Princess Augusta Sophia of the United Kingdom

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Princess Augusta Sophia
Princess Augusta Sophia of the United Kingdom
House	House of Hanover
Father	George III
Mother	Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Born	8 November 1768 Buckingham House, London
Died	22 September 1840 (aged 71) Clarence House, London
Burial	St George's Chapel, Windsor

The Princess Augusta Sophia (8 November 1768 – 22 September 1840) was a member of the British Royal Family, second daughter of George III and Queen Charlotte. She was a Princess of the United Kingdom and a Princess of Hanover.

[edit] Childhood and Adolescence

A portrait of King George III, his wife, and their six eldest children in 1770. Augusta is the baby in her mother's arms.

Princess Augusta Sophia was born at Buckingham House, St James's Park, London, the sixth child and second daughter of George III (1738-1820) and his wife Queen Charlotte. Her father so much wanted the new baby to be a girl that the doctor presiding over the labor thought fit to protest that "whoever sees those lovely Princes above stairs must be glad to have another." The King was so upset by this view he replied that "whoever sees that lovely child the Princess Royal above stairs must wish to have the fellow to her." To the King's delight, and the Queen's relief, the baby was a small and pretty girl. ^[1]Her mother was very keen to shelter her daughters, so Augusta was forced to be a companion of her mother, who did not die until a month before the princess's fiftieth birthday. For that reason, she never married or had any children.

The young princess was christened on 6 December 1768, by Frederick Cornwallis, The Archbishop of Canterbury, in the Great Council Chamber at St. James's Palace. Her godparents were Prince Charles of Mecklenburg (her maternal uncle, who was visting England), The Queen of Denmark (her paternal aunt, for whom The Duchess of Ancaster and Kesteven, Mistress of the Robes to The Queen, stood proxy) and The Hereditary Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg (her paternal aunt, for whom The Duchess of Northumberland, Lady of the Bedchamber to The Queen, stood proxy).^[2] When only a month old, Lady Mary Coke declared her "the most beautiful infant I ever saw".^[3]

Princess Augusta was the middle of the elder trio of Princesses that consisted of her, her older sister Charlotte (born 1766) and her younger sister Elizabeth (born 1770). In 1771, the two elder Princesses started traveling to Kew to take lessons with Lady Charlotte Finch and Miss Planta. The Princesses, who had formerly been very close to their brothers now saw little of them, except when their paths crossed on daily walks. In 1774, Martha Gouldsworthy, or "Gouly" became the new head of their educations. The Princesses learned typically feminine pursuits, such as deportment, music, dancing, and arts, but their mother also ensured that they learned English, French, German, Geography, and had well-educated governesses.

Princess Augusta, aged thirteen.

The young Augusta was a great favorite with Miss Planta, who called her "the handsomest of all the Princesses" though compared to her older sister, she was "childish". However, the Princess was painfully shy, and stammered when in front of people she didn't know. From an early age Augusta was fixed on being good and was often upset when she did not succeed. Her behavior veered in between troublesome and well-mannered. She sometimes threw tantrums and hit her governesses, though she also often had a calm disposition and family-minded ways. She strongly disliked the political tensions that by 1780 had sprung up between her elder brothers and their parents, and preferred to occupy herself with her coin collection. As all her sisters were, Augusta was sheltered from the outside world so much that her only friends were her attendants, with whom she kept up a frequent correspondence.

In 1782, Augusta was debuted at the King's birthday celebrations. As she was still terrified of crowds, her mother did not tell her daughter about her debut until two days before it happened. Later that year, the Princess' youngest brother Alfred died, followed eight months later by her next youngest brother Octavius. When the Princesses went to see the summer exhibition in 1783 at the Royal Academy, they were so distraught by the portraits of their two youngest brothers that they broke down and cried in front of everyone. Augusta was soon a big sister again, with the birth of her youngest sibling Amelia in August 1783. She stood as a godmother, along with Charlotte and George. Though the birth of her sister did not erase the pain she felt at losing her brothers, Augusta did not dwell on their deaths as her father did.

By the time they reached their teens, the three eldest Princesses were spending a great deal of time with their parents. They accompanied them to the theater, to the Opera, and to Court, and their once academic lessons began to wind down, with music and the arts becoming the new focus. They heard famous actresses such as Sarah Siddons read, and along with Charlotte and their parents, Augusta met John Adams when he was presented to the Queen. The three girls were always dressed alike at public functions, the only difference ever in their dresses being color. Though so often displayed in public, Augusta still was happiest at home, where she adored her younger brothers Ernst, Augustus, and Adolphus. She was also incredibly close to her sister Elizabeth, since Charlotte was often haughty and overly conscious of her position as Princess Royal.

[edit] Later life

According to a flyer held by the V&A Archives, Princess Augusta was a patron of L. Bertolotto's flea circus.

She died on 22 September 1840 at Clarence House, St. James, London, and was buried at St George's Chapel, Windsor on 2 October, after lying in state at Frogmore.^[4]

[edit] Titles, styles, honours and arms

[edit] Titles and styles

• 8 November 1768 – 22 September 1840: Her Royal Highness The Princess Augusta Sophia

[edit] Arms

As of 1789, as a daughter of the sovereign, Augusta Sophia had use of the arms of the kingdom, differenced by a label argent of three points, the centre point bearing a rose gules, the outer points ermine.^[5]

[edit] Ancestors

[edit] References