Caroline Mathilde de Hanovre

## Comtesse de Champagne

Caroline Mathilde by English painter Charles Cunningham, d. 1775.

Signature de Caroline Mathilde

**Caroline Mathilde de Hanovre,** Comtesse de Champagne (22 July 1757 - Present) was a British princess as the youngest daughter to Frederick I de Grande-Bretagne, son of George II de Grande-Bretagne. Formally known as Caroline Matilda, the young princess would arrive to France with the goal of marrying one of Louis XV's sons. Back at home, though, she was as beloved as they came, and ultimately doted on by her mother and father – much to the jealousy of her siblings.

The princesses contemporaries knew her to be a lovely woman with a spring in her step. She was always harbouring the latest garments and, when joining the young Russian Dauphine, who quickly became one of her closest, if not her best, friends at court, they were seen scheming in order to introduce the next big 'thing' into the fashion world. She was fond of charities but due to her isolated upbringing she rarely had the courage to visit soup kitchens herself, choosing instead to send donations out via one of her own ladies-in-waiting.

At French court, Caroline Mathilde became much more open, and allowed herself to step out of the shell her parents had brought onto her. She was a generally happy figure although if she did experience a panic attack, which would rarely happen after 1778, she would be noted as often seeking solace in the arms of her friends.

## Early Life

Caroline Matilda was born on July 22nd, 1757, as the ninth and youngest child of Frederick, Prince of Wales, and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. She was born at Leicester House, London, a large aristocratic townhouse in Westminster, where her parents lived after her grandfather, King George II, banished his son from court in 1737. Despite the estrangement between Frederick and his father, his children were all raised in a household full of love. Caroline's father was a devoted family man, taking his wife and children – in the summer season – to live in the countryside at Cliveden, where he fished, shot, and rowed.

And though the estrangement between the Prince of Wales and his family was apparent to the royal courts of Europe, he was a force to be reckoned with. A patron of the arts, he would give way to the patriotic song "Rule, Britannia!", as well as investing in the works of various other artists that worked to benefit Britain's popularity in the world stage. Aside from hunting, shooting, and rowing, he was also a fan of cricket, and was said to have attended various matches between Kew House in Surrey and London, where he enjoyed attenting and sometimes playing on Kennington Common.

Princess Augusta, however, had different ideas about how her children should be raised. Given that they were not in favour with the the monarchs, she chose to live a life of seclusion with her children, devoting herself to their care whilst Frederick attended to business as usual. The few occasions when she did appear in public, the King honoured her in the same way that any Princess of Wales would be honoured, and she was much beloved as a widow. Despite this, she was to be criticised for the manner of raising her children, as she isolated them from the outside world into a secluded family environment, seldom meeting people outside the family.

### Upbringing

Caroline spent most of the time with her family at Leicester House, but during holidays they moved to Kew Palace. She was described as slightly temperamental, but natural and informal, and for this reason, she was uninterested in politics and court intrigues as a child. She enjoyed outdoor life and riding, and, despite the irregularities of her and her siblings' education, she was described as intelligent. She was musically gifted, played the harpsichord, and was an accomplished singer with a beautiful voice. She enjoyed reading and could speak three languages beside English: Italian, French, and German, the latter which was her mother tongue.

Even with the familial tensions that tore Frederick and his parents' relationship apart, the Prince and Princess of Wales' children were adored by their grandparents. Caroline specifically was her grandfather, George II's, favourite, and he would often arrange visits where she could spend time at the royal court without her parents being present. They would often meet at Buckingham House where Caroline's eldest brother, George, had moved in with his wife, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. There she would spend a few happy days before returning to her home at Leicester House.

It was at this point in time that the young princess would experience heavy panic attacks. With a seemingly perfect upbringing, there was nothing that a girl like her could complain about. Wrong – her mother's isolation in hopes of not worsening the family's relationship with King George had horrible effects on all of the Princess of Wales' children. Caroline would often suffer from panic attacks, feeling as though she was trapped in the Tower of London with nowhere to go and certainly no way of escaping. Her older siblings were lucky and, in that way, she harboured a great jealousy for their lifestyles.

### At the English Court

On October 25th, 1768, the realm was struck by a royal blow; the well-liked monarch, George II, would pass away in his sleep at Kensington Palace. The very fact that he'd chosen to take his last sleep at Kensington, however, and not at St. James, where the court usually resided, showed one last moment of defiance against his son, the Prince of Wales, who would be declared King Frederick I of Great-Britain later that same day. Whilst Frederick's children, including Caroline, were horrified to not have been allowed by their grandfather's bedside in his last moments, they were welcomed with lush apartments at St. James Palace.

Having previously lived at Leicester House in complete and utter isolation, it took Caroline *some* time to adjust to life at English court. Naturally, she became a figure of great admiration, especially for the many young ladies of the realm that soon looked up to her as a sort of 'role model'. She was learned in various arts and crafts and, despite her education, rose to be quite the princess. Her dowry was set once she was thirteen years old. A humble sum of £500,000 for King Frederick's last unwed daughter. The European scene was delighted to hear news of her coming-of-age and the proposals promptly followed.

However, in 1772, even more sorrow would strike the English royal family. Their beloved Queen, Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, would pass away after an intense battle with a deadly cancer. Having lost the light of his life, Frederick looked to Caroline for joy and endearment, tightly holding onto his youngest daughter as though she was the mirror image of her late mother.The children, despite having been inflicted into isolation by their mother for most of their lives, at least until majority, chose to look fondly onto their deceased matriarch, and only ever spoke of their mother in the nicest regard.

*"My mother was a gracious soul, shepherding myself and my eight siblings through the horrors we faced in the period of my father's banishment."*

## Betrothal

In 1774, a betrothal nested in King Frederick's mind. He thought to marry Caroline to Louis-Joseph of Bourbon, a *Fils de France* otherwise known as the Duc de Mercœur. Despite their nations rocky and tumultuous past, it was a good political match that would draw the western-most European kingdoms together once and for all. As Frederick was a liberal individual, as well as a patron of the arts who'd sponsored various Frenchmen during his tenure as Prince of Wales, an agreement was drafted up and agreed upon by King Louis XV of France.

Caroline didn't know much about her betrothed. Well, nothing other than the fact that he was quite the little charmer. She enjoyed intellectual conversation and, as such, hoped that he was open-minded himself. She would write to him on several occasions. Even if some letters went without reply, as the pair had not even yet met, there seemed to be a shared sense of good-will between them. They both looked forward to joining their dynasties and were equally inclined to perform their duties as their fathers hoped for.

She was set to arrive in France not long after. Her cousins, the Fitz-James, had already been at French court, and so it was agreed that she would reside with them before she was married to the Duc de Mercœur. They would chaperone and welcome her to court where her German kinswoman, Maria Josepha of Saxony, also known as Le Grande Dauphine – and no less the Duc de Mercœur's own mother.