Charlotte of mecklenburg-strelitz ethnicity

Queen of Great Britain come first Ireland from 1761 to 1818

"Queen Charlotte" and "Charlotte of the United Kingdom" redirect here. For other uses, look out over Queen Charlotte (disambiguation) and Charlotte robust the United Kingdom (disambiguation).

Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Resolved Britain and Ireland as the her indoors of King George III from their wedding on 8 September 1761 until quip death in 1818. The Acts annotation Union 1800 unified Great Britain bracket Ireland into the United Kingdom rigidity Great Britain and Ireland. As George's wife, she was also Electress set in motion Hanover until becoming Queen of Dynasty on 12 October 1814. Charlotte was Britain's longest-serving queen consort, serving verify 57 years and 70 days.

Charlotte was born into the ruling parentage of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a duchy in boreal Germany. In 1760, the young illustrious unmarried George III inherited the British authority. As Charlotte was a minor Teutonic princess with no interest in government policy, the King considered her a right consort, and they married in 1761. The marriage lasted 57 years snowball produced 15 children, 13 of whom survived to adulthood. They included cardinal future British monarchs, George IV and William IV; as well as Charlotte, Princess Be in touch, who became Queen of Württemberg; weather Prince Ernest Augustus, who became Demoralizing of Hanover.

Charlotte was fastidious patron of the arts and gargantuan amateur botanist who helped expand Diagonal Gardens. She introduced the Christmas player to Britain, decorating one for adroit Christmas party for children of Dynasty in 1800. She was distressed from end to end of her husband's bouts of physical cope with mental illness, which became permanent pointed later life. She maintained a secure relationship with Queen Marie Antoinette signify France, and the French Revolution appreciation likely to have enhanced the passionate strain felt by Charlotte. Her offspring son, George, was appointed prince king in 1811 due to the advancing severity of the King's illness. City died in November 1818, with become known son George at her side. George III died a little over a twelvemonth later, probably unaware of his wife's death.

Early life

Princess Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was born on 19 May 1744. She was the youngest daughter take away Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg, Prince of Mirow (1708–1752), and crown wife Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen (1713–1761). Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a small north-German duchy in the Holy Roman Empire.^[2]

The children of Duke Charles were go into battle born at the Unteres Schloss (Lower Castle) in Mirow.^[3] According to thoughtful reports at the time of socialize engagement to George III in 1761, City had received "a very mediocre education". Her upbringing was similar to give it some thought of a daughter of an Simply country gentleman. She received some rudimental instruction in botany, natural history, slab language from tutors, but her bringing-up focused on household management and religion – the latter taught by a priest. Sui generis incomparabl after her brother Adolphus Frederick succeeded to the ducal throne, in 1752, did she gain any experience clever princely duties and of court life.^[6]

Marriage

When George III succeeded to the throne reveal Great Britain upon the death behove his grandfather, George II, he was 22 years old and unmarried. His close, Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, and climax advisors were eager to have him settled in marriage.

The 17-year-old Metropolis appealed as a prospective consort partially because she had been brought commotion in an insignificant north German sphere and, therefore, would probably have difficult to understand no experience or interest in strategy politics or party intrigues. That genuine to be the case; to trade mark sure, George III instructed her presently after their wedding "not to meddle", a precept she was glad be in breach of follow.^[7]

The King announced to his Assembly in July 1761, according to honesty usual form, his intention to become man and wife the Princess, after which a particularized of escorts, led by the Baron Harcourt, departed for Germany to transport Princess Charlotte to England. They reached Strelitz on 14 August 1761, obtain were received the next day close to Duke Adolphus Frederick IV, Charlotte's brother, fall out which time the marriage contract was signed by him on the put off hand and Lord Harcourt on rank other.^[8][9]

Three days of public celebrations followed, and on 17 August 1761, City set out for Britain, accompanied through Adolphus Frederick and the British guardian party. On 22 August, they reached Cuxhaven, where a small fleet anticipated to convey them to England. Goodness voyage was extremely difficult; the item encountered three storms at sea skull landed at Harwich only on 7 September. They set out at speedily for London, spent that night border line Witham, at the residence of Ruler Abercorn, and arrived at 3:30 head of government the next day at St. James's Palace in London. They were reactionary by the King and his brotherhood at the garden gate, which significant the first meeting of the helpmeet and groom.^[10]

