Yearly Archives: 2019

Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia

Prince August Wilhelm Heinrich Günther Viktor of Prussia was the fourth son of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia and Princess Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein. He was born on January 29, 1887, at the Potsdam City Palace, in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany.

He had six siblings:

Along with his brothers, August Wilhelm was given a strict military education at the Princes’ House at Plön Castle. He later studied at the universities in Bonn, Berlin, and Strasbourg, and received his doctorate in political science in 1907.

Alexandra Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. source: Wikipedia

On October 22, 1908, at the Berlin City Palace, August Wilhelm married his first cousin, Princess Alexandra Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. She was the daughter of Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and Princess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (his mother’s sister). The marriage ended 12 years later, and August Wilhelm was given full custody of their only child:

Following their marriage, the couple initially planned to live at Schönhausen Palace in Berlin but instead moved to Villa Leignitz in Sanssouci Park in Potsdam, which was given to them by August Wilhelm’s father. During World War I, he served as District Administrator of Ruppin and used Rheinsberg Palace as his residence. During this time, his marriage fell apart, reportedly due to his close relationship with his personal adjutant. Following the war and the end of the monarchy, August Wilhelm remained at his home in Sanssouci, where he lived a very quiet life. Having taken up drawing, he often sold some of his work to gain additional income. August Wilhelm and his wife also divorced, in March 1920, and he retained full custody of their only child.

Prince August Wilhelm speaking at a Nazi party rally in 1932. photo: Von Bundesarchiv, B 145 Bild-P046293 / Weinrother, Carl / CC BY-SA 3.0 DE, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9842838

In later years, August Wilhelm became involved with the Nazi Party – much to the dislike of his family. His involvement was, however, welcomed by Adolf Hitler, who saw the possibility of using him to help gain support and votes to bring the party into power. He was later made a member of the German Reichstag, which he held until the establishment of the Third Reich when Hitler no longer needed him anymore. He remained involved in the Nazi Party until 1942  when he made some private but negative comments about Joseph Goebbels, the Reich Minister of Propaganda.

On May 8, 1945, August Wilhelm was arrested by US forces for being a Nazi. In 1948 he was finally sentenced to 2-½ years of hard labor but was considered to have already served his sentence and he was released. However, just after his release, new charges were filed and another arrest warrant was issued from a court in Potsdam, which was now in the Soviet zone. He was never physically arrested and soon became seriously ill. Prince August Wilhelm died in a hospital in Stuttgart, Germany on March 25, 1949. He is buried in Langenburg, Germany in the cemetery of the Princes of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.

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.

Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt, Duchess of Zweibrücken

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt, Duchess of Zweibrücken; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt (Marie Augusta Wilhelmine) was the first wife of the future Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria. She died before her husband became King of Bavaria but she did give birth to his heir. Born on April 14, 1765, in Darmstadt in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, now in Hesse, Germany, Augusta Wilhelmine was the ninth of the nine children and the fourth of the four daughters of Prince Georg Wilhelm of Hesse-Darmstadt, the second son of Ludwig VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, and Countess Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Falkenburg-Dagsburg.

Augusta Wilhelmine had eight older siblings:

Augusta Wilhelmine’s husband Maximilian Joseph; Credit – Wikipedia

Augusta Wilhelmine married Count Palatine Maximilian Joseph von Zweibrücken, the future King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, on September 30, 1785, in Darmstadt, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt now in Hesse, Germany. Maximilian Joseph was a member of the House of Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Zweibrücken, a branch of the House of Wittelsbach. He was the son of the Count Palatine Friedrich Michael of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld and Maria Francisca of Sulzbach.

Augusta Wilhelmine and Maximilian Joseph had five children:

Augusta Wilhelmina with her two eldest children Ludwig and Augusta; Credit – Wikipedia

The family mainly lived in Strasbourg, France where Maximilian Joseph was stationed with the French army, attaining the rank of Major General. The couple often visited Paris where Augusta Wilhelmine met Queen Marie Antoinette of France. Afterward, the two corresponded with each other. After the outbreak of the French Revolution, Maximilian Joseph joined the Austrian Army.

In 1789, Maximilian Joseph’s regiment revolted and the family fled to Augusta Wilhelmine’s parents in Darmstadt. The family then settled near the town of Mannheim, then in the Palatinate, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, which belonged to Maximilian Joseph’s family. In December 1794, the French army attacked Mannheim and the family home was attacked by French artillery. Once again the family had to flee.

In 1795, upon the death of his brother Karl II August, Duke of Zweibrücken, Maximilian Joseph succeeded him as Duke of Zweibrücken. However, at that time the Duchy of Zweibrücken was entirely occupied by the French.

On March 30, 1796, 31-year-old Augusta Wilhelmine, weakened from five pregnancies and the travails of war, died from pulmonary tuberculosis at Schloss Rohrbach (link in German) near Heidelberg, then in the Palatinate, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. She was buried in the Stadtkirche (City Church) Darmstadt in Darmstadt, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, now in Hesse, Germany.

In 1797, Augusta Wilhelmine’s widower Maximilian Joseph married for a second time, to Princess Caroline of Baden, and had seven more children.  Maximilian Joseph became the first King of Bavaria on January 1, 1806.

Interior of the Stadtkirche Darmstadt where Augusta Wilhelmine is interred; Credit – CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=788614

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.

Bavaria Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2019). Auguste Wilhelmine von Hessen-Darmstadt. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_Wilhelmine_von_Hessen-Darmstadt [Accessed 18 Jul. 2019].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Princess Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Augusta_Wilhelmine_of_Hesse-Darmstadt [Accessed 18 Jul. 2019].
  • Mehl, S. (2019). Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/maximilian-i-joseph-king-of-bavaria/ [Accessed 18 Jul. 2019].
  • Nl.wikipedia.org. (2019). Augusta Wilhelmina van Hessen-Darmstadt. [online] Available at: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusta_Wilhelmina_van_Hessen-Darmstadt [Accessed 18 Jul. 2019].

