Caroline of Brunswick
A queen whose scandalous marriage and public defiance turned her into a symbol of resistance against the British monarchy.
1768–1821 (age 53)·Queen of the United Kingdom and Hanover from 1820 to 1821·Birthday: May 17
Biography
Caroline of Brunswick became Queen of the United Kingdom and Hanover for only a year, from 1820 to 1821. Born in Brunswick, Germany, in 1768, she arrived in Britain in 1795 for a marriage arranged to settle royal debts. Her union with the Prince of Wales, the future George IV, was disastrous from the start; he found her uncouth, and she found him already secretly and illegally married. After the birth of their daughter, Princess Charlotte, they separated permanently. Caroline spent years traveling Europe, her behavior fueling gossip that the Crown would later weaponize. When George became king in 1820, he attempted to divorce her via a sensational public trial for adultery, an act that backfired spectacularly. The public, already despising the king, rallied around Caroline as a wronged woman. She attempted to force her way into Westminster Abbey for George's coronation in 1821, the ultimate act of defiance. Her sudden death weeks later, likely from an intestinal obstruction, sparked mourning and riots. Caroline exposed the Crown's vulnerabilities, remembered not as a conventional queen but as a populist figure.
#1 When Caroline Was Born
The biggest hits of 1768
Caroline's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1768Born
1773Started school
1781Became a teenager
1784Could drive
1786Could vote
1789Turned 21
1798Turned 30
1808Turned 40
1818Turned 50
1821Died at 53
Key Achievements
- Became a central figure in the 1820 'Queen Caroline Affair,' a political crisis that nearly toppled the British government.
- Successfully rallied massive public support against King George IV's attempt to divorce her via an Act of Parliament.
- Her treatment by the Crown influenced later public sentiment and legal attitudes toward royal marital rights.
- Her daughter, Princess Charlotte, was the heir to the throne until her death in 1817.
Did You Know?
She was examined by doctors to confirm her virginity before her marriage to George, a humiliating ordeal.
She adopted a young boy named William Austin during her travels, whom her enemies falsely claimed was her illegitimate son.
Her will instructed that her coffin bear the inscription 'Here lies Caroline of Brunswick, the injured Queen of England.'
The government spent the equivalent of millions in today's money on the investigation into her conduct.
“I am the Queen of England, and I will be treated as such.”
