Princess Louisa Anne of Great Britain (19 March 1749 – 13 May 1768) was a grandchild of
King George II and sister of
King George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
.
Life
Princess Louisa was born on 19 March 1749, at
Leicester House,
Westminster
Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster.
The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...
,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, and was christened there on 11 April. Her father was
Frederick, Prince of Wales
Frederick, Prince of Wales, (Frederick Louis, ; 31 January 170731 March 1751), was the eldest son and heir apparent of King George II of Great Britain. He grew estranged from his parents, King George and Queen Caroline. Frederick was the fa ...
, eldest son of
George II George II or 2 may refer to:
People
* George II of Antioch (seventh century AD)
* George II of Armenia (late ninth century)
* George II of Abkhazia (916–960)
* Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051)
* George II of Georgia (1072–1089) ...
and
Caroline of Ansbach. Her mother was
Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. Her godparents were her paternal uncle
Prince Frederick of Hesse-Kassel
Prince Frederick of Hesse-Kassel (11 September 1747 – 20 May 1837) was a younger member of the dynasty that ruled the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) and a Danish general.
He was born as the youngest son of Hereditary Prince Fre ...
and aunts the
Queen of Denmark
The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The Kingdom of Denmark was a ...
and the
Princess of Orange
Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title originally associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by sovereigns in the Netherlands.
The title ...
, all of whom were represented by proxies. She was reportedly close to her sister
Caroline Matilda, who was close in age and was raised with her.
Her health was delicate throughout her life. According to Walpole, she "never appeared more than an unhealthy child of thirteen or fourteen".
In 1764, negotiations were made between the British and Danish royal houses of a marriage between the Danish heir to the throne,
Prince Christian, and a British princess. The marriage was considered suitable in status and welcomed by both houses, as there were few royal Protestant houses to choose between at that point for either party. The preferred choice for a bride was initially Princess Louisa, but after the Danish representative in London, Count Hans Caspar von
Bothmer (1727-1787), was informed of her weak constitution, her younger sister
Caroline Matilda was chosen for the match instead. The marriage was announced in Great Britain 10 January 1765.
The same year, 1764, she received a proposal from her brother's brother-in-law,
Adolf Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, but negotiations were again deterred due to concerns regarding her health.
Reportedly, by the time her sister Caroline Matilda left Great Britain for Denmark in 1766, Louisa was succumbing to a more and more deteriorating state of health due to an advancing tuberculosis, which eventually turned her into an invalid.
[John Van der Kiste: The Georgian Princesses]
Princess Louisa died, at
Carlton House
Carlton House was a mansion in Westminster, best known as the town residence of King George IV. It faced the south side of Pall Mall, and its gardens abutted St James's Park in the St James's district of London. The location of the house, no ...
,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, on 13 May 1768, unmarried, and without issue, at the age of 19.
Ancestors
See also
*
List of British princesses
References
Henry Churchyard "Royal Genealogies, Part 10"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Louisa Of Great Britain, Princess
1749 births
1768 deaths
18th-century British people
18th-century British women
British princesses
House of Hanover
People from Westminster
Burials at Westminster Abbey
Children of Frederick, Prince of Wales