| Princess Augusta | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The Grand Duchessc. 1887 | |||||
| Grand Duchess consort of Mecklenburg-Strelitz | |||||
| Tenure | 6 September 1860 – 30 May 1904 | ||||
| Born | (1822-07-19)19 July 1822 Palace of Montbrillant,Hanover | ||||
| Died | 5 December 1916(1916-12-05) (aged 94) Neustrelitz,Mecklenburg-Strelitz | ||||
| Burial | 7 December 1916 Mirow, Mecklenburg-Strelitz | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue | Duke Frederick William Adolphus Frederick V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz | ||||
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| House | Hanover | ||||
| Father | Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge | ||||
| Mother | Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel | ||||
| Signature |  | ||||
Princess Augusta of Cambridge (Augusta Caroline Charlotte Elizabeth Mary Sophia Louise; 19 July 1822 – 5 December 1916) was a member of theBritish royal family as the granddaughter ofGeorge III. She married into the Grand DucalHouse of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and becameGrand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
Augusta was born Princess Augusta of Cambridge on 19 July 1822 at the Palace of Montbrillant,Hanover. Her father wasPrince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, the seventh son ofGeorge III andCharlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Her mother wasPrincess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel. As the male-line granddaughter of a British monarch, she was titled aBritish princess with the style ofRoyal Highness. The young princess was baptised at the same palace on 16 August 1822, by Rev Edward Curtis Kemp (Chaplain to theBritish Ambassador to the Court of Berlin, The Rt. Hon.Sir George Rose).Three of her godparents were present at the baptism:
The rest were not present, possibly being represented by proxies:
The Princess spent her earlier years in Hanover, where her father was theviceroy on behalf of his brother,George IV.
Princess Augusta had one brother,Prince George, later 2nd Duke of Cambridge; and one sister,Princess Mary Adelaide, later Duchess of Teck. Princess Augusta was also the aunt toMary of Teck, later consort ofGeorge V. Additionally, Princess Augusta was the first cousin through her father toQueen Victoria and through her mother toPrincess Louise of Hesse-Kassel, the wife ofKing Christian IX of Denmark.
With her mother, she was part of the royal party at the 1838coronation of Queen Victoria.[1]
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On 28 June 1843, Princess Augusta married her first cousin,Frederick William of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, in the newly built Private Chapel atBuckingham Palace,London (they were also second cousins on their fathers' side). Upon marriage, Augusta became the Hereditary Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and, on 6 September 1860, the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz following the death of her father-in-law.
The marriage of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess produced two sons:
Although she spent most of her adult life in Germany, the Grand Duchess Augusta retained close personal ties to the British Royal Family. She frequently visited her mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, at herKensington Palace apartments.
After her mother's death in 1889, the Grand Duchess acquired a house—thereafter known as Mecklenburg House—at 16Buckingham Gate, London, where she spent a portion of the year until advanced old age made it impossible for her to travel abroad.
In making preparations for thecoronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in 1901, theDuke of Norfolk consulted her on matters of etiquette and attire. This was due to her presence at the coronation ofKing William IV andQueen Adelaide 71 years earlier. She was 9 years old at the time and kissed the Queen's hand. She was also able to provide details of thecoronation of Queen Victoria.
The Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was particularly close to her niece, the future Queen Mary. However, old age prevented her from attending thecoronation of King George V and Queen Mary on 22 June 1911.
Following the outbreak ofWorld War I, the British Government suspended the annuity she had been receiving as a member of the British Royal Family under theAnnuity, Duchess of Mecklenburgh Strelitz Act 1843.[2] During the war, the Swedish Embassy passed letters from the Queen to her aunt, who still lived in Germany.
As an elderly lady, she was known for being cantankerous. She was also known as being quite shrewd and intelligent. In his book,Queen Mary (London, 1959), the Queen's official biography,James Pope-Hennessy reports that the Queen's aunt Augusta was not fond of the new science of photography, fearing it would intrude deeply into the private lives of Royal personages.
The Dowager Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz died on 5 December 1916 inNeustrelitz and was buried inMirow. As the longest-lived grandchild ofGeorge III, she was the last link to the British branch of theHouse of Hanover.[3][4]
At the time of her death, she was 94 years, 4 months and 16 days old, making her the longest-livedBritish princess by blood, untilPrincess Alice, Countess of Athlone, a male-line granddaughter ofQueen Victoria, surpassed her in 1977. Her will was sealed and in 1920 her estate was valued at £57,282 (or £1.7 million in 2022 when adjusted for inflation).[5]
United Kingdom:[9]
German Empire:[9]
Hesse and by Rhine: Dame of theGrand Ducal Hessian Order of the Golden Lion,1 July 1889[10]
Russian Empire: Dame Grand Cross of the ImperialOrder of Saint Catherine[9]
Princess Augusta of Cambridge Cadet branch of theHouse of Welf Born: 19 July 1822 Died: 5 December 1916 | ||
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| Preceded by | Grand Duchess consort of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 1860–1904 | Succeeded by |
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