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Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 \u2013 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until her death in 1818. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Great Britain and Ireland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. As George's wife, she was also Electress of Hanover until becoming Queen of Hanover on 12 October 1814. Charlotte was Britain's longest-serving queen consort, serving for 57 years and 70 days.\n

Charlotte was born into the ruling family of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a duchy in northern Germany. In 1760, the young and unmarried George III inherited the British throne. As Charlotte was a minor German princess with no interest in politics, the King considered her a suitable consort, and they married in 1761. The marriage lasted 57 years and produced 15 children, 13 of whom survived to adulthood. They included two future British monarchs, George IV and William IV; as well as Charlotte, Princess Royal, who became Queen of W\u00fcrttemberg; and Prince Ernest Augustus, who became King of Hanover.\n

\nCharlotte was a patron of the arts and an amateur botanist who helped expand Kew Gardens. She introduced the Christmas tree to Britain, decorating one for a Christmas party for children of Windsor in 1800. She was distressed by her husband's bouts of physical and mental illness, which became permanent in later life. Charlotte was deeply shocked by the events of the French Revolution and of the ensuing Napoleonic Wars which threatened the safety and sovereignty of her homeland. Her eldest son, George, was appointed prince regent in 1811 due to the increasing severity of the King's illness. Charlotte died at Kew Palace in November 1818, with several of her children at her side. George III died a little over a year later, probably unaware of his wife's death.

Name	Birth	Death	Notes^[94]\n
George IV	12 August 1762	26 June 1830	(1) married 1785 Mrs. Maria Fitzherbert, marriage legally invalid as George III had not consented to the match. (2) 1795, Princess Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenb\u00fcttel; had issue (Princess Charlotte of Wales); no surviving descendants today\n
Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany	16 August 1763	5 January 1827	married 1791, Princess Frederica of Prussia; no issue\n
William IV	21 August 1765	20 June 1837	married 1818, Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen; no surviving legitimate issue, but had illegitimate issue\n
Charlotte, Princess Royal	29 September 1766	6 October 1828	married 1797, King Frederick of W\u00fcrttemberg; no surviving issue\n
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn	2 November 1767	23 January 1820	married 1818, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld; had issue (Queen Victoria)\n
Princess Augusta Sophia	8 November 1768	22 September 1840	never married, no issue\n
Princess Elizabeth	22 May 1770	10 January 1840	married 1818, Frederick VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg; no issue\n
Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover	5 June 1771	18 November 1851	married 1815, Princess Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz; had issue (King George V of Hanover)\n
Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex	27 January 1773	21 April 1843	(1) married in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act 1772, Lady Augusta Murray; had issue; marriage annulled 1794 (2) married 1831, Lady Cecilia Buggin (later 1st Duchess of Inverness); no issue\n
Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge	24 February 1774	8 July 1850	married 1818, Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel; had issue\n
Princess Mary	25 April 1776	30 April 1857	married 1816, Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh; no issue\n
Princess Sophia	3 November 1777	27 May 1848	never married, no issue\n
Prince Octavius	23 February 1779	3 May 1783	died in childhood, of smallpox\n
Prince Alfred	22 September 1780	20 August 1782	died in childhood, of smallpox\n
Princess Amelia	7 August 1783	2 November 1810	never married, no issue\n

British royalty\n
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Cadet branch of the House of Mecklenburg Born: 19 May 1744 Died: 17 November 1818\n
Vacant Title last held by Caroline of Ansbach \n	Queen consort of Great Britain and Ireland 1761\u20131800\n	Acts of Union 1800 \n
Electress consort of Hanover 1761\u20131814\n	Title abandoned Holy Roman Empire dissolved in 1806 \n
New title\n	Queen consort of the United Kingdom 1801\u20131818\n	Vacant Title next held by Caroline of Brunswick \n
Queen consort of Hanover 1814\u20131818\n

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Early life

Marriage

Queen consort

Husband's first period of illness

Interests and patronage

Friendship with Marie Antoinette

During the Regency

Death

Legacy

Arms

Issue

Ancestry

Notes

References

Bibliography

Further reading

External links