Princess Sophia of Gloucester
Encyclopedia
Princess Sophia of Gloucester (Sophia Matilda; 29 May 1773 – 29 November 1844) was a member of the British Royal Family
, a great granddaughter of George II
and niece of George III
.
. Her father was Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
, the third eldest son of The Prince Frederick, Prince of Wales
. Her mother was the Duchess of Gloucester
, the illegitimate daughter of Edward Walpole. As a great granddaughter in the male line of George II
, Sophia was styled Her Highness Princess Sophia of Gloucester from birth.
The princess was privately christened at Gloucester House
on 26 June 1773, by Charles Moss, The Bishop of St David's
. She had three godparents: The Duke of Cumberland, her paternal uncle; The Duchess of Cumberland
, her aunt by marriage; and The Queen of Denmark and Norway, her paternal aunt (who was represented by a proxy)
, married their cousin, The Princess Mary, a daughter of George III
. On their wedding day, the Prince Regent
bestowed the style of His Royal Highness on the Duke of Gloucester. The next day, Sophia was also bestowed with the style Her Royal Highness, to give her equal rank with her brother. From then on, she was styled Her Royal Highness Princess Sophia of Gloucester.
Sophia was considered as a potential bride for William, Duke of Clarence
, but she expressed no enthusiam for the match. Sophia never married nor had any children. She lived at New Lodge in Winkfield
, near Windsor
in Berkshire
and died on 29 November 1844 and is buried in St. George's Chapel, Windsor.
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
, a great granddaughter of George II
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
and niece of George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
.
Early life
She was born in Grosvenor Street, MayfairMayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
. Her father was Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
Prince William, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh was a member of the British Royal Family, a grandson of George II and a younger brother of George III.-Early life:...
, the third eldest son of The Prince Frederick, Prince of Wales
Frederick, Prince of Wales
Frederick, Prince of Wales was a member of the House of Hanover and therefore of the Hanoverian and later British Royal Family, the eldest son of George II and father of George III, as well as the great-grandfather of Queen Victoria...
. Her mother was the Duchess of Gloucester
Maria, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh
Maria Walpole , the Countess Waldegrave and Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh, was a member of the British Royal Family, the wife of Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh...
, the illegitimate daughter of Edward Walpole. As a great granddaughter in the male line of George II
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
, Sophia was styled Her Highness Princess Sophia of Gloucester from birth.
The princess was privately christened at Gloucester House
Gloucester House
Gloucester House is a former royal residence in the seaside resort of Weymouth on the south coast of England. It was the summer residence of Prince William Henry Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh , fourth son of Frederick, Prince of Wales, and brother of King George III...
on 26 June 1773, by Charles Moss, The Bishop of St David's
Bishop of St David's
The Bishop of St David's is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of St David's.The succession of bishops stretches back to Saint David who in the 6th century established his seat in what is today the city of St David's in Pembrokeshire, founding St David's Cathedral. The current Bishop of St...
. She had three godparents: The Duke of Cumberland, her paternal uncle; The Duchess of Cumberland
Anne, Duchess of Cumberland and Strathearn
Anne Horton, Anne Horton, Anne Horton, (née Anne Luttrell; later the Duchess of Cumberland and Strathearn, (24 January 1742 – 28 December 1808) was a member of the British Royal Family, the wife of Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn.-Early life:...
, her aunt by marriage; and The Queen of Denmark and Norway, her paternal aunt (who was represented by a proxy)
Royal Highness
On 22 July 1816 Sophia's brother, Prince William Frederick, Duke of GloucesterPrince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
Prince William, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh was a member of the British Royal Family, a great-grandson of George II and nephew of George III.-Early life:...
, married their cousin, The Princess Mary, a daughter of George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
. On their wedding day, the Prince Regent
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
bestowed the style of His Royal Highness on the Duke of Gloucester. The next day, Sophia was also bestowed with the style Her Royal Highness, to give her equal rank with her brother. From then on, she was styled Her Royal Highness Princess Sophia of Gloucester.
Sophia was considered as a potential bride for William, Duke of Clarence
William IV of the United Kingdom
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...
, but she expressed no enthusiam for the match. Sophia never married nor had any children. She lived at New Lodge in Winkfield
Winkfield
Winkfield is a village and civil parish in the Bracknell Forest unitary authority of Berkshire, England.-Geography:According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 15,271...
, near Windsor
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
and died on 29 November 1844 and is buried in St. George's Chapel, Windsor.
Ancestry
Titles
- 29 May 1773 – 22 July 1816: Her Highness Princess Sophia of Gloucester
- 22 July 1816 – 29 November 1844: Her Royal Highness Princess Sophia of Gloucester
- before 16 December 1834 – 29 November 1844: Her Royal Highness Princess Sophia Matilda of Gloucester
See also
- List of British princesses
- British Royal FamilyBritish Royal FamilyThe British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
- House of HanoverHouse of HanoverThe House of Hanover is a deposed German royal dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , the Kingdom of Hanover, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...