From the time of her marriage to King George III on September 8, 1761, until her passing on November 17, 1818, Queen Charlotte (born Sophia Charlotte; May 19, 1744–17, 1818) reigned as Queen of Great Britain and Ireland.
When the time came for the king to find a wife, the quest for a suitable wife grew more intense. After considering a number of Protestant German princesses, George’s mother despatched Colonel David Graeme to Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz with an offer of marriage on behalf of her son and Caroline agreed.
Lord Harcourt, the royal Master of the Horse, escorted Queen Charlotte from Strelitz to London while a royal household and staff were gathered for her there. The marriage ceremony was held in the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace that same evening after Queen Charlotte arrived in the late afternoon of September 8th, 1761. Both were crowned at Westminster Abbey earlier, on September 22. In contrast to his grandfather and his sons, George never had a mistress, and the couple had a blissful marriage up until the onset of his mental illness.
Prior to being combined on January 1, 1801, by the Acts of Union of 1800, both countries were in a personal union under George. From that point on, Queen Charlotte ruled the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Before becoming Queen of Hanover on October 12, 1814, she served as George’s wife and Electress of Brunswick-Lüneburg (“Hanover”). The longest-serving queen consort in British history was Queen Charlotte.
In the northern German duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen Charlotte was born into the royal family. The British throne passed to the young, unmarried George III in 1760. George viewed Charlotte as an acceptable spouse because she was a minor German princess who had no interest in politics, and the two were wed in 1761. Their marriage saw the birth of 13 out of 15 conceptions.
Queen Charlotte assisted in the expansion of Kew Gardens and was a passionate supporter of the arts. After putting one up for a Christmas gathering for kids from Windsor in 1800, she brought the Christmas tree to Britain.
She was concerned about her husband’s physical and mental illnesses, which eventually became chronic. Queen Charlotte remained close to the French Queen Marie Antoinette, and the French Revolution probably made Charlotte’s emotional struggles worse.
In 1811, she named her eldest son, George, prince regent because the king’s condition was becoming more serious. George, Charlotte’s son, was by her side when she passed away in November 1818. Nearly a year later, George III passed away without likely being aware of his wife’s passing.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
Shonda Rhimes developed the drama limited series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Tale for Netflix. The Netflix series Bridgerton prequel spin-off centres on the young Queen Charlotte’s ascent to fame and power.
