Category Archives: Current Monarchies

Sophia Magdalena of Denmark and Norway, Queen of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Sophia Magdalena of Denmark and Norway, Queen of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Sophia Magdalena of Denmark and Norway, born on July 3, 1746, at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark, was the eldest daughter and the eldest surviving child of the four children of King Frederik V of Denmark and Norway and his first wife Princess Louisa of Great Britain. She was a granddaughter of King George II of Great Britain and among her first cousins were King George III of the United Kingdom; her brother King Christian VII’s wife Caroline Matilda of Wales, Queen of Denmark and Norway; and Willem V, Prince of Orange. One month after her birth, Sophia Magdalena’s father became King of Denmark and Norway. After the death of her elder brother in 1747, Sophia Magdalena was the heir presumptive to the Danish and Norwegian thrones until the birth of her second brother in 1749.

Sophia Magdalena had four siblings:

Sophia Magdalena also had one half-brother from his father’s second marriage to Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel:

In 1743, Sophia Magdalena’s father was one of the candidates in the election for the heir to the Swedish throne, but Adolf Frederik of Holstein-Gottorp was elected the heir and succeeded to the Swedish throne in 1751. Adolf Frederik was married to Sophia Magdalena’s first cousin once removed Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, the daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King in Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, the daughter of King George I of Great Britain. Past wars and the result of the 1743 election caused tension between Denmark and Sweden. To foster friendship between the two countries, a betrothal was arranged by the Swedish Parliament in 1751 between two 5-year-olds, Sophia Magdalena and Crown Prince Gustav of Sweden, son of King Adolf Frederik of Sweden and Louisa Ulrika of Prussia. Both mothers disliked the proposed match. Gustav’s mother Queen Louisa Ulrika had long been in conflict with the Swedish parliament and would have preferred a marriage with her niece Philippine of Brandenburg-Schwedt. Sophia Magdalena’s mother Queen Louise feared that her daughter would be mistreated by the Louisa Ulrika of Prussia.

When Sophia Magdalena was five years old, her mother Queen Louise died at age 27 due to complications from a miscarriage. The next year, her father made a second marriage to Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Raised to become Queen of Sweden, Sophia Magdalena received a strict religious upbringing at Hirschholm Palace, the home of her paternal grandmother and her namesake, Queen Dowager Sophie Magdalene (born Sophie Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach).

On October 1, 1766, Sophia Magdalena was married by proxy to Gustav at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen with her half-brother Frederik representing the groom. She then traveled to Sweden where she married Crown Prince Gustav in person on November 4, 1766, at the Royal Chapel at the Stockholm Royal Palace.

The wedding attire of Gustav and Sophia Magdalena at the Royal Armory (Swedish: Livrustkammaren), a museum in the Royal Palace in Stockholm

The marriage was not a happy one. Sophia Magdalena was quiet and serious and had difficulty adapting to her husband’s pleasure-loving court. The interference of Gustav’s jealous mother, Queen Louisa Ulrika, did not help the situation. Sophia Magdalena dutifully performed her ceremonial duties, but she did not care about social life and would rather exist in peace and quiet with a few friends.

Sophia Magdalena by Carl Gustaf Pilo, 1765; Credit – Wikipedia

Gustav III of Sweden by Alexander Roslin, 1772; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1771, King Adolf Frederick of Sweden died and Gustav succeeded his father as King Gustav III of Sweden. Gustav and Sophia Magdalena’s coronation was held on May 29, 1772, at the Storkyrkan (The Great Church) in Stockholm, Sweden.

Unfinished painting of Gustav III’s coronation by Carl Gustaf Pilo (Sophia Magdalena can be seen sitting on the right); Credit – Wikipedia

In 1772, Gustav arranged for a coup d’état known as the Revolution of 1772. Initially, Sophia Magdalena was not informed about the coup d’état, which reinstated absolute monarchy and ended parliamentary rule. Gustav imprisoned opposition leaders and established a new regime with extensive power for the king which he used wisely. He introduced freedom of the press and tried to remedy corruption in the government.