 

Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel was the husband of Princess Mary of Great Britain, daughter of King George II of Great Britain. He became famous during the American Revolution as a supplier of thousands of Hessian soldiers who fought on behalf of the British.

Born on August 14, 1720, in Kassel in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, now in Hesse, Germany, Friedrich was the eldest surviving son of Wilhelm VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and his wife Dorothea Wilhelmine of Saxe-Zeitz. His paternal uncle was King Fredrik I of Sweden.

Friedrich had two siblings:

In 1725, when Friedrich was five-years-old, his mother became mentally ill and never appeared at court thereafter. Friedrich was first educated by Colonel August Moritz von Donop and then by the Swiss theologian and philosopher Jean-Pierre de Crousaz.

Princess Mary of Great Britain, Friedrich’s first wife; Credit – By Johann Heinrich Tischbein – Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74554565

In 1740, a marriage was arranged for the 20-year-old Friedrich with 17-year-old Princess Mary of Great Britain, a daughter of King George II of Great Britain and his wife Caroline of Ansbach. A proxy marriage, with Mary’s brother Prince William, Duke of Cumberland standing in for the groom, was held on May 19, 1740, in the Chapel Royal of St. James’ Palace in London, England. Mary left England In June and married Friedrich in person on June 28, 1740.

Mary and Friedrich had four sons:


Friedrich and Mary’s sons: Wilhelm, Karl, and Friedrich; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich and his wife Mary are ancestors of the current British royal family through their fourth son Prince Friedrich. Prince Friedrich’s daughter Augusta was the grandmother of Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, better known as Queen Mary, the wife of King George V of the United Kingdom. Through their third son Prince Karl, Friedrich and Mary are great-grandparents of King Christian IX of Denmark. Through King Christian IX, Friedrich and Mary are ancestors of six of the ten current European royal families: Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Friedrich and Mary’s marriage was not a happy one and Friedrich was cruel and abusive. After the birth of their fourth son, Friedrich left Mary and their sons. Eventually, Friedrich sent her a letter saying that before they had married, he had been in love with a Catholic woman who he had wanted to marry. However, she would not agree to marry Friedrich unless he converted to Catholicism which he refused to do, fearing the reaction of his family and future subjects. Shortly before the birth of his fourth son, Friedrich received word that his former love was dying and he went to see her. She asked him to convert to Catholicism so their souls could be reunited in heaven and Friedrich agreed to do so. In February 1749, Friedrich visited the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne Clemens August of Bavaria who received him into the Roman Catholic Church. Furious, Mary’s father King George II ordered his daughter back to England but she refused, saying that it was her duty to remain in the place that God had placed her and that she would ensure her sons would be brought up Protestant.

By 1754, it became obvious to Friedrich’s father Wilhelm VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, that the marriage of his son and Mary was irretrievably broken and he took in his daughter-in-law and grandchildren to live with him. In 1755, Mary and Friedrich officially separated but Mary refused a divorce in order to deprive her husband of the opportunity to remarry. Friedrich’s father ordered him to leave the Protestant religion untouched in Hesse-Kassel and gave his eldest grandson the County of Hanau-Münzenberg, under the regency of Mary. Friedrich never saw his wife again and did not see his children until 1782.

Friedrich’s second wife Philippine of Brandenburg-Schwedt; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1760, Wilhelm VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel died and Friedrich became Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. As there had been no divorce, Mary was then Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel. When Mary died in 1772, Friedrich was finally free to marry again. On January 10, 1773, Friedrich married Margravine Philippine of Brandenburg-Schwedt, who was twenty-five years younger than her husband. Philippine was the daughter of Margrave Friedrich Wilhelm of Brandenburg-Schwedt and his wife Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia. Wilhelm and Philippine had no children but eventually, Philippine was able to reconcile her husband with his children from his first marriage, from whom he had been estranged since 1754.

Hessian soldiers; Credit – Wikipedia

At that time, it was the usual practice for smaller principalities to rent out their soldiers to other countries, and Friedrich was no exception. He rented out so many soldiers to his first wife’s nephew King George III of Great Britain for use during the American Revolution, that “Hessian” became an American term for all German soldiers used by the British during the American Revolution. With the income received from hiring out his soldiers, Friedrich became one of the richest rulers in Germany. With this revenue, he became a patron of the arts and sciences and hired architect Simon Louis du Ry to transform the town of Kassel into a modern capital city.

On October 31, 1785, Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel died suddenly from a stroke at the age of 65 at Castle Wessenstein (now known as Castle Wilhelmshöhe) in Kassel in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, now in Hesse, Germany. He left behind for his son and successor, Wilhelm IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, a developed economy and a full treasury. Friedrich was buried at the Roman Catholic Church of St. Elisabeth (link in German) in Kassel which was built on Friedrich’s order by architect Simon Louis du Ry between 1770 and 1777. The original church was destroyed during World War II, then demolished and rebuilt after the war. Friedrich’s remains were reinterred in the new church in a new tomb. He is the only Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel who was not buried in the Protestant Martinskirche (St. Martin’s Church) (link in German) in Kassel.

