized in Germany, but also before the formal sanction of the Crown was given.”

Despite this, the couple settled in London, taking up residence at St. James’s Palace, as well as a home in Kew. After several years, with the Duke still unable to get an increase in his appanage, the couple returned to Prussia, living primarily in Berlin. After two stillborn daughters, the couple had one son:

Following their son’s birth, the British Parliament finally increased the Duke’s allowance, to provide him with a suitable education. The family spent the next ten years living in Germany, not returning to Britain until August 1829.

By then, Queen Charlotte had died, and Friederike’s brother-in-law was on the throne as King George IV. For the first time, she was welcomed as a full member of the British Royal Family and returned to her homes at St. James’s Palace and Kew. The following year, upon the death of King George IV and the accession of King William IV, her husband became the heir-presumptive to the throne of Hanover, and second in line to the British throne. After an accident left their son blind, in October 1833 Friederike and her husband took their son to Germany to meet with doctors, hoping to be able to restore their son’s sight. She was still in Germany when King William IV died on June 20, 1837. He was succeeded by his niece Victoria, as Queen of the United Kingdom. But because Hanover did not allow for female succession, Friederike’s husband succeeded him as King Ernst August I of Hanover, and Friederike became Queen.

Sadly, Friederike was only Queen of Hanover for a little less than three years. In April 1841, she fell ill, and after several months, passed away at the Altes Palais in Hanover on June 29, 1841. Following her funeral, the Queen’s remains were placed in the vault of the Royal Chapel. After her husband’s death 10 years later, both of their coffins were placed in a mausoleum on the grounds of Schloss Herrenhausen, now Herrenhausen Gardens).

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.

Unofficial Royalty Kingdom of Hanover Resources

Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland; Credit – Wikipedia

Kingdom of Hanover: In 1714, George, Elector of Hanover, became King George I of Great Britain due to the extinction of the Protestant Stuart line. He remained Elector of Hanover as did his successors King George II and King George III. In 1814, under the terms of the Congress of Vienna, the Electorate of Hanover was raised to the Kingdom of Hanover and King George III also became King of Hanover.

George III’s sons George IV and William IV succeeded him as King of the United Kingdom and King of Hanover. However, because the Kingdom of Hanover followed the Salic Law which did not allow female succession, Queen Victoria who succeeded her uncle William IV as Queen of the United Kingdom, could not become Queen of Hanover. Therefore, Queen Victoria’s paternal eldest surviving uncle Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland became King of Hanover.

King George V, Ernest Augustus’ son, was the last King of Hanover. Hanover backed the losing side in the Austro-Prussian War and was conquered by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1866 and became a Prussian province. Since then, the senior heir of the House of Hanover has been the pretender to the throne of the Kingdom of Hanover. Today the former Kingdom of Hanover is in the German state of Lower Saxony.

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Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland was the fifth of the nine sons and the eighth of the fifteen children of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. He was born at the Queen’s House (now Buckingham Palace) in London, England on  June 5, 1771. Queen Charlotte had attended an afternoon reception and then gave birth to Ernest after fifteen minutes of labor.

Ernest was christened on July 1, 1771, in the Great Council Chamber at St. James’s Palace in London, England by Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury. His godparents were:

Ernest 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

Ernest 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, Ernest and his younger brothers lived in a household  near the royal residence Kew Palace, and were educated by private tutors. In 1786, Ernest, Adolphus, and Augustus were sent to the University of Göttingen in Hanover (Germany) under the supervision of Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, a mathematics and physics professor.

Prince Ernest in 1782 by Thomas Gainsborough; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1791, Ernest and Augustus joined the Hanoverian army and received military training from Field Marshal Wilhelm von Freytag.  Ernest proved to be an excellent horseman and a good shot. After only two months of training, Field Marshal von Freytag was so impressed by the progress of his pupil that he appointed him a captain in the cavalry.