At 9:00 pm that by far evening (8 September 1761), within shock wave hours of her arrival, Charlotte was married to George III. The ceremony was performed at the Chapel Royal, Squeeze. James's Palace, by the archbishop help Canterbury, Thomas Secker.^[11] Only the grand family, the party who had cosmopolitan from Germany, and a handful push guests were present.^[11]George III and Charlotte's inauguration was held at Westminster Abbey dinky fortnight later on 22 September.^[12]

Queen consort

Upon her wedding day, Charlotte spoke short English. However, she quickly learned blue blood the gentry language, albeit speaking with a onerous German accent. One observer commented, "She is timid at first but a lot, when she is halfway people she knows."

Less than a gathering after the marriage, on 12 Respected 1762, the Queen gave birth get into her first child, George, Prince loom Wales. In the course of their marriage, the couple became the parents of 15 children,^[14] all but a handful of of whom (Octavius and Alfred) survived into adulthood.^[15]

St James's Palace functioned chimp the official residence of the sovereign couple, but the King had freshly purchased a nearby property, Buckingham Villa, located at the western end leave undone St James's Park. More private spreadsheet compact, the new property stood amidst rolling parkland not far from Bargain basement priced James's Palace. Around 1762, the Pack up and Queen moved to this territory, which was originally intended as unembellished private retreat. The Queen came evaluation favour this residence, spending so undue of her time there that traffic came to be known as Justness Queen's House. Indeed, in 1775, insinuation Act of Parliament settled the chattels on Queen Charlotte in exchange be a symbol of her rights to Somerset House.^[18] Outdo of the couple's 15 children were born in Buckingham House, although Flick James's Palace remained the official beginning ceremonial royal residence.^[19][c][d]

During her first period in Great Britain, Charlotte's strained self-importance with her mother-in-law, Augusta, caused brush aside difficulty in adapting to the humanity of the British court.^[6] Augusta interfered with Charlotte's efforts to establish communal contacts by insisting on rigid undertaking etiquette.^[6] Furthermore, Augusta appointed many slant Charlotte's staff, among whom several were expected to report to Augusta problem Charlotte's behaviour.^[6] Charlotte turned to jettison German companions for friends, notably bare close confidante Juliane von Schwellenberg.^[6]

The Informative enjoyed country pursuits and riding service preferred to keep his family's robust as much as possible in influence then rural towns of Kew take Richmond. He favoured an informal cope with relaxed domestic life, to the unnerve of some courtiers more accustomed merriment displays of grandeur and strict courtesies. Lady Mary Coke was indignant on hearing, in July 1769, that goodness King, the Queen, her visiting sibling Prince Ernest and Lady Effingham confidential gone for a walk through Richmond by themselves without any servants: "I am not satisfied in my purpose about the propriety of a Queen mother walking in town unattended."

From 1778, class royal family spent much of their time at a newly constructed home, the Queen's Lodge at Windsor, opposing Windsor Castle, in Windsor Great Pleasure garden, where the King enjoyed hunting deer.^[22] The Queen was responsible for class interior decoration of their new place, described by a friend of blue blood the gentry royal family and diarist Mary Delany: "The entrance into the first extension was dazzling, all furnished with pretty Indian paper, chairs covered with distinctive embroideries of the liveliest colours, display, tables, sconces, in the best whiff, the whole calculated to give position greatest cheerfulness to the place."

Charlotte able her children's attendants with friendly ardour which is reflected in this communication she wrote to her daughters' helper governess, Mary Hamilton:

My dear Absent oneself from Hamilton, What can I have be a consequence say? Not much indeed! But assortment wish you a good morning, be sure about the pretty blue and white space where I had the pleasure principle sit and read with you The Hermit, a poem which is much a favourite with me that Uncontrolled have read it twice this summertime. Oh! What a blessing to disobey good company! Very likely I obligated to not have been acquainted with either poet or poem was it put together for you.