Tomb of Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel; Credit – By FriedrichII-hessen-kassel-grab-elisabethkirche.jpg: ChristosVderivative work: Rabanus Flavus – This file was derived from: FriedrichII-hessen-kassel-grab-elisabethkirche.jpg:, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23414512

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

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2019). Friedrich II. (Hessen-Kassel). [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_II._(Hessen-Kassel) [Accessed 17 Jul. 2019].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_II,_Landgrave_of_Hesse-Kassel [Accessed 17 Jul. 2019].
  • Flantzer, S. (2019). Princess Mary of Great Britain, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/princess-mary-of-great-britain-landgravine-of-hesse-kassel/ [Accessed 17 Jul. 2019].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. (2019). Фридрих II (ландграф Гессен-Касселя). [online] Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A4%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B4%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%85_II_(%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%84_%D0%93%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BD-%D0%9A%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%8F) [Accessed 17 Jul. 2019].
  • Van der Kiste, J. (2013). King George II and Queen Caroline. New York: The History Press.
    Van Der Kiste, John. The Georgian Princesses. Phoenix Mill: Sutton Publishing, 2000. Print.
    Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Princess Mary of Great Britain, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Credit – By Johann Heinrich Tischbein, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74554565

On March 5, 1723, Princess Mary of Great Britain was born at Leicester House, Leicester Square in London, England. She was the seventh of the eight children and the fourth of the five daughters of King George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach, then the Prince and Princess of Wales. At the time of her birth, her grandfather King George I sat upon the throne of Great Britain. When Mary was four-years-old, her grandfather died and her father succeeded him. The next year the family moved to St. James’ Palace in London.

Mary had six older siblings and one younger sibling:

Mary’s husband Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1740, when Mary was 17 years old, a marriage was arranged for her with 20-year-old Friedrich II, the future Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. Friedrich was the son of Wilhelm VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Dorothea Wilhelmine of Saxe-Zeitz. As Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, Friedrich became famous during the American Revolution as a supplier of thousands of Hessian soldiers who fought on behalf of the British.  A proxy marriage, with Mary’s brother William standing in for the groom, was held on May 19, 1740, in the Chapel Royal of St. James’ Palace. Mary left England In June and married Friedrich in person on June 28, 1740.

Mary and Friedrich had four sons:

Mary and her husband Friedrich are ancestors of the current British royal family through their fourth son Prince Friedrich. Prince Friedrich’s daughter Augusta was the grandmother of Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, better known as Queen Mary, the wife of King George V of the United Kingdom. Through their third son Prince Karl, Mary and her husband Friedrich are great-grandparents of King Christian IX of Denmark, as are Mary’s younger sister Louisa and her husband King Frederik V of Denmark. Through this line, Mary and Friedrich (along with her sister Louisa and Frederik V of Denmark) are ancestors of six of the ten current European royal families: Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Mary in 1762; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary’s marriage was not a happy one and Friedrich was cruel and abusive. After the birth of their fourth son, Friedrich left Mary and their sons. Eventually, Friedrich sent her a letter saying that he had been in love with a Catholic woman who he had wanted to marry. However, she would not agree to marry Friedrich unless he converted to Catholicism which he refused to do, fearing the reaction of his family and future subjects.  Shortly before the birth of his fourth son, Friedrich received word that his former love was dying and he went to see her. She asked him to convert to Catholicism so their souls could be reunited in heaven and Friedrich agreed to do so.  In February 1749, Friedrich visited the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne, Clemens August of Bavaria, who received him into the Roman Catholic Church. Furious, Mary’s father King George II ordered his daughter back to England but she refused, saying that it was her duty to remain in the place that God had placed her and that she would ensure her sons would be brought up Protestant.

By 1754, it became obvious to Friedrich’s father Wilhelm VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, that the marriage of his son and Mary was irretrievably broken and he took in his daughter-in-law and grandchildren to live with him. In 1755, Mary and Friedrich officially separated but Mary refused a divorce in order to deprive her husband of the opportunity to remarry.  Friedrich’s father ordered him to leave the Protestant religion untouched in Hesse-Kassel and gave his eldest grandson the County of Hanau-Münzenberg, under the regency of Mary.  Friedrich never saw his wife again and did not see his children until 1782.

In 1756, Mary went to Denmark to take care of the children of her younger sister Louisa who had died a few years earlier. Mary’s sons grew up in the Danish royal court and two of them married Danish princesses. In 1760, Wilhelm VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel died and his son and Mary’s husband became Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. As there was no divorce, Mary was then Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel.


Mary’s sons: Wilhelm, Karl, and Friedrich; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1785, Mary’s oldest surviving son Wilhelm returned to Hesse-Kassel when his father died to succeed him as Wilhelm IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. He later became Wilhelm I, Prince-Elector of Hesse. Karl became a Field Marshal in the Danish Army and was royal governor of the Danish duchies of Schleswig and Holstein from 1769 to 1836. Friedrich also served in the Danish Army. In 1781, he bought Rumpenheim Castle (link in German) from his brother Karl and it became his family’s seat. Mary had spent her last years living there.

Mary died on January 14, 1772, in Hanau, Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, now in Hesse, Germany, at the age of 48. She was buried at the Marienkirche (link in German) in Hanau. Originally a Roman Catholic church built in the 1300s dedicated to Mary Magdalene, it was renamed the High German Reformed Church after the Reformation. In 1818, Mary’s son Wilhelm, now Prince-Elector of Hesse, decreed that the church should be renamed Marienkirche, St. Mary’s Church, in honor of his mother.

Tomb of Mary of Great Britain, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel; 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

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_II,_Landgrave_of_Hesse-Kassel [Accessed 17 Jul. 2019].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Princess Mary of Great Britain. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Mary_of_Great_Britain [Accessed 17 Jul. 2019].
  • Van der Kiste, J. (2013). King George II and Queen Caroline. New York: The History Press.
  • Van Der Kiste, John. The Georgian Princesses. Phoenix Mill: Sutton Publishing, 2000. Print.
  • Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Prince Adalbert of Prussia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Prince Adalbert of Prussia

Prince Adalbert Ferdinand Bergengar Viktor of Prussia was the third son of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia and Princess Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein. He was born at the Marble Palace in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, on July 14, 1884. Adalbert had six siblings:

Along with his brothers, Adalbert received a strict military education, living at Princes’ House at Plön Castle, and also studied agriculture on nearby Princes’ Island. In 1894, he entered the Imperial Navy and attended the Naval Academy in Kiel. Following his training, he made several trips abroad, representing his father, and continued with his military career.

