Charlotte, Princess of Wales

Charlotte, the Princess of Wales was born on January 7th. 1796 at Carlton House in London. 

own picture taken in 2023

Family

She was the daughter of the later King George IV. In 1811 he became regent. Her mother was Caroline of Brunswick. Her paternal grandparents were King George III and Queen Charlotte. Yes Bridgerton :-) 

Her maternal grandparents were Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick and Princess Augusta of Great Britain. Wellington called her father the worst man he had ever met in his whole life, the most, selfish, the most false ... almost with no extenuating circumstances." 

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Princess Charlotte was a member of the royal famil of Hanover. 

own picture taken in the royal palace of Brussels in 2017

Childhood

Charlotte Augusta wasn't exactly lovingly raised. Her parents, who live together as husband and wife for no more than three weeks, separated shortly after she was born. They also did nothing to keep up appearances. The parents grossly neglected her upbringing. She was constantly outsourced to governesses and sour aunts. Her father, who of course would have preferred a son, hardly ever came to see her. Her mother was banished from court.

Education

At the age of eight, Charlotte had still not learned to read or write. Thanks to her grandfather George III, the princess finally received a decent education. Since she was very unlikely to have another brother,
he felt that her upbringing could not be merely that of a woman, but as heir to the crown.

When King George III was declared incapacitated, it was her grandmother Queen Charlotte who tried to teach the sensible but untamed girl etiquette and discipline.

Charlotte showed a total lack of self-control as a child. She reacted very impulsively and capriciously, boyishly rough in all her intensity. A small volcano that could literally erupt. Stamping feet in anger or uncontrollable laughter. No manners for a princess.

Love 

The Prince Regent and his advisers decided that Princess Charlotte should marry William, Hereditary Prince of Orange, son and heir-apparent of Prince William VI of Orange. Such a marriage would increase British influence in Northwest Europe. However Charlotte didn't like him.  She found him extremely ugly with expressionless eyes.

Marriage meant an escape from the paternal yoke and financial independence for her, but not at any price if it depended on Charlotte. She just didn't have the right temperament for that. As the future
Queen of Britain, 

Charlotte did not want to live in the boring Netherlands. She wondered if people were having a good time there. She threatened to break off the engagement if the marriage contract did not include a clause
allowing her to stay in England. She was supported in this by lawyers from the Whigs who were in the opposition.

After an argument with Willem, Charlotte wrote without much detour in a farewell letter that she considered the engagement completely and forever over. 

William himself seemed to prefer to resign himself to the humiliation rather than win over his rebellious princess again. He was more concerned about his father's reaction than about the breakup as such.

Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha had thus a strong reason to stay a little bit longer in London. However he didn't see the Princess a lot. Once he drunk tea with her at Warwick House.

Meanwhile on 10 June 1814, Charlotte signed the marriage contract. Charlotte had become besotted with a Prussian prince whose identity is uncertain; according to Charles Greville, it was Prince Augustus, although historian Arthur Aspinall disagreed, thinking that her love interest was the younger Prince Frederick. 

When King George IV learned of this, he punished his daughter Charlotte. Her ladies-in-waiting were dismissed, and the princess herself was imprisoned in Cranbourne Lodge in Windsor Great Park,
where she was not allowed to see anyone but the old queen. 

She escaped in the middle of the night and sought refuge with her mother Caroline. That made the king even angrier. Soon after, Caroline left for the continent.

Marriage

In January 1815 her decision was made. Couldn't be more miserable, unhappy and worse off than in her place of exile. Charlotte hadn't thought about it overnight: she had spent ten months quietly thinking about it. Leo was allowed to cross the Channel without an official invitation, he had her permission.

Charlotte began writing letters to Leopold herself in secret, sending her portrait and a lock of hair to assure him of her feelings. She had now truly and truly set her heart and mind upon him and him alone.
However, her patience was tested. In October 1815, she finally got his long-awaited letter back, with a miniature portrait and a proposal. She was over the moon. "You open to me a whole new life, new ideas,
new hope." she wrote jubilantly.

Leopold traveled to the United Kingdom. On February 24, 1816, he was granted the title of Royal Highness and later that year was inducted into the Order of the Garter. Leopold took up residence in
the Princely Pavillion in Brighton in anticipation of the marriage.