Gustav III (center right) at the Revolution of 1772 by Pehr Hilleström; Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage of Sophia Magdalena and Gustav remained unconsummated for ten years. There were various theories regarding the cause including Sophia Magdalena’s strict religious upbringing and introverted character, Gustav’s sexuality, and the possibility that either or both Sophia Magdalena and Gustav had a physical problem. Eventually, Count Adolf Fredrik Munck af Fulkila acted as a sexual instructor for the couple. The instruction resulted in the birth of a son. When it became known that Munck participated in the reconciliation between the royal couple, there were rumors that he was the father of Sophia Magdalena’s son. The couple eventually had another son, but he did not survive childhood:

Gustav III, Sophia Magdalena and Crown Prince Gustav Adolf in Haga Park by Cornelius Høyer, 1784–1785; Credit – Wikipedia

In the 1780s, Gustav III was preoccupied with foreign policy: a growing hatred of Denmark and a desire to conquer Norway. In 1788, he began a war against Russia, the Russo-Swedish War, but had to retreat because of a mutiny in the army. In 1789, he resumed the war with varying success. The war ended in 1790 with the Treaty of Värälä. The war with Russia destroyed Sweden’s economy, and when Gustav decided to attack France, a conspiracy developed.

On March 16, 1792, King Gustav III was shot by Jacob Johan Anckarström during a masquerade at the Royal Opera House in Stockholm, Sweden. King Gustav III died of his wounds at the Stockholm Royal Palace on March 29, 1792, at the age of 46. Assassination ringleader, Count Anckarström, was beaten for three days before he was beheaded, mutilated and dismembered. The event is the subject of Giuseppe Verdi’s 1859 opera Un ballo in maschera.  King Gustav III was buried at Riddarholm Church in Stockholm, Sweden.

Sophia Magdalena by Niklas Lafrensen, 1792; Credit – Wikipedia

Upon Gustav III’s assassination, his 14-year-old son succeeded to the throne as King Gustav IV Adolf, under the regency of his paternal uncle Prince Karl, Duke of Södermanland, who was later to become King Karl XIII of Sweden when his nephew was forced to abdicate and flee the country in 1809. Sophia Magdalena was horrified by the murder of her husband, but it was a relief that as Queen Dowager, she could retreat from public life. She lived in the Royal Palace in Stockholm during the winter, and at Ulriksdal Palace during the summer. Sophia Magdalena died from a stroke at the age of 67 on August 21, 1813, at Ulriksdal Palace. She was buried at Riddarholm Church in Stockholm, Sweden.

Tomb of Sophia Magdalena; Credit – www.findagrave.com

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
“Gustav III of Sweden.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 25 July 2016. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.
“Gustav III.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, Feb. 2015. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.
“Sophie Magdalene af Danmark.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.
“Sophia Magdalena of Denmark.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Sept. 2016. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.
Susan Flantzer. “Princess Louisa of Great Britain, Queen of Denmark.” British Royals. Unofficial Royalty, 19 Dec. 2013. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.

King Christian VII of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2016

King Christian VII of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

King Christian VII of Denmark and Norway was born on January 29, 1749, at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was the only surviving son of King Frederik V of Denmark and Norway and his first wife Princess Louisa of Great Britain, and a grandson of King George II of Great Britain. Among his first cousins were King George III of the United Kingdom; Christian’s wife Caroline Matilda of Wales, Queen of Denmark and Norway; and Willem V, Prince of Orange. Christian was christened two hours after his birth. His godparents were:

Christian had four siblings:

Christian also had one half-brother from his father’s second marriage to Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel:

When Christian was not quite two years old, his mother Queen Louisa died at age 27 due to complications from a miscarriage. The next year, his father made a second marriage to Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Christian seemed to be an intelligent child and was taught Danish, German, and French. However, he had a nervous disposition and was poorly educated and terrorized by a brutal governor, Christian Ditlev Reventlow, Count of Reventlow.

Christian as Crown Prince by Louis Tocqué; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1766, Christian succeeded to the Danish and Norwegian thrones after the early death of his father at age 42. Since there was a connection between the British and Danish royal families and both families were Protestant, it was natural that a British bride should be sought for Christian. Even before the death of King Frederik V, negotiations for such a marriage were started. The preferred choice for a bride was initially his first cousin Princess Louisa of Wales, daughter of Christian’s deceased maternal uncle Frederick, Prince of Wales, but when the Danish representative in London heard of her ill health, her younger sister Princess Caroline Matilda of Wales became the prospective bride. The betrothal was announced on January 10, 1765.

Princess Caroline Matilda of Wales; Credit – Wikipedia

King Christian VII of Denmark & Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

Princess Louise Auguste as a child; Credit – Wikipedia

It was soon clear that Christian was not quite normal. It is unknown if Christian’s mental illness was caused by the brutal treatment of the Count of Reventlow, possible porphyria inherited from his Hanover mother, or schizophrenia. Christian’s behavior wandered into excesses, especially sexual promiscuity. He publicly declared that he could not love Caroline Matilda because it was “unfashionable to love one’s wife”. His symptoms included paranoia, self-mutilation, and hallucinations. Christian wandered the streets of Copenhagen visiting the city’s taverns and brothels with his favorite Count Frederik Vilhelm Conrad Holck. It was becoming clearer and clearer that Christian could not fulfill his role as king.