Adalbert and Adelheid, c1914. source: Wikipedia

On August 3, 1914 in Wilhelmshaven, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Lower Saxony, Adalbert married Princess Adelheid of Saxe-Meiningen. She was the daughter of Prince Friedrich Johann of Saxe-Meiningen and Countess Adelheid of Lippe-Biesterfeld. The couple had three children:

  • Princess Victoria Marina (1915) – died at birth
  • Princess Victoria Marina (1917-1981) – married Kirby Patterson, had issue
  • Prince Wilhelm Viktor (1919-1989) – married Marie Antoinette, Countess of Hoyos, had issue

During World War I, Adalbert served in the Prussian Navy, eventually taking command of the SMS Dresden in 1917 until the end of the war. He also served as a Major in the Prussian Army, with the 1st Regiment Foot Guards. During this time, his family remained living in Kiel. Following the end of the monarchy in November 1918, Adalbert left his family in Kiel and initially took refuge on his yacht. He soon moved to Bad Homburg, Germany where he purchased a villa – Villa Adelheidswert – and was joined by his wife and children. However, they often traveled to Switzerland due to his wife’s health and eventually settled there permanently in 1928. They adopted the names Count and Countess von Lingen, lived a very quiet and private life and took no part in German politics.

At the age of 64, Prince Adalbert died on September 22, 1948, in La-Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland. He is buried in the Vassin Cemetery in the same town, alongside his wife who survived him by nearly 23 years.

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 George William of Great Britain

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Engraving by John Simon; Credit – Wikipedia

Little Prince George William lived from November 13, 1717 – February 17, 1718, three months and four days, but an event in his short life caused a huge family argument. The principals in the argument were George William’s grandfather King George I of Great Britain and his father The Prince of Wales, the future King George II of Great Britain. It was the beginning of the battles between fathers and sons that would plague the House of Hanover. First, let us deal with Prince George William’s short life.

Prince George William of Great Britain was born at St. James’ Palace in London, England on November 13, 1717. His parents were the Prince and Princess of Wales, the future King George II and his wife, born Caroline of Ansbach. George William was the first of his parents’ eight children to be born in Great Britain. His four elder siblings, Frederick, Prince of Wales, Anne, Princess Royal, Princess Amelia, and Princess Caroline, had all been born in the Electorate of Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany.

George William’s great-grandmother, Sophia of the Palatinate, 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. Upon Queen Anne’s death on August 1, 1714, George William’s grandfather succeeded to the British throne as King George I of Great Britain and his father became the heir apparent to the British throne and was created Prince of Wales the following month.

In February 1718, Prince George William became ill. The infant prince died at about 8:00 PM on February 17, 1718, at Kensington Palace in London. The London Gazette officially reported that Prince George William “had been taken ill about ten days before of a cough and strainess of breathing, from which he had been recovering till the foggy weather on the 15th and 16th, which occasioning a relapse into his strainess of breathing, he fell into convulsions and died.” An autopsy determined that he had been born with a “polyp on his heart.”

On the night of February 23, 1718, Prince George William’s remains, accompanied by the king’s servants, the Yeomen of the Guard and the Horse Guards, were transported from Kensington Palace in one of King George I’s coaches to Westminster Abbey where he was privately interred. Francis Atterbury, Bishop of Rochester conducted the funeral service. It was not unusual for deceased royal children to be buried in this manner.

Backtracking to Prince George William’s christening: George William was christened at the Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace in London, England on November 28, 1717, by John Robinson, Bishop of London. His godparents were:

  • King George I of Great Britain: his paternal grandfather
  • Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle: Lord Chamberlain of the King’s Household and later Prime Minister of Great Britain
  • Diana Beauclerk, Duchess of St Albans: Mistress of the Robes to his mother, born Lady Diana de Vere, wife of Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans, an illegitimate son of King Charles II and his mistress Nell Gwynne

King George I, Prince George William’s grandfather; Credit – Wikipedia

What should have been a perfectly normal, quiet christening turned into a shouting match that resulted in the parents of Prince George William being exiled from their home at St. James’ Palace and their children being kept at St. James’ Palace in the custody of their grandfather King George I.

George. Prince of Wales, Prince George William’s father; Credit – Wikipedia

The Prince of Wales (George) asked his father King George I and his paternal uncle Prince Ernst August of Hanover, who had been created Duke of York, to be godfathers. The Princess of Wales (Caroline) wanted to name her son William and initially King George I agreed. However, the little prince was the first of the British House of Hanover to be born in Great Britain, and apparently, the king’s government ministers insisted that the previous protocol be followed. The ministers told the king that since he was one of the godfathers, the infant prince should be named George. A compromise was reached and the prince’s name would be George William.

Caroline, Princess of Wales, mother of Prince George William; Credit – Wikipedia

Next, the ministers objected to Prince Ernst August of Hanover being one of the godparents. He was the reigning Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück (now in Lower Saxony, Germany) and unmarried. If Ernst August was named a godparent, he perhaps might make the British prince the heir to his German title. Furthermore, the ministers advised the king that it was usual practice for the Lord Chamberlain, the most senior officer of the Royal Household, to be one of the godfathers. This writer, who has researched and written about Royal Christenings, can say that although the list of godparents for the British House of Stuart which preceded the House of Hanover is incomplete, there is no evidence that it was the usual practice for the Lord Chamberlain to be a royal godfather. Caroline was willing to compromise again and suggested that the Lord Chamberlain, Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, could stand as proxy for Ernst August. Caroline was overruled by the ministers and then asked for the christening to be postponed, and was again overruled.

Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle; Credit – Wikipedia

When the christening took place, George and Caroline were incensed at being repeatedly overruled. After the christening, George accused the Duke of Newcastle of acting dishonestly regarding the christening arrangements, shook his fists at him, and said, “You are a rascal but I shall find you out,” meaning get even. George had spoken English since he was a child but having lived in Hanover where German was the native language for the first thirty-one years of his life, he spoke English with a German accent. The Duke of Newcastle misunderstood George and thought he said, “I shall fight you.” The Duke quickly went to King George I and told him that his son had challenged him to a duel.

King George I summoned his cabinet for advice. A group of ministers was sent to George asking if the allegations were true. George denied he had challenged Newcastle to a duel, explained he had said “find” and not “fight” and further explained Newcastle had disrespected him by insisting he be a godfather when he knew it was against George’s wishes. When the ministers told George that Newcastle had been asked to be a godfather by the command of the king, George replied that while he respected his father, he did not believe it.

Within days, King George I ordered his son, the Prince of Wales, to leave St. James’ Palace. The Prince of Wales was further ordered to leave his children at St. James’ Palace in the custody of the king. The Princess of Wales was allowed to freely visit her children but her husband had to give notice. George appealed to the courts for his children to be returned to him but he was told that according to British law, royal grandchildren belonged to The Crown. Most people in political and court circles felt that King George I overreacted.

The Prince and Princess of Wales needed a residence and they moved into Leicester House in Leicester Square, London which became their chief residence for the rest of King George I’s reign. After two years, the Princess of Wales acted as a mediator for her husband, and in cooperation with Prime Minister Robert Walpole, she finally reconciled King George I and his son.

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

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Prince George William of Great Britain. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_George_William_of_Great_Britain [Accessed 16 Jul. 2019].
  • Thegazette.co.uk. (1718). Page 2 | Issue 5615, 8 February 1718 | London Gazette | The Gazette. [online] Available at: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/5615/page/2 [Accessed 16 Jul. 2019].
  • Thegazette.co.uk. (1718). Page 2 | Issue 5616, 11 February 1718 | London Gazette | The Gazette. [online] Available at: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/5616/page/2 [Accessed 16 Jul. 2019].
  • Van der Kiste, J. (2013). King George II and Queen Caroline. New York: The History Press.
  • Van Der Kiste, John. The Georgian Princesses. Phoenix Mill: Sutton Publishing, 2000. Print.
  • Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia

Prince Wilhelm Eitel Friedrich Christian Karl of Prussia (known as Eitel Friedrich or Eitel Fritz) was the second son of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia and his first wife, Auguste Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. He was born at the Marble Palace in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, on July 7, 1883.

Eitel Friedrich had six siblings:

From 1896, Friedrich Eitel lived and studied at the Prince’s House on the grounds of Plön Castle along with his brothers. He was later a member of the Corps Borussia Bonn, the corps of the House of Hohenzollern. At the beginning of World War I, he served on the front line, commanding the First Foot Guards. From 1915 to 1918, he led the 1st Division of Guards on both the Western and then Eastern fronts. For his leadership and valor, he was highly decorated, receiving the Iron Cross and the Prussian Order of Merit, Prussia’s highest award for valor.

Eitel Friedrich and Sophie Charlotte. source: Wikipedia

On February 27, 1906, in Berlin, Eitel Friedrich married Duchess Sophie Charlotte of Oldenburg. She was the daughter of Friedrich August II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg and Princess Elisabeth Anna of Prussia. The couple had first met in June 1905 at the wedding of Eitel’s elder brother Crown Prince Wilhelm and Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and then met again later that month. They became engaged in the fall of 1905. Following the wedding, the couple took up residence at Villa Ingenheim (link in German) in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, and had no children.

The marriage was never a happy one as Eitel Friedrich was continually unfaithful, and Sophie found it difficult to make friends in her new home. While he was off fighting during World War I, Sophie lived primarily at the Bellevue Palace in Berlin. In 1922, several newspapers published allegations of infidelity against Sophie. She was summoned as a witness in a divorce case and admitted having had an affair with the gentleman involved. Eitel Friedrich filed for divorce, and the couple was formally divorced on October 20, 1926.

Villa Ingenheim. photo: Von karstenknuth – Eigenes Werk, Attribution, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23295620

After the war and the end of the German Empire, Eitel Friedrich remained active in monarchist circles and was a supporter of the Stahlhelm paramilitary organization. In 1921, he was found guilty of a fraudulent transfer of 300,000 marks abroad, for which he was fined 5,000 marks. He was later one of the founders of the Harzburg Front, a radical right-wing alliance formed to present unified opposition to the government of Chancellor Heinrich Brüning. However, he was an outspoken opponent of Hitler.

Prince Eitel Friedrich died at Villa Ingenheim in Potsdam, Germany on December 8, 1942. The Nazi regime refused to allow him any military honors at his funeral and forbade anyone to participate wearing their uniforms. Despite this, there was a large turnout of his former comrades, all in civilian clothes, who participated in his funeral. He is buried in the Antique Temple in Sanssouci Park in Potsdam, Germany.

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 Caroline of Great Britain

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Credit – Wikipedia

Born at Herrenhausen Palace in the Electorate of Hanover, now in Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany, on June 10, 1713, exactly two years after the birth of her sister Princess Amelia, Princess Caroline was the fourth of the eight children and the third of the five daughters of the future King George II of Great Britain and his wife Caroline of Ansbach. At the time of her birth, her father was the Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Caroline’s paternal grandparents were the future King George I of Great Britain, who was the Elector of Hanover and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg at that time, and his divorced, disgraced, and virtually imprisoned first cousin and former wife Sophia Dorothea of Celle. Caroline’s maternal grandparents were Johann Friedrich, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach and his second wife Princess Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach. The day after her birth, the infant princess was christened Caroline Elizabeth at Herrenhausen Palace.

