The Death of Princess Charlotte put a great question mark on the succession of the English throne.
The Death of Princess Charlotte
In the year 1816, Princess Charlotte, the only legitimate grandchild of King George III and heir to the English throne, married Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg. It was a day of great rejoicing across the country. The Princess was loved as no other member of the royal family, and a happy future for the monarchy seemed assured. It was not to be. Eighteen months later, on November 6, 1817, Princess Charlotte died in childbirth. Her son was stillborn.
As the nation mourned, the politics of succession got underway. At the time, the crown was still held by King George III, but madness, induced by porphyria, had left him unable to rule. His son, Prince George of Wales ruled in his stead. Princess Charlotte had been the only legitimate child of the Prince of Wales and considering his age and his long separation from his wife, he was very unlikely to have another. The nation looked to the other Princes, George's six younger brothers to produce an heir. The most likely candidate seemed to be Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.
Queen Victoria's Father
Prince Edward was the fourth son of King George III. Although of obvious intelligence, he appears to have been disliked by most of the other members of his family, including both his parents. At age 28, he was given the title of the Duke of Kent and an annual income, both of which were insults when compared to the age of appointment and income given to his older brothers. Like many younger Princess before him, Prince Edward entered the military. His first post was as commander of Gibraltar, where he was known as a harsh disciplinarian. Later, he was sent to Canada to help fight against the French. Afterwards he returned to the command of Gibraltar, and soon faced a mutiny from his troops. Although the Duke crushed the mutiny with his usual ruthlessness, it put an end to his military career. After this incident, the Duke faced the same problem that faced all of the English Princes, severe debt. Despite the lordly sums granted by the English Parliament, Edward was unable to control his spending. He removed himself from England to the cheaper locale of Brussels. In 1817 the Duke was over forty, but had never married. He had lived for 27 years with his mistress, Madame de St Laurent. Debt drove him to look for a wife; the Death of Princess Charlotte made it seem essential.
Queen Victoria's Mother
After a couple of failures, Prince Edward turned his attention to the Dowager Princess of Saxe-Coburg, Princess Victoire (sister of Prince Leopold, the husband of Princess Charlotte). Princess Victoire had been married off at the age of 17 to Prince Charles of Leiningen in 1805. Although the marriage produced two children, it was not a happy one. Prince Charles made it apparent that he had only married, for a second time, to insure offspring. He spent little time with his wife. He died in 1814.
It was soon thereafter that Prince Edward appeared. His advances were supported by both Prince Leopold and Princess Charlotte. After Charlotte's death, Princess Victoire agreed to wed Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.
On May 29, 1818, Prince Edward and Princess Victoire were married in the Lutheran Church in Coburg. Four days later, they left for England. There, on July 13, 1818 they were married again at the Palace of Kew in an English ceremony.
Financially, the marriage had the opposite of the intended effect for the Duke of Kent as it plunged him deeper into debt. It did, however, produce an offspring who became the heir to the throne of England. On Monday, May 24, 1819, Princess Victoire gave birth to a healthy daughter. This daughter would be known to history as Queen Victoria.
Source:
Queen Victoria: Volume One: 1819-1861 by Cecil Woodham Smith. Book Club Associates, London, 1971.