In March 1792, Ernest was commissioned as Colonel of the 9th Hanoverian Light Dragoons. During the War of the First Coalition (1793-97), Ernest was stationed in Flanders and served under his older brother Frederick, Duke of York, the commander of the combined British, Hanoverian, and Austrian troops. During military action in 1793, Ernest received a saber wound to the head which left him with a disfiguring scar. In the Battle of Tourcoing (1794), Ernest was hit in the left arm by a cannonball, and his eyesight was also affected. He returned to England to recover, the first time he had been back home since 1786. Ernest returned to his military duties in 1787. He was promoted to the following military ranks:

  • 1798: Lieutenant General
  • 1803: General
  • 1813: Field Marshal
  • 1801 – 1827: Colonel of the 15th (The King’s Own) Light Dragoons
  • 1827 – 1830 Colonel of Royal Regiment of the Horseguards (Blues)

On April 24, 1799, Ernest was created Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale and Earl of Armagh. He was the least popular of his brothers and he had a less than favorable appearance due to the facial wounds he had received in war. Ernest had a negative reputation, probably unjustifiably. He was accused of being involved in the murder of his valet Joseph Sellis, of having an incestuous affair with his sister Sophia, and of being the father of her illegitimate child. It is doubtful that there was any truth to any of those allegations.

Ernest Augustus in an 1823 miniature based on an 1802 portrait by William Beechey. The facial damage from war wounds can be seen; Credit – Wikipedia

While visiting his maternal uncle Karl II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in 1813, Ernest fell in love with his first cousin Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Frederica was the daughter of his mother’s brother Karl II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and his first wife, Frederica of Hesse-Darmstadt.  Ernest’s cousin Frederica had a bit of a history that disturbed Ernest’s mother, Queen Charlotte. In 1793, Frederica married Prince Ludwig Karl of Prussia, the second son of King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia. The marriage was unhappy, but the couple had three children. Three years after the marriage, Ludwig Karl died from diphtheria.

In 1797, Frederica and Ernest’s younger brother Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge became unofficially engaged. It is unclear whether Frederica jilted Adolphus or if King George III, under pressure from Queen Charlotte, refused to consent to the marriage. In 1798, Frederica became pregnant and the father was Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Solms-Braunfels. The couple married to avoid a scandal, and two months later, Frederica gave birth to a daughter who lived only eight months. Frederica and her second husband had five more children who survived to adulthood. Friedrich Wilhelm was an alcoholic and had to quit the military for health reasons. He lost his income and even his brother advised Frederica to divorce. She was initially against it, but when she met Ernest in 1813, she too wanted the divorce. Before the divorce could be arranged, Friedrich Wilhelm died in April 1814. For some, Friedrich Wilhelm’s death was a little too convenient, and they suspected that Frederica had poisoned him.

Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in 1796 by Johann Friedrich August Tischbein; Credit – Wikipedia

Ernest’s eldest brother George, Prince of Wales had become Prince Regent in 1811 due to King George III’s incapacitation, so he gave his official permission for the marriage. Ernest and Frederica became engaged in August 1814. They were married on May 29, 1815, at the Palace of Neustrelitz.  The British Privy Council recommended that a second marriage be performed when the couple arrived in England because any children born of the marriage could eventually be close to the succession. Ernest arrived in England in June to make plans for the second marriage without Frederica, having left her in Neustrelitz. Shortly after his arrival, Ernest received a letter from his mother, Queen Charlotte. The queen regretted that she must refuse to receive Frederica because it was known in England that Frederica had broken her engagement with Adolphus and, to quote the queen, ” the unfavorable impression which the knowledge of those circumstances had made here.” Of course, Ernest was shocked that his mother would do this, but things got worse. Queen Charlotte warned the rest of the family that she would be severely displeased if they received Frederica.

Nevertheless, Ernest returned to Neustrelitz to escort Frederica to England, where the second wedding ceremony was held on August 29, 1815, at Carlton House in London, England, the Prince Regent’s residence. Ernest’s sisters decided they could not defy their mother, but his elder brothers George, Frederick, William, and Edward attended the ceremony.

Ernest and Frederica had one son and two stillborn daughters:

Ernest and Frederica’s son, Prince George of Cumberland at birth, 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 three days after the birth of the eventual heir, Alexandrina Victoria (Queen Victoria), who was ahead of her cousin in the succession by being the child of King George III’s fourth son, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.  After Queen Victoria’s accession to the throne in 1837, Ernest and his son George remained first and second in the line of succession to the British throne until Queen Victoria’s first child was born.  Today their descendant Ernst August V, Prince of Hanover is the senior male-line descendant of King George III and the Head of the House of Hanover.

On June 20, 1837, Ernest’s eldest surviving brother King William IV died and the only child of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent succeeded her uncle as Queen Victoria. Upon the accession of Queen Victoria, Ernest became King of Hanover.  Hanoverian kings of the United Kingdom were also Electors or Kings of Hanover.  However, Hanover followed the Salic Law which did not allow female succession.  Ernest Augustus, the eldest surviving son of King George III, became King of Hanover, his wife became Queen Consort of Hanover, and his son George became Crown Prince of Hanover.  Ernest arrived in Hanover (now in Germany) eight days after his brother King William IV died on June 20, 1837, to take up his duties as the new King of Hanover. He only returned to England once, when he attended the wedding of his niece Princess Augusta of Cambridge on June 18, 1843.

When King Ernest Augustus of Hanover (Ernst August in German) arrived in his kingdom on June 28, 1837, he was greeted by booming cannons, church bells ringing, and cheering people who were glad to have their king in his kingdom after years of rule by viceroys. However, Ernest soon proved unpopular with his anti-liberal style of government. In November 1837, Ernest issued a patent declaring the 1833 liberal constitution void and restoring the more conservative 1819 constitution. This patent required all officeholders, including professors at the University of Göttingen, to take an oath of allegiance to the King. Seven professors, called the Göttingen Seven, including the two Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, refused to take the oath and encouraged others to protest against the King’s patent. Since they did not take the oath, the Göttingen Seven lost their positions, and the King expelled the three most responsible (including Jacob Grimm) from Hanover.

Queen Frederica died after a short illness on June 29, 1841, at the age of 63. Ernest commissioned the architect Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves to build a mausoleum for his wife and himself. The mausoleum was built from 1842 – 1847 in the garden of the chapel at Schloss Herrenhausen, which was destroyed during World War II. A decision to rebuild the palace was made in 2007, and reconstruction was completed in 2013. Today the mausoleum is in the Berggarten, part of the Herrenhausen Gardens.

The Revolutions of 1848, which led to the fall of King Louis Philippe I of the French, encouraged the citizens of Hanover and citizens of other German kingdoms, principalities, and duchies to demand German national unity, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly. Ernest was initially reluctant to make concessions, but the citizens’ demands threatened to spark a revolution against the monarchy. To prevent a revolution, Ernest agreed to reforms. He appointed liberal politician Johann Carl Bertram Stüve, the deputy of the national assembly in the Kingdom of Hanover and liberal interior minister to create a modern constitution for the Kingdom of Hanover. The new constitution became effective on September 5, 1848, and guaranteed freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, the separation of the judiciary and administration, and the equality of all religions. Because of the freedoms granted in the 1848 constitution, Ernest’s popularity greatly increased.

Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover;  Credit – Wikipedia

Ernest Augustus died on November 18, 1851, after a short illness. Of his fifteen siblings, only Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester survived him. 30,000 people passed by his coffin as he lay in state in the throne room of Schloss Herrenhausen. On November 25, 1851, his funeral was held in the Schloss Herrenhausen chapel. Ernest was then buried in the mausoleum he had built when his wife died.

Mausoleum in the Berggarten, part of the Herrenhausen Gardens; Credit – Wikipedia

Interior of the Mausoleum in the Berggarten with the tombs of Queen Frederica and King Ernest Augustus, about 1861; 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.

Unofficial Royalty Kingdom of Hanover Resources

Works Cited
“Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 21 July 2016. Web. 9 Aug. 2016.
“Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 28 May 2016. Web. 11 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.

Princess Augusta Sophia of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Princess Augusta Sophia of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Augusta Sophia was the second of the six daughters and the sixth 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 8, 1768. A month later, on December 6, 1768, the infant princess was christened by Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury in the Great Council Room at St. James’ Palace. Her godparents were:

Princess Augusta had fourteen siblings:

George III children

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

Augusta and her sisters 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. She was responsible for the princesses until they turned 21. Augusta and her sisters studied geography, German, English, grammar, music, needlework, dancing, and art. They were taught French by a tutor, Julie Krohme. The princesses had art lessons from famous artists Thomas Gainsborough and Benjamin West. Augusta was considered the most attractive of her sisters, however, she was quite shy.

The Three Eldest Princesses, Charlotte, Princess Royal, Augusta and Elizabeth by Thomas Gainsborough 1784; Credit – Wikipedia

Augusta’s childhood was very sheltered and she spent 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.”

