Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Duchess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte) (19 May 1744 - 17 November 1818) as Queen Charlotte was the queen consort of King George III.

Birth, youth, and marriage

Charlotte was the youngest daughter of Charles Louis Frederick, Prince of Mecklenburg-Strelitz-Mirow (23 February, 1707 - 5 June, 1752) and his wife, Elizabeth Albertine, Princess of Saxe-Hildburghausen and Duchess of Saxony (4 August, 1713 - 29 June, 1761).

Related Topics:
Mecklenburg-Strelitz - Mirow - 23 February - 1707 - 5 June - 1752 - Elizabeth Albertine, Princess of Saxe-Hildburghausen - 4 August - 1713 - 29 June - 1761

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

She was a granddaughter of Adolf Friedrich II of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (October 19, 1658 - May 12, 1708) by his third wife, Christiane Emilie Antonie, Princess of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (March, 1681 - November 1, 1751). Her father's elder half brother reigned from 1708 to 1753 as Adolf Friedrich III.

Related Topics:
Adolf Friedrich II of Mecklenburg-Strelitz - October 19 - 1658 - May 12 - 1708 - Schwarzburg-Sondershausen - March - 1681 - November 1 - 1751 - Adolf Friedrich III

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

For an "equal" person to marry the reigning king of one of the then most remarkable countries on the planet, she had only a surprisingly distant ancestry from kings herself. All her ancestors up to the level of great-great-great-grandparents were solidly princes, dukes and counts (or equivalent), and there was no reigning king. All her 62 closest ancestors were not higher than reigning princes. One could observe that she was rather an aristocrat than a royal. Only two of her great-great-great-great-grandfathers were kings: Gustav I of Sweden and Frederick I of Denmark and Norway. However, earlier in her ancestry, there are some more kings and queens.

Related Topics:
Gustav I of Sweden - Frederick I of Denmark

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Charlotte's brother Adolf Friedrich IV of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (reigned 1752 - 1794) and her widowed mother actively negotiated for a prominent marriage for the young princess. At the age of 17, Charlotte was selected as the bride of the young King George, though she was not his first choice. He had already flirted with several young women considered unsuitable by his mother, Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, and by his political advisors. He also was rumored to have married a young Quaker woman named Hannah Lightfoot, though all later claims to prove this marriage were deemed unfounded and the purported supporting documents discovered to be forgeries.

Related Topics:
Adolf Friedrich IV of Mecklenburg-Strelitz - 1752 - 1794 - Augusta of Saxe-Gotha - Quaker - Hannah Lightfoot

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Princess Charlotte arrived in Britain in 1761, and the couple were married at the Chapel Royal in St. James's Palace, London, on September 8 of that year.

Related Topics:
1761 - Chapel Royal - St. James's Palace - London - September 8

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Despite not having been her husband's first choice of bride, and having been treated with a general lack of sympathy by his mother, Charlotte's marriage was a happy one, and the king was apparently never unfaithful to her. In the course of their marriage, they had fifteen children, all but two — Octavius and Alfred — of whom survived into adulthood.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~