Caroline had seven siblings:

Frederick, Prince of Wales, playing the cello, Anne, Princess Royal at the harpsichord, Princess Caroline playing the mandora and Princess Amelia reading; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline’s 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. Upon Queen Anne’s death on August 1, 1714, Caroline’s grandfather succeeded to the British throne as King George I of Great Britain and her father became the heir apparent to the British throne and was created Prince of Wales the following month. Amelia was then styled Her Royal Highness Princess Caroline of Great Britain. One-year-old Caroline along with her elder sisters Anne and Amelia accompanied their mother to England where they settled in the new home, apartments in St. James’ Palace in London.

The three elder daughters of King George II: Anne, Amelia, and Caroline; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline’s parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, had a disagreement over the choice of godparents for the short-lived son George William, born in 1717. The disagreement grew out of proportion, and Caroline’s father George was placed under arrest. The result was that her parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, 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. The Prince and Princess of Wales were allowed to see their children only once a week. After a period of two years, the Princess of Wales acted as a mediator for her husband, and in cooperation with Prime Minister Robert Walpole, she finally reconciled King George I and his son.

Princess Caroline was not only her mother’s namesake but her favorite child. She was known in the family for telling the truth and was always consulted when there were disagreements between the royal siblings because she could be counted on telling exactly what happened. On June 11, 1727, Caroline’s grandfather King George I died in Hanover, was buried there, and her father succeeded him as King George II. After the marriage of her eldest sister Anne to Willem IV, Prince of Orange, Caroline became her mother’s main confidant and she remained so for the rest of her mother’s life.

Portrait of Caroline from 1728, probably from the time of her father’s coronation; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Caroline never married. When her mother died in 1737, Queen Caroline expressly left her three youngest children, all teenagers, in the care of her daughter Caroline. Caroline probably had an affair with John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey, a courtier and political writer. Lord Hervey was married and had eight children but apparently, he was bisexual and had affairs with both men and women. It is not known if Lord Hervey had any real affections toward Caroline but apparently she had affections toward him. After Lord Hervey died in 1743 at the age of 46, Caroline became a recluse, rarely leaving St. James’ Palace and seeing only her father, her sister Princess Amelia, her brother Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, and some favorite courtiers. She donated most of her money to charities, especially those associated with prisoners’ welfare, and also saw that Lord Hervey’s children were financially secure.

Lord Hervey; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Caroline had been a hypochondriac for most of her life and she apparently lost the will to live. As she lay dying, she refused to see any of her family. On December 28, 1757, at the age of 44, Princess Caroline died at St. James’ Palace in London. She was buried in the Hanover vault below the central aisle of Henry VII’s chapel in Westminster Abbey in London. Horace Walpole, a writer and art historian,  wrote of Princess Caroline: “Her kindness was constant and united, her immense generosity, her charity were the most extensive; In short, I, not a royalist, can be generous in praise of her.”

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

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Princess Caroline of Great Britain. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Caroline_of_Great_Britain [Accessed 13 Jul. 2019].
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2019). Princess Amelia of Great Britain. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/princess-amelia-of-great-britain/ [Accessed 13 Jul. 2019].
  • Van der Kiste, J. (2013). King George II and Queen Caroline. New York: The History Press.
  • Van Der Kiste, John. The Georgian Princesses. Phoenix Mill: Sutton Publishing, 2000. Print.
  • Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

The Strange Case of the Tombs of Two 19th Century Princesses and a 20th Century 15-Year-Old Missing Girl

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

The poster of Emanuela Orlandi that was posted on the streets of Rome in 1983; Credit – Wikipedia

This story sounds like a plot from a novel by Dan Brown, the author of the Robert Langdon novels (Angels and Demons, The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol, Inferno and Origin).

Emanuela Orlandi was the 15-year-old daughter of Ercole and Maria Orlandi. Her father was an employee of the Institute for the Works of Religion, more commonly known as the Vatican Bank. The Orlandi family were citizens of and lived in Vatican City. On June 22, 1983, Emanuela walked outside of Vatican City to a Rome bus stop for the short ride to the Sant’Apollinare complex in central Rome where she took flute lessons three times a week. She never returned home, and the case remains unsolved.

There are various theories about what happened to Emanuela which include possible links to the Sicilian Mafia, the KGB, and the assassination attempt by Mehmet Ali Ağca on Pope John Paul II. Check out these Wikipedia articles. The Italian article is much more comprehensive.

In January 2023, it was announced that the Vatican opened a new investigation into the disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi.

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The New York Times has published several stories about Emanuela’s disappearance over the years:

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Teutonic Cemetery in Vatican City; Credit – CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=499225

The Teutonic Cemetery is a burial site adjacent to St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City that has been dedicated to the German-speaking residents of Rome. Traditionally, prominent German-speaking people who have served the Roman Catholic Church and died in Rome are able to be buried there.

In the summer of 2018, the Orlandi family received a letter with a photo in it. The photo was of a marble statue of an angel in the Teutonic Cemetery. The letter instructed to “look where the angel is pointing” and led the Orlandi family to the tombs of Princess Sophia of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Bartenstein and Duchess Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Hereditary Princess of Denmark. Their tombs are next to each other and Princess Sophia’s tomb, known as the Tomb of the Angel, has an angel who is pointing down.