Augusta’s unfortunate aunt Caroline Matilda; Credit – Wikipedia

Before King George’s first bout with what could have been 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 the discussion of marriage for his daughters. Queen Charlotte feared that the subject of marriage, which 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, restricting them from meeting eligible suitors of their own age.

Starved for male companionship, Sophia got pregnant by her father’s 56-year-old equerry and secretly gave birth to a boy who was placed in a foster home. Amelia had an affair with another equerry. Three of the six daughters would eventually marry, all later than was the norm for the time. Charlotte, Princess Royal married the future King of Württemberg, Friedrich I, at the age of 31, and had one stillborn daughter. Mary married her cousin Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester at the age of 40 and had no children. Elizabeth was the last of the daughters to finally escape from “the Nunnery” when she married the future Landgrave Friedrich of Hesse-Homburg at the age of 48.

Augusta at age 13, portrait by Thomas Gainsborough; Credit – Wikipedia

Being the second daughter, Augusta could not marry until her elder sister Charlotte married. Although Charlotte married at the age of 31, Augusta never did marry. There seemed to be a possibility that a marriage could be arranged with her first cousin, the future King Frederick VI of Denmark. However, King George III rejected any possible marriage alliances with Denmark because of the fate of his sister Caroline Matilda. In 1797, Augusta received a proposal from Prince Frederick Adolf of Sweden, a proposal given without the approval of the King of Sweden. Around 1799, Augusta became enamored with Major General Sir Brent Spencer. She even wrote a letter to her brother George after he had become Prince Regent begging for his permission for a secret marriage. There was court gossip that Augusta and Spencer had secretly married, but nothing definite could be confirmed. Apparently, Augusta and Spencer had a long relationship.

Princess Augusta by William Beechey, 1802; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Augusta became her mother’s companion. Queen Charlotte kept Augusta at her side, isolating her from society, and turning her into a kind of chaperone. This continued until the Queen’s death, ten days after Augusta’s 50th birthday. After the death of her father King George III, Augusta lived at Frogmore House near Windsor Castle and an apartment at the Queen’s House (now Buckingham Palace) in London. The new king, King George IV, made it clear that his brothers and sisters would only be welcome at Windsor Castle when he had invited them to be his guests.

In 1837, Augusta’s niece Victoria became Queen upon the death of her brother King William IV. All of Victoria’s aunts considered their duty to Victoria to be sacred. She was the child of their brother Edward and now their sovereign. Victoria invited her aunts to dine with her at Buckingham Palace and spent time with her aunts although she was busy with her new position. King William IV’s widow Queen Adelaide moved out of Clarence House and Augusta moved in. It was to be her London home for the rest of her life. Augusta attended Queen Victoria’s coronation in 1838 and her wedding in 1840.

Princess Augusta Sophia, signed, dated and fully inscribed on the counter-enamel ‘H.R H. The late Princess Augusta London Oct. 1840. Painted by Command of Her Majesty by Henry Pierce Bone Enamel Painter to Her Majesty & H. R H. Prince Albert

Following Queen Victoria’s wedding in 1840, Augusta’s health deteriorated. On July 2, 1840, a Windsor newspaper reported “the serious and alarming illness of the Princess Augusta.” Three days later, Queen Victoria ordered the gates of Green Park, which borders Clarence House, closed so that traffic would not bother Princess Augusta. With her sister-in-law Queen Adelaide, her surviving sisters Mary and Sophia, and her brother Adolphus at her bedside, Princess Augusta died at the age of 71 on September 22, 1840, at Clarence House in London. Her remains lay in state at Frogmore House and then were taken to St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle where they were buried in the Royal Vault on October 2, 1840.

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.

Recommended books that deal with Princess Augusta Sophia of the United Kingdom
George III’s Children by John Van Der Kiste (1992)
The Georgian Princesses by John Van Der Kiste (2000)
Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III by Flora Fraser (2004)

The Princess Royal cancels trip to Mozambique and Botswana

Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Earlier this month on September 9, 2016, The Princess Royal was briefly admitted to the hospital for tests.  She was diagnosed with a severe chest infection, was told to rest, and her engagements were cancelled.  However, it appears she is recovering slower than anticipated. On September 27-30, 2016, The Princess Royal was scheduled to visit Mozambique and then Botswana to attend Botswana’s 50th anniversary of independence celebrations.

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The Princess Royal will still attend her engagements in the United Kingdom beginning next week.