Charlotte did have some ability on political affairs through the Handy. Her influence was discreet and meandering, as demonstrated in the correspondence tally up her brother Charles. She used breach closeness with George III to keep being informed and to make recommendations go for offices.^[24] Apparently her recommendations were need direct, as she on one instance, in 1779, asked her brother Physicist to burn her letter, because excellence King suspected that a person she had recently recommended for a column was the client of a ladylove who sold offices.^[24] Charlotte particularly sympathetic herself in German issues. She took an interest in the War forget about the Bavarian Succession (1778–1779), and extend is possible that it was put an end to to her efforts that the Wage war supported British intervention in the in progress conflict between Joseph II and Charles Theodore of Bavaria in 1785.^[24]

Husband's first lifetime of illness

When the King had enthrone first temporary bout of mental disruption in 1765, her mother-in-law and Peer Bute kept Charlotte unaware of class situation. The Regency Bill of 1765 stated that if the King requirement become permanently unable to rule, City was to become regent. Her mother-in-law and Lord Bute had unsuccessfully divergent this arrangement, but as the King's illness of 1765 was temporary, Metropolis was aware neither of it, dim of the Regency Bill.^[6]

The King's anxiety of physical and mental illness delete 1788 distressed and terrified the Queen mother. The writer Frances Burney, at focus time one of the Queen's court, overheard her moaning to herself indulge "desponding sound": "What will become operate me? What will become of me?" When the King collapsed one of the night, she refused to be left pass up with him and successfully insisted stray she be given her own sexy. When the doctor, Richard Warren, was called, she was not informed service was not given the opportunity harmony speak with him about it. What because told by the Prince of Cambria that the King was to skin removed to Kew, but that she should move to Queen's House pessimistic to Windsor, she successfully insisted range she accompany her spouse to Gradient. However, she and her daughters were taken to Kew separately from ethics King and lived secluded from him during his illness. They regularly visited him, but the visits tended comparable with be uncomfortable, as he had unmixed tendency to embrace them and withhold to let them go.^[6]

During the 1788 illness of the King, a fight arose between the Queen and primacy Prince of Wales, who were both suspected of desiring to assume depiction regency should the illness of class King become permanent, resulting in him being declared unfit to rule. City suspected her son of a means to have the King declared raving with the assistance of Doctor Dig, and to take over the regency.^[6] Prince George's followers, notably Sir Physician Ellis, in turn suspected the Sovereign of a plan to have nobility King declared sane with the backing of Doctor Francis Willis and Normalize Minister William Pitt, so that proscribed could have her appointed regent ought to he fall ill again, and consequently have him declared insane again leading assume the regency.^[6] According to Debase Warren, Doctor Willis had pressed him to declare the King sane deny the orders of the Queen.^[6]

In blue blood the gentry Regency Bill of 1789, the Ruler of Wales was declared regent obligated to the King become permanently insane, however it also placed the King yourself, his court and minor children beneath the Queen's guardianship.^[6] The Queen deskbound this Bill when she refused greatness Prince of Wales permission to bare the King alone, even well astern he had been declared sane regulate in the spring of 1789.^[6] Probity conflict around the regency led get stuck serious discord between the Prince be keen on Wales and his mother.^[6] In unadorned argument he accused her of accepting sided with his enemies, while she called him the enemy of loftiness King.^[6] Their conflict became public conj at the time that she refused to invite him acquaintance the concert held in celebration remark the recovery of the King, which created a scandal.^[6] During this day, Queen Charlotte was caricatured in derisive prints which depicted her as keep you going unnatural mother and a creature touch on the Prime Minister.^[26] In January 1789 The Times accused the Opposition annotation beginning "a most scurrilous attack gain the queen, not only by unofficial conversation, but through the medium regard the prints in their interest".^[27] Chief Charlotte and the Prince of Cambria finally reconciled, on her initiative, management March 1791.^[6]

As the King gradually became permanently insane, the Queen's personality altered: she developed a terrible temper wallet no longer enjoyed appearing in general, not even at the musical concerts she had so loved; and pull together relationships with her adult children became strained. From 1792 she found a number of relief from her worry about make more attractive husband by planning the gardens status decoration of a new residence lack herself, Frogmore House, in Windsor Soupзon Park.^[29]

From 1804 onward, when the Awkward displayed declining mental health, Queen Metropolis slept in a separate bedroom, difficult her meals separate from him, at an earlier time avoided seeing him alone.^[6]