Duchess Charlotte’s tomb on the left, Princess Sophia’s tomb on the right; Credit – Vatican Media, Reuters, CBS News

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When the Orlandi family went to see the tombs, they saw evidence that Princess Sophia’s tomb had been opened recently as there was new cement on it but they were given no information regarding a possible recent opening. In February 2019, the Orlandi family petitioned the Vatican Secretary of State to permit the tombs to be opened. A Vatican tribunal granted the request. during the first week of July 2019.

Workers opening the tomb of Duchess Charlotte Frederica; Photo Credit – CNS photo/Vatican Media

On July 11, 2019, Giovanni Arcudi, a forensics expert and professor at Tor Vergata University in Rome, led the team that opened the tombs. His job was to exhume the remains and verify their identities. It was decided to open both tombs to avoid possible misunderstandings about which grave was the grave indicated in the letter the Orlandi family received. Members of the two princesses’ families, the Orlandi family, and the Vatican police were present when the tombs were opened. However, to much surprise and amazement, there was no work for Arcudi to do. Not only was there no sign of Emanuela’s remains, but the remains of Princess Sophia and Duchess Charlotte Frederica were also missing. Vatican officials said they would research the burial records to try to discover what happened to their remains. It is possible that their remains were moved due to renovations at the end of the 1800s and again in the 1960s and 1970s.

Updates

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So who are these two princesses whose final resting places have become entangled in a long-unsolved missing person case?

Schillingsfürst Castle, Princess Sophia’s birthplace; Credit – Von Alexp1993 – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73775583

Princess Sophia of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Bartenstein

Not very much is known about Princess Sophia. Sophia was born on December 13, 1758, at Schillingsfürst Castle (in German) in Schillingsfürst, now in Ansbach, in Bavaria, Germany, and was given the names Sophia Carolina Josepha Philippina Maria Anna Lucia. She was the eldest of the seven children of Ludwig Leopold, ruling Prince of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Bartenstein (in German) and Josepha Friederike Polyxena Alexandrina, Countess of Limburg-Stirum. Her father’s principality was located in present-day northeastern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. During the French Revolution, Sophia’s father gave refuge to many French noblemen and their families.

Sophia’s brother Prince Ludwig Aloys of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Bartenstein was a Lieutenant General in the Austrian Army who fought against Napoleon in the Napoleonic Wars. After the defeat of Napoleon, Ludwig Aloys became a naturalized a French citizen, a Peer of France and a Marshal of France.

There is no indication that Sophia married. She died on January 20, 1836, in Rome at the age of 78.

Duchess Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Hereditary Princess of Denmark

Credit – Wikipedia

The first wife of the future King Christian VIII of Denmark, Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, was born December 4, 1784, in Ludwigslust Palace in the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in Germany. She was fifth of the six children and the youngest of the two daughters of Friedrich Franz I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.

Charlotte Frederica married the future King Christian VIII of Denmark at Ludwigslust Palace in the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (now Germany) on June 21, 1806. The couple only had one surviving child, King Frederik VII of Denmark.

Christian and Charlotte Frederica’s marriage soon became unhappy. Charlotte Frederica had an affair with her singing teacher Édouard Du Puy. In 1809, when Christian found out, Charlotte Frederica was sent into internal exile to the city of Horsens, Denmark while Du Puy was banished from Denmark. The marriage officially ended with a divorce in 1810 and Charlotte Frederica never saw her son again.

While in Horsens and later in Aarhus, both in Denmark, Charlotte Frederica cultivated friendships with the local gentry and allegedly had affairs with army officers. In 1829, she was allowed to travel out of Denmark and moved to Carlsbad, a spa town, then in Germany, now in the Czech Republic. She made one last move in 1830 to Rome, Italy where she lived in the Palazzo Bernini on Rome’s main street and converted to Roman Catholicism.

Charlotte Frederica had been exiled when her son, now King Frederik VII of Denmark, was only one year old. She had hoped to once again see her son but she soon became ill. Charlotte Frederica died in Rome on July 13, 1840, at the age of 55. She was buried in a tomb paid for by her son and created by the Danish sculptor Jens Adolf Jerichau at the Teutonic Cemetery.

Tomb of Charlotte Frederica; Credit – By Altera levatur – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59545772

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.

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Works Cited

  • Cbsnews.com. (2019). Emanuela Orlandi mystery: Bizarre twist in hunt for missing teen as Vatican tombs unsealed. [online] Available at: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/vatican-open-graves-search-missing-teen-girl-emanuela-orlandi-cryptic-clue-cemetery-angel/ [Accessed 13 Jul. 2019].
  • De.wikipedia.org. (2019). Ludwig Carl Franz Leopold zu Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Bartenstein. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Carl_Franz_Leopold_zu_Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Bartenstein [Accessed 13 Jul. 2019].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Emanuela_Orlandi [Accessed 13 Jul. 2019].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Louis Aloysius, Prince of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Bartenstein. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Aloysius,_Prince_of_Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Bartenstein [Accessed 13 Jul. 2019].
  • It.wikipedia.org. (2019). Cimitero Teutonico. [online] Available at: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cimitero_Teutonico [Accessed 13 Jul. 2019].
  • It.wikipedia.org. (2019). Sparizione di Emanuela Orlandi. [online] Available at: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparizione_di_Emanuela_Orlandi [Accessed 13 Jul. 2019].
  • Nytimes.com. (2019). In Italy, a Decades-Long Search for a Missing Girl Brings Another Twist. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/11/world/europe/italy-vatican-emanuela-orlandi.html [Accessed 13 Jul. 2019].
  • Sheena McKenzie, C. (2019). She disappeared at 15. A cryptic tip-off in the Vatican could hold key to her case. [online] CNN. Available at: https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/11/europe/vatican-missing-girl-emanuela-orlandi-intl/index.html [Accessed 13 Jul. 2019].
  • Wooden, C. (2019). Vatican discovers empty tombs in search for missing woman | Catholic Herald. [online] Catholic Herald. Available at: https://catholicherald.co.uk/news/2019/07/12/vatican-discovers-empty-tombs-in-search-for-missing-woman/ [Accessed 13 Jul. 2019].