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

Johann Friedrich Struensee; Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

Celle Castle; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

After the fall of Struensee, Christian’s stepmother Dowager Queen Juliana Marie and her son, Christian’s half-brother Hereditary Prince Frederik reinstated the Council of State. Christian was only nominally king from 1772 onward. Between 1772 and 1784, Denmark was ruled by Queen Dowager Juliana Marie, Hereditary Prince Frederik, and Cabinet Secretary Ove Høegh-Guldberg. From 1784, Christian’s son, the future King Frederik VI, ruled permanently as a prince regent.

King Christian VIi in 1782; Credit – Wikipedia

Christian lived in isolation with a caretaker. When he was behaved too violently, he was locked up in his room or tied to his chair. His only involvement with the government was when he had to sign “Christian Rex” on formal papers. On March 13, 1808, in Rendsburg, Schleswig (then in Denmark, now in Germany) King Christian VII died from a stroke at the age of 59. He was buried in Frederik V’s Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark.

Tomb of King Christian VII – Photo by Susan Flantzer

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

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited
“Christian VII of Denmark.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Aug. 2016. Web. 24 Sept. 2016.
“Christian 7.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Feb. 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2016.
Susan. “Caroline Matilda of Wales, Queen of Denmark and Norway.” British Royals. Unofficial Royalty, 27 Oct. 2016. Web. 24 Sept. 2016.

Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland; Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

William Augustus had seven siblings:

George II and his family; Credit – Wikipedia

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

by Charles Jervas, oil on canvas, circa 1728

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Willem V, Prince of Orange

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Willem V, Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

Willem V, Prince of Orange, the last Stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, was born on March 8, 1748, in The Hague. His father was Willem IV, Prince of Orange, Stadtholder of Friesland, Stadtholder of Groningen, and Stadtholder of Guelders. In April 1747, the French army threatened the Netherlands, which was weakened by internal division. The Dutch decided their country needed a single strong executive and turned to the House of Orange. On May 4, 1747, the States-General of the Netherlands named William IV, Prince of Orange, General Stadtholder of all seven of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, and made the position hereditary for the first time.

Willem IV, Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

Willem V’s mother was Anne, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain. Therefore, Willem V was the grandson of the British monarch. Among his first cousins were King George III of the United Kingdom; Caroline Matilda of Wales, Queen of Denmark; King Christian VII of Denmark, and Sophia Magdalena of Denmark, Queen of Sweden.

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

Willem had two older sisters, but only one survived childhood:

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

Willem IV died at age 40 from a stroke on October 22, 1751, at Huis ten Bosch in The Hague and was succeeded by Willem (V) who was only three years old. Willem V would not reach his majority for fifteen years, and until then, he had several regents.

Willem V as a child; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1752, Willem’s grandfather, King George II of Great Britain, created his four-year-old grandson a Knight of the Order of the Garter. From the death of Willem’s mother Anne in 1759 until Willem’s majority in 1766, Duke Ludwig Ernst of Brunswick-Lüneburg was William’s guardian and conducted the Dutch Republic’s state affairs in his name. Ludwig Ernst was basically William’s second father. On his 18th birthday, March 8, 1766, Willem was declared of age and took over the duties as Stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands.

On October 4, 1767, in Berlin, Prussia, Willem married 16-year-old Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia, daughter of Prince Augustus William of Prussia and Luise of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Wilhelmina was the favorite niece of King Friedrich II of Prussia (Frederick the Great) and was the sister of his successor King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia.

Willem and Wilhelmina had five children, but only three survived infancy:

Willem and Wilhelmina with their three children (left to right) Frederick, Willem, and Louise; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1783, after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the American Revolutionary War, there was growing restlessness in the United Provinces. A group of revolutionaries called Patriots was challenging Willem V’s authority. In September of 1787, the Patriots were defeated by a Prussian army, and many of the Patriots fled to France. In 1793, after the French Revolution, Willem V joined the First Coalition, which fought against revolutionary France in 1793. The next year, the Dutch Republic was threatened by invading French armies. In 1795, the revolutionary Patriots, now supported by the French Army, returned and replaced the Dutch Republic with the Batavian Republic, which remained in power until 1806.

Willem V, Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

Willem V and his family fled to England, where they lived in exile until 1802 in the part of Kew Palace known as the Dutch House with the permission of Willem’s first cousin, King George III. In 1802, the family went to the European mainland, where they lived in the Principality of Orange-Nassau and the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Willem spent the rest of his life in exile. During his exile, Willem was viewed negatively in England and the Netherlands.

