A Royal Affair: While Englands George III was known for his unwavering loyalty and fidelity to his wife Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, his sister Caroline Matilda became known for her scandalous affair. She was born on 11 July 1751 on Leicester House in London, the youngest child of Frederick, Prince of Wales, and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. At the age of fifteen Caroline Matilda married her first cousin, King Christian VII of Denmark, the son of Frederick V of Denmark and Princess Louisa of Great Britain and Hanover. They were married by proxy in October 1766, and a wedding on 8 November 1766 at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen soon followed. Their marriage was not a happy one. Christian was said to be mentally unstable. He was severely abused and suffered regular beatings by his chamberlain, Detlev Reventlow, and his tutors. His education was sorely neglected and as a result Christian grew up to be extremely insecure, belligerent, and often ignored his responsibilities, preferring instead to spend his time in the company of his debauched friends and womanizing. Christian had no love for his young bride. Caroline Matilda found herself living a lonely life in the strange Danish court. She felt spurned and neglected by her husband. After Caroline Matilda gave birth to a son in 1768, the king immediately took a mistress, the courtesan Støvlet-Cathrine, and ran off for a long tour of Europe. Christian returned on 12 January 1769 in the company of a Prussian doctor named Johann Struensee, whom he met while traveling. Christian appointed the young doctor as his royal physician. Struensee had the unique ability to handle the king during his frequent ill humors, and in response Christian came to trust the doctor. At first Caroline Matilda was suspicious of the handsome Struensee, but seeing the kings improved behavior warmed her up to the charming doctor. In 1770 Struensee was given his own chamber in the palace, and soon after he and the queen became lovers. Caroline Matilda gave birth to a daughter on 7 July 1771. Princess Louise Auguste was raised as a Danish princess, but nobody was fooled about her true parentage. It wasnt long until Christians mental health deteriorated further. He became increasingly paranoid and started suffering from hallucinations. In September 1770 the king appointed the ambitious Struensee privy counsellor. He proceeded to rule through the king, and for the next sixteen months Struensee held absolute power. Struensee and Caroline Matilda soon gained plenty of enemies in court, and on 16-17 January 1772, the couple was arrested following a masked ball at at the royal theatre at Christiansborg Castle. Caroline Matilda was taken to Kronborg Castle to await her fate. At first the lovers denied their affair in the hopes of saving Struensees life, but the doctor confessed during torture. The king and queens marriage was dissolved on April 1772. Struensee was executed on 28 April 1772 while Caroline Matilda was imprisoned at the Elsinore. On 28 May 1772 Caroline Matilda was deported, and her brother George III, dismayed by her behavior, sent her to Celle Castle in Hanover. She never saw her children again, and she died of scarlet fever at the young age of twenty-three. -Lady Georgiana
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 02:54:02 +0000
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