Consort of the Month: Caroline of Brunswick

I wanted to do something a little different for our Consort of the Month series for May. There are many long-serving and dedicated consorts from throughout history that have been largely forgotten. However, there are also some very independent and difficult consorts to choose from as well. And quite frankly, sometimes that makes for a more interesting story than the dutiful and dedicated consorts. We are going to get into one of my favourite historical figures. For our May Consort of the Month: Caroline of Brunswick!

Consort of the Month: Caroline of Brunswick Fast Facts

Birth Date: 17 May 1768

Death Date: 7 August 1821

Tenure : 29 January 1820 – 7 August 1821

Birth Name: Caroline Amelia Elizabeth

Spouse: King George IV of Great Britain and Ireland

House: Brunswick-Bevern

Father: Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick

Mother: Princess Augusta of Great Britain

Why Do We Know Caroline of Brunswick

Sadly, Caroline of Brunswick is really only known as the royal bride who had horrible hygiene and smelled awful. We will touch on that later but that is coming from rather biased sources, and it was a rocky relationship from the start. She has a dramatic life from start to finish and I think is an interesting entry in the list of Georgian consorts.

Caroline_of_Brunswick,_Queen_of_the_United_Kingdom_and_Hanover — Caroline of Brunswick, Consort of George IV

Caroline of Brunswick’s Early Life

Caroline of Brunswick was born to the Duke of Brunswick and Princess Augusta of Great Britain, the sister of King George III. She had a difficult childhood with her parents living openly separate lives. Her father had installed his permanent mistress at court by the late 1770s and her mother remained angry at the situation. Caroline was moved back and forth between her parents for her entire childhood.

The young princess had a sufficient education, learning basic skills that would be required at court but only received a thorough understanding of music. She was also largely limited in contact with the opposite gender, and was not allowed to dance until she was in her twenties.

A Quick Engagement

The Prince of Wales had illegally married a Catholic, Maria Fitzherbert, in 1785 and spent several years together. However, George had continually mounting debts and parliament refused to even consider paying them off until he married an approved partner.

Caroline, George’s first cousin, was chosen to be the “lucky” bride. She seemed a good choice for the prince- although they had never met, they shared family connections (although this is not a bonus for us now…), provided political connections on the Continent for Britain who was at war with France, and would allow for debts to be paid. Caroline set off from Brunswick at the end of March 1795 and landed in Greenwich on Easter Sunday.

Trouble From the Start

Caroline and George’s union was in peril from the very beginning. George’s mistress, Lady Jersey, met Caroline upon landing- nothing says “hello from your new husband” like meeting his mistress upon arrival.

Lord Malmesbury had accompanied Caroline on her journey and had recorded that she was tactless and loud, that she had no understanding of moral judgement, and that she rarely washed or changed her clothing. George disliked Caroline from their first meeting and immediately began drinking after seeing her in person.

Their wedding on 8 April 1795 at the Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace was brief and witnesses recorded that George was drunk throughout; Caroline was similarly unimpressed with her husband. Both reported that they had only had sexual relations three times, and luckily Caroline fell pregnant.

A Life Apart

Caroline gave birth to Charlotte, Princess of Wales, on 7 January 1796, the hope of the British monarchy (as none of George’s siblings had legitimate children in line for the throne). George and Caroline lived a difficult and angry life together; the media and the public thought George was being a profligate prince who continued to spend money and that Caroline was the injured party.

In mid 1797, the Princess of Wales was allowed to move to a separate residence and finally settled on Montagu House in Blackheath. Not unlike her own upbring, Caroline’s daughter was also forced to go between two parents who hated one another. Both the Prince and Princess of Wales would attempt to use their daughter against the other.

Caroline also “adopted” several children while living at Montagu House, leading to an investigation as to whether any of the children were actually her illegitimate children. While the public investigation did not find that any of the children were Caroline’s, it did spread the idea that Caroline was promiscuous.

Caroline ended up negotiating a settlement in 1814 for an annual pension of £35,000 to leave Britain.

Barred From the Abbey

Caroline moved to the Continent, spending much of her time in Italy. She spent more money than she had, requiring her to continually move. Sadly, she was not informed of her daughter’s death in childbirth in 1817 until much later, as George refused to write to her.

George then set out to formally divorce Caroline. Caroline had hired an Italian, Bartolomeo Pergami, when she left Britain and many assumed they had a relationship. Caroline refused to admit it, though, and the divorce did not go through.

George ascended the throne upon the death of his father in 1820. Although he could not formally divorce her, he barred his wife from his coronation. At the coronation in 1821, Caroline arrived at Westminster Abbey only to have the door locked in her face.

The new Queen fell ill immediately after and died on 7 August 1821.

Caroline of Brunswick: Interesting Facts

– Despite being Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, her funeral took place in Germany.

– Caroline learned both English and French growing up.

– As a teen, several Continental princes had asked for Caroline’s hand in marriage.

Interested in more book previews, period dramas, royal news, and more? You can subscribe to my biweekly substack newsletter here: https://anhistorianabouttown.substack.com/!

I hope you have enjoyed Consort of the Month: Caroline of Brunswick!

Cheers,
The Historian
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Threads

Consort of the Month: Caroline of Brunswick