In The Orangerie (1796), English caricaturist James Gillray depicted Willem as a lazy Cupid sleeping on bags of money, surrounded by pregnant lovers; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 9, 1806, Willem V died at the age of 58 in Brunswick, Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, now in Lower Saxony, Germany, and was buried there. That same year, Napoleon created the Kingdom of Holland for his brother Louis, and the Batavian Republic came to an end. Aware of the discontent of the Dutch under French rule, in 1813 Willem V’s son, also named Willem, met with Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia to appeal for help in restoring him as ruler of the Netherlands. Alexander agreed to help, and following Napoleon’s defeat at Leipzig later that year, the Dutch provisional government agreed to accept Willem as the first King of the Netherlands following the departure of the French. He was also proclaimed Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Duke of Nassau, uniting the Low Countries. The Netherlands was formally proclaimed a kingdom at the Congress of Vienna.

The son of Willem V, Prince of Orange, King Willem I of the Netherlands; Credit – Wikipedia

Willem V’s wife Wilhelmina survived long enough to see her son become King Willem I of the Netherlands, and she returned to live in the Netherlands in 1814. Wilhelmina died in 1829, at the age of 68, at Het Loo in Apeldoorn where she was buried. In 1831, she was reinterred at the new crypt of the House of Orange at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, The Netherlands.

On April 29, 1958, after more than 150 years of lying in peace in Brunswick, Willem V, Prince of Orange was reinterred at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, the traditional burial site of the Dutch House of Orange. Willem was vilified during his lifetime and is still considered a failure as a ruler. Queen Wilhelmina refused to attend Willem V’s reburial. When asked why, she said that she did not want to walk behind the coffin of a fool.

william-v_orange_reburial

Reburial of Willem V, Prince of Orange, at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, The Netherlands; Credit – http://www.dbnl.org/

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
eejm. “King Willem I of the Netherlands.” Dutch Royals. Unofficial Royalty, 12 Dec. 2013. Web. 18 Sept. 2016.
“Grafkelder van Oranje-Nassau.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Jan. 2016. Web. 18 Sept. 2016.
“Wilhelmina of Prussia, Princess of orange.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Feb. 2016. Web. 18 Sept. 2016.
“Wilhelmina van Pruisen (1751-1820).” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Jan. 2016. Web. 18 Sept. 2016.
“Willem V van Oranje-Nassau.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Jan. 2016. Web. 18 Sept. 2016.
“William IV, Prince of Orange.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Sept. 2016. Web. 18 Sept. 2016.

Anne, Princess Royal, Princess of Orange

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2016

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

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

Anne had seven siblings:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Willem IV, Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

Anne, Princess of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

Prince Mikasa of Japan

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Prince Mikasa of Japan; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Mikasa of Japan, the youngest of the four sons of Emperor Taishō and Empress Teimei, was born on December 2, 1915, at the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan.  His childhood appellation was Sumi-no-miya and he was also known by his personal name Prince Takahito.

He had three older brothers:

Emperor Taishō’s four sons in 1921: Hirohito, Mikasa, Takamatsu, and Chichibu; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Mikasa was educated at the Gakushūin (Peers’ School), established in 1847 to educate the children of Japanese nobility. After graduating in 1932, Mikasa began a military career. He entered the Imperial Japanese Army Academy and upon graduation was commissioned a sub-lieutenant. Mikasa furthered his military education by attending the Army War College.  In December 1935, Emperor Hirohito (Shōwa) granted him the title Mikasa-no-miya (Prince Mikasa) and the authorization to form a new branch of the Imperial Family.

Prince Mikasa in 1936; Credit – Wikipedia

During World War II, Prince Mikasa, having attained the rank of major, served as a staff officer at the headquarters of the China Expeditionary Army in Nanjing, China. His goal was to strengthen the legitimacy of the nationalist government in Nanking and to coordinate a peace initiative, but his efforts were unsuccessful due to Operation Ichi-Go launched by the Imperial General Headquarters.

During his time in China, Prince Mikasa became aware of plans for a Japanese bombing of Chinese cities with bubonic plague bombs. Upon his return to Japan, Mikasa wrote a report about the bubonic plague bombs and other war atrocities he had witnessed, but the report was suppressed until 1994. In 1946, Prince Mikasa spoke to the Privy Council of Japan insisting that his brother Emperor Hirohito needed to abdicate and take responsibility for the war. However, General Douglas MacArthur, who was responsible for the Allied Occupation of Japan, protected Emperor Hirohito and insisted that he should stay in power.