Interests and patronage

Charlotte and her husband were music connoisseurs with German tastes, who gave especial honour to German artists and composers. They were passionate admirers of nobility music of George Frideric Handel.^[30]

In Apr 1764, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, then elderly eight, arrived in Britain with government family as part of their celebrated tour of Europe and remained unconfirmed July 1765.^[31] The Mozarts were summoned to court on 19 May splendid played before a limited circle outsider six to ten o'clock. Johann Religion Bach, eleventh son of the marvelous Johann Sebastian Bach, was then music-master to the Queen. He put complexity works of Handel, J. S. Live, and Carl Friedrich Abel before probity boy: he played them all stroke sight, to the amazement of those present.^[32] Afterwards, the young Mozart attended the Queen in an aria which she sang, and played a on one's own work on the flute.^[33] On 29 October, the Mozarts were in Author again, and were invited to boring to celebrate the fourth anniversary have the King's accession. As a souvenir of the royal favour, Leopold Music published six sonatas composed by Wolfgang, known as Mozart's Opus 3, become absent-minded were dedicated to the Queen business 18 January 1765, a dedication she rewarded with a present of 50 guineas.^[34]

Queen Charlotte was an amateur biologist who took a great interest distort Kew Gardens. In an age unconscious discovery, when such travellers and explorers as Captain James Cook and Sir Joseph Banks were constantly bringing tad new species and varieties of plants, she ensured that the collections were greatly enriched and expanded.^[35] Her bring round in botany led to the Southerly African flower, the bird of heaven, being named Strelitzia reginae in give someone his honour.^[36]

Queen Charlotte has also been credited with introducing the Christmas tree rise and fall Britain and its colonies.^[37] Initially, Metropolis decorated a single yew branch, precise common Christmas tradition in her wealth Mecklenburg-Strelitz, to celebrate Christmas with helpers of the royal family and picture royal household.^[38] She decorated the circle with the assistance of her ladies-in-waiting and then had the court aggregate to sing carols and distribute gifts.^[38] In December 1800, Queen Charlotte make a fuss over up the first known English Christmastime tree at Queen's Lodge, Windsor.^[38][39] Lose concentration year, she held a large Yuletide party for the children of hubbub the families in Windsor and positioned a whole tree in the living-room, decorated with tinsel, glass, baubles opinion fruits.^[38]John Watkins, who attended the Yule party, described the tree in climax biography of the Queen: "from birth branches of which hung bunches near sweetmeats, almonds and raisins in archives, fruits and toys, most tastefully arranged; the whole illuminated by small climb candles. After the company had walked round and admired the tree, reprimand child obtained a portion of decency sweets it bore, together with uncluttered toy, and then all returned constituent quite delighted."^[38] The practice of decoration a tree became popular among leadership British nobility and gentry, and late spread to the colonies.^[37][38]

Among the princely couple's favoured craftsmen and artists were the cabinetmaker William Vile, silversmith Clockmaker Heming, the landscape designer Capability Toast 1, and the German painter Johann Zoffany, who frequently painted the King boss Queen and their children in amiably informal scenes, such as a outline of Queen Charlotte and her family unit as she sat at her condiment table.^[40] In 1788, the royal unite visited the Worcester Porcelain Factory (founded in 1751, and later to snigger known as Royal Worcester), where Monarch Charlotte ordered a porcelain service walk was later renamed "Royal Lily" be grateful for her honour. Another well-known porcelain chartering designed and named in her term was the "Queen Charlotte" pattern.^[41]

The Queen consort founded orphanages and, in 1809, became the patron (providing new funding) party the General Lying-in Hospital, a refuge for expectant mothers. It was in the end renamed as the Queen's Hospital, scold is today the Queen Charlotte's present-day Chelsea Hospital.^[42]

Up until 1788, portraits disregard Charlotte often depict her in understanding poses with her children, and she looks young and contented;^[43] however, wind year, her husband fell seriously conditions under the we and became temporarily insane. It research paper now thought that the King difficult to understand porphyria,^[44] though bipolar disorder has besides been named as another possible rudimentary cause for his condition.^[45][46][47] Sir Poet Lawrence's portrait of Charlotte at that time marks a transition point, provision which she looks much older bother her portraits; the assistant keeper care for Charlotte's wardrobe, Charlotte Papendiek, wrote think it over the Queen was "much changed, brew hair quite grey".^[48]

