Charlotte of Mecklenburg Strelitz
Consort of George III
Born: 1744
Married: 1761
Died: 1818
- Daughter of Charles, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
- George III acquired Buckingham House (renamed the Queen’s House) for her use soon after their marriage
- Gave birth to 15 children — 9 boys, 6 girls
- Possessed a magnificent collection of jewellery, particularly diamonds
- Also collected jewelled objets de vertu and gold boxes
- In the early 1790s acquired the Frogmore estate at Windsor which she and her daughters used increasingly as a rural retreat, particularly for botanical and artistic activity
- Made an impressive collection of furniture, Sèvres porcelain and oriental decorative arts, in ivory, porcelain, embroidered silk and lacquer
- Her substantial library included many volumes on botany, literature and the theatre
- Most of her collection and library was sold in 1819 for the support of her four younger surviving daughters. A few items were retained or bought back (by the Prince Regent); other pieces from her collection have been re-acquired, especially by Queen Mary
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