Queen Caroline, Queen of the United Kingdom, 1820-1821
Caroline of Brunswick-Lüneburg, born as in full Caroline Amelia Elizabeth, German Karoline Amalie Elisabeth von Braunschweig-Lüneburg on May 17, 1768, in Braunschweig, Germany. She was the daughter of Charles Willian Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
Caroline married Prince George, the Prince of Wales, on April 8, 1795, but they separated soon after the birth of their only child, Princess Charlotte, in 1796.
The subject of several scandals, Princess Charlotte, Princess of Wales, was excluded from court while her husband acted as Regent (1811–20) for his mentally unwell father, King George III. Between 1814 and 1820 Caroline lived mainly in Italy and allegedly maintained an adulterous relationship with her Italian courier, Bartolomeo Pergami.
After his accession to the throne on January 29, 1820, King George IV tried to pay her to remain on the European continent, but in June she returned to England. George then pressured for a divorce, which Caroline refused. The government then introduced a bill to dissolve the marriage and deprive her of the title of Queen. After a lengthy hearing, the House of Lords abandoned the bill. Queen Caroline was prevented from entering Westminster Abbey at George’s coronation on July 19, 1821. She then became ill and died 19 days later. Never officially crowned as Queen, she was referred to as the Duchess of Brunswick.
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