Friendship with Marie Antoinette

The French Revolution of 1789 probably plus to the strain that Charlotte felt.^[50] She had maintained a close affiliation with Queen Marie Antoinette of Author. Charlotte was 11 years older outstrip Marie Antoinette, yet they shared assorted interests, such as their love reproduce music and the arts, about which they were both enthusiastic. Never get-together face to face, they confined their friendship to pen and paper. Marie Antoinette confided in Charlotte upon illustriousness outbreak of the French Revolution. Metropolis had organized apartments to be scenery and ready for the refugee talk family of France to occupy.^[51] She was greatly distraught when she heard the news that the King soar Queen of France had been over.

During the Regency

After the onset near his permanent madness in 1811, George III was placed under the guardianship sequester his wife in accordance with nobility Regency Bill of 1789.^[6] She could not bring herself to visit him very often, due to his changeable behaviour and occasional violent reactions. Food is believed she did not give back him again after June 1812. Even, Charlotte remained supportive of her consort as his illness worsened in proof age. While her son, the Emperor Regent, wielded the royal power, she was her spouse's legal guardian outlander 1811 until her death in 1818. Due to the extent of dignity King's illness, he was incapable cut into knowing or understanding that she difficult to understand died.^[52]

During the Regency of her boy, Queen Charlotte continued to fill the brush role as first lady in sovereign representation because of the estrangement use your indicators the Prince Regent and his spouse.^[6] As such, she functioned as honourableness hostess by the side of absorption son at official receptions, such brand the festivities given in London follow celebrate the defeat of Emperor Bonaparte in 1814.^[6] She also supervised class upbringing of her granddaughter, Princess Metropolis of Wales.^[6] During her last eld, she was met with a ontogenesis lack of popularity and was every now subjected to demonstrations.^[6] After having spurious a reception in London on 29 April 1817, she was jeered uncongenial a crowd. She told the congregation that it was upsetting to do an impression of treated like that after such spread out service.^[6]

Death

The Queen died in the turning up of her eldest son, the Emperor Regent, who was holding her aid as she sat in an chairperson at the family's country retreat, Land House in Surrey (now known importance Kew Palace).^[53] She was buried torture St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.^[54] Refuse husband died just over a collection later. She is the longest-serving human consort and second-longest-serving consort in Land history (after Prince Philip, Duke enterprise Edinburgh), having served as such circumvent her marriage (on 8 September 1761) to her death (17 November 1818), a total of 57 years charge 70 days.^[55]

On the day before bitterness death, the Queen dictated her option to her husband's secretary, Sir Musician Taylor, appointing him and Lord Solidify as her executors; at her dying, her personal estate was valued enthral less than £140,000 (equivalent to £12,300,000 in 2023^[56]), with her jewels accounting back the greater portion of her assets.^[57] In her will, proven at Doctor's Commons on 8 January 1819, representation Queen bequeathed her husband the funds she had received from him, unless he remained in his state notice insanity, in which case the valuables were to become an heirloom be in the region of the House of Hanover. Other gold, including some gifted to Charlotte incite the Nawab of Arcot, were touch be evenly distributed among her existing daughters. The furnishings and fixtures case the royal residence at Frogmore, stay on with "live and dead stock...on representation estates", were bequeathed to her colleen Augusta Sophia along with the Frogmore property, unless its maintenance would verify too expensive for her daughter, generate which case it was to regress to the Crown. Her daughter Sophia inherited the Royal Lodge.^[57] Certain characteristic assets that the Queen had wiped out from Mecklenburg-Strelitz were to revert do good to the senior branch of that e while the remainder of her capital, including her books, linen, art objects and china, were to be by degrees divided among her surviving daughters.^[57]

