Princess Sophia of the United Kingdom

Infobox British Royalty|royal
name =Princess Sophia
title =Princess Sophia of the United Kingdom


imgw =200
royal house =House of Hanover
full name =Sophia Matilda
titles ="HRH" The Princess Sophia
father =George III
mother =Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
date of birth =birth date|1777|11|2|df=y
place of birth =Buckingham Palace, London
place of christening =St James's Palace, London
date of death =death date and age|1848|5|27|1777|11|2|df=y
place of death =Kensington Palace, London
place of burial =Kensal Green Cemetery, London|

The Princess Sophia (Sophia Matilda; 2 November 1777 – 27 May 1848) was a member of the British Royal Family, the twelfth child and fifth daughter of George III.

Early life

The Princess Sophia was born at Buckingham Palace, London. Her father was the reigning British monarch, George III, the eldest son of Frederick, Prince of Wales and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. Her mother was Queen Charlotte (née Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz).

Adulthood

Like most of her other sisters, Princess Sophia was forced to live her life as a companion of her mother, Queen Charlotte. The Princesses were not allowed to mix with anyone outside the Royal Court.

During her life there were various rumours about her alleged incestous relationship with her brother, Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland who later became the King of Hanover. It is unclear whether there was truth to these rumours, or whether they were circulated by Whigs to damage the Duke, who was an extreme Tory and influential in the House of Lords.

Later life

After having been blind for over ten years, Princess Sophia died on 27 May 1848 at Vicarage Place, Kensington in London. She was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery in London rather than at Windsor Castle, as she wished to be near her brother, Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

*2 November 1777 – 27 May 1848: "Her Royal Highness" The Princess Sophia

Arms

As of 1789, as a daughter of the sovereign, Sophia had use of the arms of the kingdom, differenced by a "label argent of three points, the centre point bearing a heart gules, the outer points each bearing a rose gules". [ [http://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/cadency.htm Marks of Cadency in the British Royal Family] ]

Ancestors

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1= 1. Princess Sophia
of the United Kingdom
2= 2. George III of the United Kingdom
3= 3. Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
4= 4. Frederick, Prince of Wales
5= 5. Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
6= 6. Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Prince of Mirow
7= 7. Princess Elizabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen
8= 8. George II of Great Britain
9= 9. Caroline of Ansbach
10= 10. Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
11= 11. Magdalena Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst
12= 12. Adolf Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
13= 13. Christiane Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
14= 14. Ernest Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen
15= 15. Sophia Albertine of Erbach-Erbach
16= 16. George I of Great Britain
17= 17. Sophia Dorothea of Celle
18= 18. John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach
19= 19. Eleanor Erdmuthe Louise of Saxe-Eisenach
20= 20. Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
21= 21. Magdalena Sibylle of Saxe-Weissenfels
22= 22. Charles, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
23= 23. Sophia of Saxe-Weissenfels
24= 24. Adolf Frederick I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
25= 25. Maria Katharina of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
26= 26. Christian William I of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
27= 27. Antoine Sybille of Barby-Muhlingen
28= 28. Ernest III, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen
29= 29. Sofie of Waldeck
30= 30. George Louis I of Erbach-Erbach
31= 31. Amelie Katherine of Waldeck-Eisenberg

External links

* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=9442 Princess Sophia's grave]

References

Further reading

* Fraser, Flora. "Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III". 2004. London: John Murray, 2005. ISBN 0-7195-6109-4