The first real meeting between Leopold and Charlotte was a success. She found him very charming. The couple spent some wonderful days and evenings in Brighton at the end of February 1816, full of long
conversations and plans for the future. It didn't take more time to know they were made for each other.

On 10 March 1816, King George IV granted his permission for the marriage. He announced the wedding as one made of love. 

The marriage took place on May 2, 1816. The ceremony was in the evening. The envious Prince Regent had organized a private wedding for his daughter.  A ride in her carriage through the park was supposed to satisfy the spectators.

King Leopold I of Belgium
Royal Palace Brussels
Own picture taken in 2017

Honeymoon

After the wedding, the couple traveled to Oatlands, the residence of the Duchess of York, a few miles from London.

Claremont

Claremont was the nation's wedding gift to the young couple. It was an Italian, classical country house, surrounded by a very large English park with old trees and ponds. Leopold could grow flowers and plants to his heart's content, as he had learned from his father in Coburg.

They spent sixteen blissful honeymoon months walking, reading, studying, riding horses, playing whist and making music, sitting side by side in the same chair. They were together all the time, almost
completely detached from the cannaille of the big world and became more and more attached to each other.

Charlotte was proud to be married to Leopold and henceforth signed her letters with Charlotte Princess of Saxe-Coburg. Leopold's family became her family, despite the difference in status.

On 7 January, the Prince Regent gave a huge ball there to celebrate Charlotte's 21st birthday, but the Coburgs did not attend, having returned to Claremont and preferring to remain there quietly. At the end of April 1817, Leopold informed the Prince Regent that Charlotte was again pregnant, and that there was every prospect of the Princess carrying the baby to term.

Death

Charlotte was believed to be due to deliver on 19 October, but as October ended, she had shown no signs of giving birth, and drove out as usual with Leopold on Sunday 2 November.

On the evening of 3 November, her contractions began. As the fourth of November became the fifth, it became clear that Charlotte might be unable to deliver the child. 

At nine o'clock in the evening of 5 November, Charlotte finally gave birth to a large stillborn boy. Efforts to resuscitate him were in vain, and the noble observers confirmed that it was a handsome boy, resembling the Royal Family. 

They were assured that the mother was doing well, and took their leave. An exhausted Charlotte heard the news calmly, stating it was the will of God. She took some nourishment after her lengthy fast and seemed to be recovering. Leopold, who had remained with his wife throughout, apparently took an opiate and collapsed into bed.

Soon after midnight, Charlotte began vomiting violently and complaining of pains in her abdomen. Sir Richard was called, and was alarmed to find his patient cold to the touch, breathing with difficulty, and bleeding. 

He placed hot compresses on her, the accepted treatment at the time for postpartum bleeding, but the blood did not stop. He called in Stockmar and urged him to bring Leopold. Stockmar found Leopold difficult to rouse, and went to see the Princess, who grabbed his hand and told him, "They have made me tipsy." Stockmar left the room, planning to try again to rouse the Prince, but was called back by Charlotte's voice, "Stocky! Stocky!" He entered the room to find her dead. She died on 6 November 1817 at the age of 21. 

Afterwards

The Prince Regent was prostrate with grief, and was unable to attend his child's funeral. Princess Caroline heard the news from a passing courier, and fainted in shock. On recovering, she stated,
"England, that great country, has lost everything in losing my ever beloved daughter."

Even the Prince of Orange burst into tears at hearing the news, and his wife ordered the ladies of her court into mourning. She was buried at the Royal Vault at St George's Chapel in  Windsor Castle. 

The greatest effect fell on Prince Leopold.  He has never recovered the feeling of happiness which had blessed his short married life.

Leopold remained a widower until remarrying in 1832 to Louise of Orleans when he had become King of the Belgians. 

His youngest daughter, later known as Empress Carlota of Mexico, was named in honour of his lost wife.

Dressing the Georgians

In 2023, Buckingham Palace organized an exhibition in the Queen's Gallery: Dressing the Georgians. There I saw  the red cloak that Princess Charlotte wore in the theater she visited with her husband Prince Leopold.It was nice to see that special cloak that close!