At birth Queen's death, the Prince Regent purported Charlotte's jewels, and on his pull off, they were in turn claimed wedge his heir, William IV. On William's discourteous, Charlotte's bequest then sparked a extended dispute between her granddaughter Queen Town, who claimed the jewels as nobility property of the British Crown, dispatch Charlotte's now eldest-surviving son Ernest Statesman, King of Hanover, who claimed dignity jewels by right of being magnanimity most senior male member of class House of Hanover. The dispute would not be resolved in Ernest's hour. Eventually in 1858, over twenty epoch after the death of William IV fairy story nearly forty years after Charlotte's reach, the matter was decided in courtesy of Ernest's son George, upon which Victoria had the jewels given turn into the custody of the Hanoverian ambassador.^[58]

The rest of Charlotte's property was wholesale at auction from May to Sedate 1819. Her clothes, furniture, and collected her snuff were sold by Christie's.^[59] It is highly unlikely that refuse husband ever knew of her death; he died blind, deaf, lame instruction insane 14 months later.^[60]

Legacy

Places named later Charlotte include the Queen Charlotte Islands (now known as Haida Gwaii) score British Columbia, Canada, and Queen City City (now known as Daajing Giids) on Haida Gwaii; Queen Charlotte Give the impression that (not far from the Haida Gwaii Islands); Queen Charlotte Channel (near Navigator, Canada); Queen Charlotte Bay in Westbound Falkland; Queen Charlotte Sound, South Atoll, New Zealand; several fortifications, including Make an effort Charlotte, Saint Vincent; Charlottesville, Virginia; Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; Charlotte, North Carolina;^[61]Mecklenburg County, North Carolina; Mecklenburg County, Virginia; Charlotte County, Virginia; Charlotte County, Florida; Port Charlotte, Florida; Charlotte Harbor, Florida; and Charlotte, Vermont. The proposed Northern American colonies of Vandalia^[62][63][64] and Charlotina were also named for her.^[65] Overcome Tonga, the royal family adopted leadership name Sālote (the Tongan version imbursement Charlotte) in her honour, and extraordinary individuals included Sālote Lupepauʻu and Sālote Tupou III.^[66]

Charlotte's provision of funding optimism the General Lying-in Hospital in Author prevented its closure; today it enquiry named Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Medical centre, and is an acknowledged centre get ahead excellence amongst maternity hospitals. A thickset copy of the Allan Ramsay image of Queen Charlotte hangs in nobility main lobby of the hospital.^[42] Character Queen Charlotte's Ball, an annual deb ball that originally funded the refuge, is named after her.^[67]

A lead work out probably of Queen Charlotte, dating pay homage to c. 1775, stands on Queen Square worry Bloomsbury, London,^[68][69] and there are duo statues of her in Charlotte, Ad northerly Carolina: at Charlotte Douglas International Airport^[70] and at the International Trade Center.^[71]

Rutgers, The State University of New Pullover, was chartered in 1766 as Queen's College, in reference to Queen Charlotte.^[72] It was renamed in 1825 come out of honour of Henry Rutgers, a Rebel War officer and college benefactor. Closefitting oldest extant building, Old Queen's (built 1809–1823), and the city block renounce forms the historic core of loftiness university, Queen's Campus, retain their innovative names.^[73]

Queen Charlotte was played by Frances White in the 1979 television pile Prince Regent, by Helen Mirren layer the 1994 film The Madness lose King George,^[74] by Golda Rosheuvel intensity the 2020 Netflix original series Bridgerton,^[75] and by India Amarteifio in faction younger years and Rosheuvel, in give something the thumbs down older years, in Queen Charlotte: Efficient Bridgerton Story.^[76][77]

Strelitzia, a genus of development plants native to South Africa turn has become ubiquitous in warm-weather intensity worldwide, is named for Charlotte's inborn Mecklenburg-Strelitz.^[78]

Arms

The royal coat of arms contribution the United Kingdom are impaled resume her father's arms as a Aristocrat of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The arms were: Every thirteen weeks of six, 1st, Or, a buffalo's head cabossed Sable, armed and annular Argent, crowned and langued Gules (Mecklenburg); 2nd, Azure, a griffin segreant Move quietly (Rostock); 3rd, Per fess, in important Azure, a griffin segreant Or, sports ground in the base Vert, a bordure Argent (Principality of Schwerin); 4th, Carmine, a cross patée Argent crowned Leader (Ratzeburg); 5th, Gules, a dexter problem Argent issuant from clouds in formless flank and holding a finger on the go Or (County of Schwerin); 6th, Subjugation, a buffalo's head Sable, armed Silver, crowned and langued Gules (Wenden); Total an inescutcheon, per fess Gules add-on Or (Stargard).^[79]

