The Year of Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, An unwelcome guest (Part six)

Read part five here.

Nevertheless, the new Duchess of Cumberland made her way to England and landed at Dover on 28 August. An Anglican wedding ceremony took place the following day at Carlton House, officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Frederica wore a gold-embroidered white satin gown and a long train.¹ It would be a tough start in England, and even Princess Charlotte of Wales wrote to her uncle that her father had expressly forbidden her to see Frederica.² Luckily, the public appeared to be on Frederica’s side, and she was warmly received wherever she went.

Frederica and Ernest Augustus considered returning to Berlin, which the Prince Regent also supported them doing. The Duke’s allowance was still not increased, and the couple were quickly going into debt. They could not travel, and so Frederica only knew the city of London and the park at Kew, where they lived. She also did not speak English fluently, but she did make an effort to learn, and an English tutor came by three times a week. She found the separation from her family difficult, and she was devastated to learn that her father had died on 6 November 1816. Her brother, Georg, was now the new Grand Duke. She also received the news on 17 November, and she was seven months pregnant at the time. She was reportedly in so much pain from learning the news that the physicians were barely able to prevent the death of her unborn child. She had to go on bed rest and was given opium to help her sleep. When she finally gave birth on 27 January 1817, the little girl died at birth.³

This all happened shortly after the death of Princess Charlotte in childbirth, and Frederica’s husband told her, “I am much happier than poor Leopold (Charlotte’s husband), for you are still alive, you are still with me!”⁴ The following year, she also lost her grandmother and her sister Charlotte. Physicians recommended a cure, and all these things only made Frederica want to return home. They left England on 17 July 1818, and her husband was heartbroken. Three months later, Queen Charlotte died. Frederica wrote, “My first feeling was God may have mercy on her soul, and that will also be my last, for you know that I never wished her revenge.”⁵

To please his wife, the Duke chose Berlin as their residence, and they lived at Unter den Linden, a street Frederica had lived on before. Here, their son, George, was born on 27 May 1819, just three days after his cousin, who would become Queen Victoria. Frederica returned to Berlin society as if she had never left and felt quite at home. Her health left a little to be desired, though. She had 12 pregnancies, including miscarriages, and she was in her forties. She had liver pain, cramps, and swelling in her legs. This meant that she sometimes needed support to walk. She also had fainting spells.⁶ She began to spend the summers taking the cure at various spas.

The Prince Regent succeeded his father as King George IV upon his death in 1820, and he met the Cumberlands again when he came to Hanover to inspect his lands. They were also visited by the Duke of Cambridge and his wife, Augusta, whose sister Marie happened to be married to Frederica’s brother.

Frederica’s youngest child, George, was often sickly. He was frequently taken along on trips to spas, which seemed to improve his health. However, his eyes were affected at an early age. George was always with Frederica, as was Auguste, a child from her second marriage. Her children from her first marriage had already gone on to marry and make their own families. Prince Frederick married Princess Louise of Anhalt-Bernburg in 1817, and Princess Frederica married Leopold IV, Duke of Anhalt in 1818. Her first grandchild was born at the end of 1819. She was delighted and wrote, “Yes, yes! Yes, yes! Hallelujah! That I have now become a grandmother too! I, with you, enjoy the beautiful year that brings all good things so wonderfully!”⁷

Her son George remained an important person in the British line of succession. His uncle, King George IV, had no living children following the death of Princess Charlotte. The Duke and Duchess of York had remained childless, and the Duke would pass away in 1827. The Duke and Duchess of Clarence had no living children. The Duke of Kent had died in 1819, leaving Princess Victoria as his heir. Then came Frederica’s husband, Ernest Augustus, followed by George. In addition, the Kingdom of Hanover barred women from the throne, so they were even closer to that throne. In 1828, when George was 9 years old, he was granted an allowance by Parliament on the condition that he would be educated in England. So, on 8 April 1828, Frederica said farewell to her son, who was devastated that she wasn’t coming with him.

He became seriously ill with whooping cough not long after he arrived in England and returned to Berlin in October. He became sick again in February – this time it was pneumonia. Frederica watched over him day and night, and for weeks, he lay in a darkened room, where no one noticed that his right eye had been affected by scrofula. When he recovered, he was almost blind in his right eye. When George returned to England, her husband asked Frederica to go with him. In April 1829, they travelled to England and were received by King George IV at St. James’s Palace. This time, Frederica was completely accepted by the royal court, and she was finally able to fully participate in society. However, Frederica never felt quite at home. She wrote, “There are so many false, heartless people here, of both sexes. My love for humanity has not increased here.”⁸

Read part seven here. 

1. Queen Charlotte by Owen Hedley p.277
2. Queen Charlotte by Owen Hedley p.279
3. Friederike von Preußen by Carolin Philipps p.276-277
4. Friederike von Preußen by Carolin Philipps p.277
5. Friederike von Preußen by Carolin Philipps p.260
6. Friederike von Preußen by Carolin Philipps p.290
7. Friederike von Preußen by Carolin Philipps p.298
8. Friederike von Preußen by Carolin Philipps p.307