Princess Amelia of Great Britain

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Credit – Wikipedia

Her Highness Princess Amelia of Hanover was born at Herrenhausen Palace in the Electorate of Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany, on June 10, 1711. Christened Amelia Sophia Eleanora, she was known in the family as Emily. At the time of her birth, her father (the future King George II of Great Britain) was the Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Her mother was Caroline of Ansbach,  the eldest of the three children of Johann Friedrich, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach and his second wife Princess Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach. Her paternal grandfather (the future King George I of Great Britain) was the Elector of Hanover and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.

Amelia was the third of eight children and the second of her parents’ five daughters. She had seven siblings:

Frederick, Prince of Wales, playing the cello, Anne, Princess Royal at the harpsichord, Princess Caroline playing the mandora and Princess Amelia reading; Credit – Wikipedia

Amelia’s 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. Upon Queen Anne’s death on August 1, 1714, Amelia’s grandfather succeeded to the British throne as King George I of Great Britain and her father became the heir apparent to the British throne and was created Prince of Wales the following month. Amelia was then styled Her Royal Highness Princess Amelia of Great Britain. Three-year-old Amelia along with her elder sister Anne and her younger sister Caroline, accompanied their mother to England where they settled in the new home, apartments in St. James’ Palace in London.

The three elder daughters of King George II: Anne, Amelia, and Caroline; Credit – Wikipedia

Amelia’s parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, had a disagreement over the choice of godparents for the short-lived son George William, born in 1717. The disagreement grew out of proportion, and Amelia’s father George was placed under arrest. The result was that her parents 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. The Prince and Princess of Wales were allowed to see their children only once a week. After a period of two years, the Princess of Wales acted as a mediator for her husband, and in cooperation with Prime Minister Robert Walpole, she finally reconciled King George I and his son.

Amelia’s paternal aunt, Sophia Dorothea of ​​Hanover, Queen of Prussia, wanted Amelia to marry her eldest son, the future King Friedrich II of Prussia (the Great). However, Sophia Dorothea’s husband King Friedrich Wilhelm I did not support the idea and insisted his son marry Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern. Amelia never did marry.

In 1727, Amelia’s grandfather died and her father succeeded to the British throne as King George II. After the death of her mother in 1737, Amelia became the constant companion to her father. She also acted as hostess for her unmarried brother Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, who had a career in the Royal Army, whenever he was in England. Amelia followed her brother’s military campaigns and was always quite worried about him when he was at the front.

In 1751, Princess Amelia became the ranger of Richmond Park. According to her instructions, only family members and a few close friends were allowed into the park. This caused a great uproar from the public who were accustomed to using the park. In 1758, a local brewer John Lewis was banned from the park and decided to take the case to court and won. Disgusted, Amelia resigned from her position as the ranger of Richmond Park.

Plaque to John Lewis, the Richmond brewer who secured public rights of access to the park in 1758; Credit – By Spudgun67 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46307376

On October 25, 1760, King George II woke up early at Kensington Palace and had his usual cup of chocolate. He asked about the direction of the wind as he was anxious about receiving his overseas mail, and then he entered his water closet. A few minutes later, his valet heard a crash and found George lying on the floor. He was put into bed and asked for his favorite daughter Princess Amelia, but he died before the princess reached him. Amelia hurried to her father’s rooms and, not realizing he was already dead, she put her head close to his head to hear what he had to say. Because she was quite deaf, Amelia did not realize her father was dead.

Amelia was the last surviving child of her parents and lived for the first twenty-six years of the reign of her nephew King George III whose father Frederick, Prince of Wales had predeceased his father King George II. Because of her deafness, Amelia retired from court life. She lived in a home in Cavendish Square when in London. In 1761, Amelia bought Gunnersbury Park, a country estate in the London Borough of Hounslow where she was famous for her parties and political intrigues.

Gunnersbury House around 1750; Credit – Wikipedia

In her later years, Amelia enjoyed taking the waters, playing cards, and engaging in gossip at Bath. Amelia was always fond of horses and dogs and every morning she paid a visit to the stables to see her horses. She donated generously to charity and was a wonderful great-aunt to the children of King George III, regularly inviting them to Gunnersbury Park.

In October 1786, Amelia knew she was dying and she put her affairs in order and made arrangements to provide for her servants. She left nothing to her relatives in England, instead, she left her estate to her three Hesse-Kassel nephews, the children of her sister Princess Mary. Princess Amelia Sophie died at the age of 75, on October 31, 1786, at her home in Cavendish Square. After her death, a pendant was found around her neck with a miniature portrait of her would-be husband, Crown Prince Friedrich of Prussia who became King Friedrich I of Prussia (the Great). Princess Amelia was buried in the Hanover vault below the central aisle of Henry VII’s chapel in Westminster Abbey in London. An inscription was carved in the black and white pavement in 1866 reads Amelia Sophia Eleonora 2 DA. of K.GEO. II 1786.

Amelia Island, an island in the Sea Islands chain that stretches along the East Coast of the United States from South Carolina to Florida and Amelia County in Virginia, United States are named for Princess Amelia.

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

  • De.wikipedia.org.Amelia Sophie von Großbritannien, Irland und Hannover. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelia_Sophie_von_Gro%C3%9Fbritannien,_Irland_und_Hannover [Accessed 11 Jul. 2019].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Princess Amelia of Great Britain. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Amelia_of_Great_Britain [Accessed 11 Jul. 2019].
  • Van Der Kiste, John. The Georgian Princesses. Phoenix Mill: Sutton Publishing, 2000. Print.
  • Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.