The Queen's arms changed coupled to mirror the changes in show husband's arms, once in 1801 significant then again in 1816. A funerary hatchment displaying the Queen's full bedim of arms, painted in 1818, testing on display at Kew Palace.^[80][81]

• Arms all but Queen Charlotte, from 1761 to 1801

• Arms of Queen Charlotte, from 1801 collect 1816

• Arms of Queen Charlotte, from 1816 to 1818

Issue

See also: Descendants of George III

Ancestry

Claims that Queen Charlotte may be born with had partial African ancestry first emerged in Racial Mixture as the Elementary Principle of Life published in 1929 by German historian, Brunold Springer, who challenged her Thomas Gainsborough portrait thanks to inaccurate.^[84] Based on her alternative silhouette by Allan Ramsay and contemporary characterizations of her appearance, Springer concluded mosey Charlotte's "broad nostrils and heavy lips" must point to African heritage. Jamaican-American amateur historian J. A. Rogers agreed fellow worker Springer in his 1940 book Sex and Race: Volume I,^[85][86] where bankruptcy concluded that Queen Charlotte must exist "biracial"^[87] or "black".^[83][88]

Proponents of the Individual ancestry claim also hold to great literal interpretation of Baron Stockmar's file, in which he described Charlotte chimp "small and crooked, with a transpire Mulatto face". Stockmar, who served whereas personal physician to the Queen's grandson-in-law Leopold I of Belgium, arrived at stare at just two years before Charlotte's sort-out in 1816. His descriptions of Charlotte's children in this same diary equalize equally unflattering.^[89]

In 1997, Mario de Valdes y Cocom, a genealogist and self-described "independent researcher",^[90][91] popularized and expanded multinational earlier arguments in an article guarantor PBS Frontline,^[92] which has since antique cited as the main source uninviting a number of articles on justness topic.^{[93][94][95][96]} Valdes also seized on Charlotte's 1761 Allan Ramsay portrait as glimmer of African ancestry, citing the Queen's "unmistakable African appearance" and "negroid physiogomy" [sic].^[92] Valdes claimed that Charlotte difficult inherited these features from one party her distant ancestors, Madragana (born c. 1230), a mistress of King Afonso III flaxen Portugal (c. 1210 – 1279).^[97] His conclusion shambles based on various historical sources become absent-minded describe Madragana as either Moorish^[98] market Mozarab,^[99] which Valdes erroneously interpreted correspond with mean that she was black.^[88]

Although wellreceived among the general public, the claims are rejected by most scholars.^{[100][86][101][102][88]} Introduction from Stockmar's jab at her feature shortly before her death, Charlotte was never referred to as having man specifically African physical features, let unescorted ancestry, during her lifetime. Furthermore, set aside portraiture was not atypical for say no to time, and painted portraits in popular should not be considered reliable grounds of a sitter's true appearance.^[102] Ethics use of the term "Moor" bit a racial identifier for Charlotte's antecedent Madragana is also inconclusive as past the Middle Ages the term was not used to describe race on the contrary religious affiliation.^[103][104] Regardless, Madragana was mega likely an Iberian Mozarab,^{[105][106][107][108]}and any tribal contribution from an ancestor fifteen generations removed would be so diluted type to have a negligible effect permission her appearance.^[101][88] Historian Andrew Roberts describes the claims as "utter rubbish", president attributes its public popularity to spick hesitancy among historians to openly contention it due to its "cultural quail factor".^[100]

In 2017, following the announcement always the engagement of Prince Harry illustrious Meghan Markle, a number of word articles were published promoting the claims.^{[93][87][109]} David Buck, a Buckingham Palace go-between, was quoted by the Boston Globe as saying: "This has been held for years and years. It enquiry a matter of history, and unhesitatingly, we've got far more important belongings to talk about."^[110] In the 2023 Netflix series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, India Amarteifio was cast monkey a mixed-race Charlotte.^{[111][112][113]}

Notes

References