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.

Interests and patronage

Queen Charlotte was keenly interested in the fine arts and supported Johann Christian Bach, who was her music teacher. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, then aged eight, dedicated his Opus 3 to her, at her request. The queen also founded orphanages and a hospital for expectant mothers.

Related Topics:
Johann Christian Bach - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

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In 2004, the Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace staged an exhibition illustrating George and Charlotte's enthusiastic arts patronage, which was particularly enlightened when compared to previous Hanover monarchs and compared favorably to the adventuresome tastes of the king's father, Frederick, Prince of Wales. Among the royal couple's favored craftsmen and artists were the cabinetmaker William Vile, silversmith Thomas Heming, the landscape designer Capability Brown, and the German painter Johann Zoffany, who frequently painted the king and queen and their children in charmingly informal scenes, such as a portrait of Queen Charlotte and her children as she sat at her dressing table.

Related Topics:
2004 - William Vile - Thomas Heming - Capability Brown - Johann Zoffany

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The queen also was a well-educated amateur botanist and helped establish what is today Kew Gardens.

Related Topics:
Botanist - Kew Gardens

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The education of women was a great importance to the queen, and she saw to it that her daughters were better educated that the usual young women of the day.

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