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Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen (Adelheid Amalie Luise Theresa Carolin) (13 August 1792–2 December 1849) later Queen Adelaide, was the Queen Consort of King William IV of the United Kingdom. Prior to becoming Queen, she was known as Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Clarence.
Early life
Adelaide was born on 13 August, 1792 at Meiningen, Thuringia, Germany. Her father was George I, the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. Her mother was Louisa Eleonora, the daughter of Prince Christian of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. She was styled Her Serene Highness Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen from her birth.
Marriage
Adelaide married His Royal Highness The Prince William, Duke of Clarence, a son of King George III, in a double marriage with William's brother, His Royal Highness The Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and his bride, Her Serene Highness Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld on 13 July, 1818, at Kew Palace in Surrey, England. It was the first marriage for both William and Adelaide; however, William was over twenty years her senior, and previously had illegitimate children by the popular actress Dorothy Jordan. The 6 November 1817 saw the death, in childbirth, of the heir to the throne, Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales, wife of Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield (later King Léopold I of the Belgians). This prompted William and his brothers to secure the line of succession, thus marrying quickly late in life with the intent of producing heirs*. Another likely incentive on William's part was the likelihood of considerable allowances being voted by Parliament to both Duke and Duchess. Despite these unromantic circumstances (in fact, the increased allowance voted by Parliament was so small that the Duke refused it for three years), the couple settled amicably in Hanover (where the cost of living was much lower, considering the Duke's rank, than in England), and by all accounts were devoted to each other throughout their marriage.
Queen
At the time of their marriage, William was not heir to the throne, but became so when his brother, Frederick, Duke of York, died childless in 1827. In 1830, on the death of his elder brother, George IV, William acceded the throne, and Adelaide was crowned along with him on September 8, 1831, at Westminster Abbey.
As queen, Adelaide aroused none of the controversy of her immediate predecessor, Caroline of Brunswick. She was beloved by the British people for her modesty, charity, and her tragic childbirth history. A large portion of her household income was given to charitable causes. She also treated the young Princess Victoria of Kent (William's heir presumptive and later Queen Victoria), with kindness, despite her own inability to produce an heir and the open hostility between William and Victoria's mother, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.
Politically, Adelaide was an extreme Tory, and attempted to influence the King politically. It is unclear how much of the crisis over the Reform Act of 1832 was due to her influence.
The city of Adelaide, capital of South Australia, was named in her honour.
Dowagerhood
Adelaide survived her husband by twelve years. She died during the reign of her niece Queen Victoria, on 2 December 1849 of natural causes at Bentley Priory in Middlesex and was buried at St. George's Chapel, Windsor.
Titles
- 1792-1818: Her Serene Highness Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
- 1818-1830: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Clarence and St Andrews
- 1830-1837: Her Majesty Queen Adelaide of the United Kingdom
- 1837-1849: Her Majesty Queen Adelaide, The Queen Dowager
Issue
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide is alternately cited as having four and five [http://www.royalist.info/execute/biog?person=1402 pregnancies; however, she suffered at least two miscarriages. | |||
| Princess Charlotte of Clarence | 21 March 1819 | 21 March 1819 | |
| Another pregnancy in 1819 caused William to move the household to England so his future heir would be born on English soil, yet Adelaide miscarried in Calais during the journey. | |||
| Princess Elizabeth of Clarence | 10 December 1820 | 4 March 1821 | |
| William and Adelaide ultimately did not produce an heir to the throne. Twin boys were stillborn on 23 April 1822, and a possible brief pregnancy may have occurred within the same year. Princess Victoria of Kent came to be acknowledged as William's heir, as Adelaide had no further pregnancies. While there were rumours of pregnancies well into William's reign (dismissed by the King as "damned stuff"), they seem to have been just that - rumours. | |||
External links
British royalty | 1792 births | 1849 deaths | Natives of Thuringia | English & British princesses | British queen consorts | House of Hanover
Adelheid von Sachsen-Meiningen | Reĝino Adelajdo | Adelaide av Sachsen-Meiningen
"Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen"