Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia
| Frederica Charlotte of Prussia | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oatlands Park, Surrey, England | |||||
| Burial | 13 August 1820 St James's Church, Weybridge | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
| |||||
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg | |||||
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Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia (Friederike Charlotte Ulrike Katharina; 7 May 1767 – 6 August 1820) was a Prussian princess by birth and a British princess by marriage. She was the eldest daughter of King
Early life
Born in
At the time of her birth, Frederica's childless granduncle
Frederica Charlotte was two years old at the time of her mother's disgrace, and never saw her mother again. Frederick the Great reportedly felt compassion for her mother, and entrusted Frederica Charlotte to the care of his own wife, Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern, with the words: "There is only this poor child remaining to her, and she can find no asylum save with you; let the little one have the apartments lately occupied by my niece of Holland."[1] Frederica Charlotte reportedly had a happy childhood with Queen Elisabeth Christine, who had no children of her own. The Queen doted upon her grandniece and foster daughter, who kept in correspondence with her foster mother her entire life.
Marriage
On 29 September 1791 at
The marriage between Frederica Charlotte and the
Upon her marriage, her future mother-in-law Queen Charlotte wrote to Princess Elisabeth Christine: "If anything could add to my satisfaction at the choice of my son, it would be the lively interest which your Majesty takes in the fate of this Princess, your pupil, and I assure you that a Princess brought up under your eye, and to whom you render so high a testimony, shall find in me not only a mother but a friend; and I hope that in gaining the Princess's friendship, I shall also gain a part in yours, which would be of great value to me."[1] The queen kept her word, as Frederica Charlotte wrote home to her foster mother how well treated she was by her mother-in-law, and how welcome she felt in England, where she once stayed for hours in the House of Commons, so interested in the political speeches that the hours felt like minutes.[1]
The marriage was, however, not a happy one, and after three years, it had become apparent that the Duke and Duchess of York would have no issue.
She is described as: "clever and well-informed; she likes society and dislikes all form and ceremony, but in the midst of the most familiar intercourse she always preserves a certain dignity of manner", and :"probably no person in such a situation was ever more really liked."[3] In 1827 (after her death), she was called: "a harmless but an eccentric little woman, with an extraordinary fondness for cats and dogs, some indications of the German severity of family etiquette, which gave her household the air of Potsdam, and but a slight share of those attractions which might retain the regards of a husband—young, a soldier, and a prince."[4] High-stakes gambling is reported to have taken place at Oatlands. Frederica kept many dogs and was apparently very devoted to monkeys[5] Her father-in-law once remarked : "Affection must rest on something, and where there are no children, animals are the object." At her death, her spouse is described as sincerely grieved and very anxious that the wishes expressed in her will should be carried out.[6]
Death
She died, on 6 August 1820, in
, erected by the people of Weybridge, that stands on Monument Green, Weybridge.Ancestry
| Ancestors of Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia Duchess Louise Amalie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel | | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11. Duchess Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel | |||||||||||||||
| Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia | |||||||||||||||
| 12. Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (= 10) | |||||||||||||||
| 6. Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel | |||||||||||||||
| 13. Duchess Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (= 11) | |||||||||||||||
| 3. Duchess Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel | |||||||||||||||
| 14. Frederick William I of Prussia (= 8) | |||||||||||||||
| 7. Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia | |||||||||||||||
| 15. Princess Sophia Dorothea of Hanover (= 9) | |||||||||||||||
Notes
- ^ a b c d Atkinson, Emma Willsher: Memoirs of the queens of Prussia, London : W. Kent
- ^ a b c Mary Beacock Fryer, Arthur Bousfield & Garry Toffoli: Lives of the Princesses of Wales (1984)
- ^ Memoirs, ed. Reeve, vol. i, pp. 6, 35
- ^ Blackwood's Edinburgh Mag. for Feb. 1827
- ^ Cf. Greville, op. cit., vol. i, p. 6.
- ^ Hist. MSS. Com. Bathurst MSS., pp .485-6
- ^ Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans [Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living] (in French). Bourdeaux: Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel. 1768. p. 18.
