House of Mecklenburg & of Hanover: Princess Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Sophia Charlotte, but usually just called Charlotte, was born as the seventh of ten children and youngest of five daughters to Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg, Prince of Milow, and his wife Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Through her older brother Karl (Charles), she was an aunt to her daughter-in-law Queen Friederike (Frederica) of Hanover and Queen Louise of Prussia. Charlotte was also the grandmother of Queen Victoria.
The information about Charlotte’s education differ. While some say it was only rudimentary, others comment that she was educated by the poet Friderike Elisabeth von Grabow and quickly learned several languages and was a great writer of intelligent letters. However, she was not chosen a the bride of the king because of her education but because of her status. As a descendant of a rather minor German ducal house, George promised himself a wife that would not meddle in his politics. He even specifically told her not to do that. However when George’s madness became worse she fought with her son, The Prince of Wales, over who should take over the regency.
George and Charlotte married on September 8th, 1761, and were crowned just two weeks later. The marriage would produce 15 children, among them two Kings of Great Britain, a King of Hanover, a Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg and several Duke and Duchesses. The marriage itself appeared to be happy since both spouses shared common interest like music. But when George slowly became mad, Charlotte refused to be alone with him. However she pleaded with The Prince of Wales to let her accompany him to Kew where he was supposed to recover.
A popular myth is that Charlotte was actually black or could at least claim African descent. She supposedly descends from King Afonso III of Portugal and his mistresses Madragana, who was described as a Moor. But firstly it is uncertain if Madragana was truly black and not just a Mozarab, a Christian living in the Islamic part of the Iberian peninsula, and secondly the ancestry is at the closest nine generations removed from Charlotte. Furthermore many European’s nobility and royalty descended from this couple which would make Charlotte in no way unique.
Charlotte died on November 17th, 1818, in an armchair at Kew Palace in the presence of The Prince Regent. Today, she is the second longest serving British royal consort, only surpassed by the current Duke of Edinburgh. Except for her jewels, who were claimed by The Prince Regent, most of her belongings were sold at auction from May to August 1819. King George probably never knew that she passed away. He died 14 months after her, blind, deaf, lame and insane.
// Helen Mirren as Queen Charlotte in The Madness of King George (1994)
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