On October 22, 1941, Prince Mikasa married Yuriko Takagi, daughter of Japanese noble Viscount Masanari, who was known as Princess Mikasa after her marriage. The couple had three sons and two daughters. Prince Mikasa and his family lived on the grounds of the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo. All three sons predeceased their parents.

  • Yasuko Konoe, formerly Princess Yasuko (born 1944), married Tadateru Konoe, had one daughter; upon her marriage, Princess Yasuko had to relinquish her title from birth and her official membership in the Imperial Family
  • Prince Tomohito (1946 – 2012), married Nobuko Asō, had two daughters
  • Prince Katsura (1948 – 2014), unmarried
  • Masako Sen, formerly Princess Masako (born 1951), married Sōshitsu Sen, had two sons and one daughter; upon her marriage, Princess Masako had to relinquish her title from birth and her official membership in the Imperial Family
  • Prince Takamado (1954 – 2002), married Hisako Tottori, had three daughters

Princess Mikasa and her three elder children, circa 1950; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Mikasa in 2012; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

After World War II, Prince Mikasa studied archaeology, Middle Eastern studies, and Semitic languages at the University of Tokyo. From 1954 until he died in 2016, he directed the Japanese Society for Middle East Studies. He also held visiting and guest faculty appointments in Middle Eastern studies and archaeology at universities in Japan and abroad.

Embed from Getty Images 
Prince Mikasa and Princess Mikasa wave to well-wishers gathered for the annual New Year’s greetings at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on January 2, 2016

Prince Mikasa died of heart failure on October 27, 2016, at the age of 100, a little more than a month before his 101st birthday. At the time of his death, he was the world’s oldest royal, the longest-lived member of the Japanese Imperial Family, and the last of the five Japanese princes in the line of succession. Prince Mikasa lived during the reigns of three emperors: his father Emperor Taishō, his brother Emperor Hirohito, and his nephew Emperor Akihito.

Prince Mikasa’s funeral, called the Renso-no-Gi (Ceremony of the Funeral and Entombment), was held on November 4, 2016, at the Toshimagaoka Imperial Cemetery in Tokyo. The host of the funeral was the prince’s 93-year-old widow Princess Mikasa. Due to Princess Mikasa’s advanced age, Princess Akiko, the eldest daughter of the late Prince Tomohito, the eldest son of Prince Mikasa, stood in for her. Other members of the Imperial Family, other relatives, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, parliamentary leaders, and foreign ambassadors to Japan attended the funeral. As is the custom, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko did not attend the funeral.

Prince Mikasa’s wife Yuriko, Princess Mikasa survived her husband by eight years, dying of old age, on November 15, 2024, at St. Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo, Japan aged 101.

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.

Caroline Matilda of Wales, Queen of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

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

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

Caroline Matilda had eight older siblings:

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

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

Caroline Matilda’s godparents:

Caroline Matilda, age three; Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

King Christian VII of Denmark and Norway, Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

Princess Louise Auguste as a child; Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

Johann Friedrich Struensee; Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

Celle Castle; Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

The Caroline Matilda Memorial in Celle; Credit – Wikipedia

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

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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

Princess Augusta of Wales, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2016

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

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

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

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

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

The infant princess was christened Augusta Frederica on August 29, 1737, at St James’ Palace by John Potter, Archbishop of Canterbury.  Augusta’s paternal grandparents King George II and Queen Caroline were named as her godparents, but neither came to the christening and were represented by a proxy.

Augusta’s godparents were:

Augusta had eight younger siblings:

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

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

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

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

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

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

The couple had seven children:

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

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

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

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

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

Caroline of Brunswick shortly before her wedding; Credit – Wikipedia

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

Augusta and her husband Karl; Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

UPDATED 10/15/16: World’s Longest Reigning Monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, Dies

President Barack Obama, with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Ambassador Kristie Kenney, left, meet with King Bhumibol Adulyadej of the Kingdom of Thailand, at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, Nov. 18, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.

UPDATED 10/15/16

King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand died on October 13, 2016 at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand at the age of 88. The King had been ill for several years. At the time of his death, King Bhumibol was the world’s longest-reigning monarch, having reigned for 70 years and 126 days. According to the law of succession, the cabinet will inform the president of the National Assembly, who will invite Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn to become king.  Mourning ceremonies, the funeral, and cremation are expected to take place in the future. When the late King’s sister Princess Galyani Vadhana died, her funeral was held ten months after her death.

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BBC: Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej dead at 88

Learn more about the Thai Royal Family at Unofficial Royalty: Thai Royal Family 

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.