Charlotte Sophia von Platen-Hallermund, Countess of Darlington

Sophia Charlotte von Kielmansegg, Countess of Darlington and Countess of Leinster (1675–1725) was a German-born courtier. A half-sister of

George I of Great Britain George I (George Louis; ; 28 May 1660 – 11 June 1727) was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 and ruler of the Electorate of Hanover within the Holy Roman Empire from 23 January 1698 until his death in 1727. He was the first ...

, to whom she was close, she moved to England in 1714 shortly after the

Hanoverian succession The Act of Settlement is an Act of the Parliament of England that settled the succession to the English and Irish crowns to only Protestants, which passed in 1701. More specifically, anyone who became a Roman Catholic, or who married one, bec ...

, where she became an influential figure of his court.

Background

She was the daughter of Clara Elisabeth von Meysenburg, married to Franz Ernst, Count von Platen-Hallermund, a court official, but mistress of

Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg Ernest Augustus (german: Ernst August; 20 November 1629 – 23 January 1698) was ruler of the Principality of Lüneburg from 1658 and of the Principality of Calenberg from 1679 until his death, and father of George I of Great Britain. He was app ...

, married to Sophia of the Palatine who was in the line of succession of the kingdoms of England and Scotland. At the court of Ernest Augustus, her status was as an illegitimate daughter of the Elector, who was the father of George Louis, Elector of Hanover from 1698 and the future British king, with whom she shared a close loyalty and abiding friendship.

In England

At the London court of George I, Sophia von Kielmansegg vied with

Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal Ehrengard Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal, Duchess of Munster (25 December 166710 May 1743) was a longtime mistress to King George I of Great Britain. Early life She was born at Emden in the Duchy of Magdeburg. She was a daught ...

, George's mistress. Her title Countess of Darlington in the Peerage of Great Britain, with the subsidiary title of Baroness of Brentford, was given by the king in 1722, following a title of Countess of Leinster in the

Peerage of Ireland The Peerage of Ireland consists of those titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of the five divisi ...

in 1721. Her blood relationship to George I was not well known in Britain, and it was widely assumed that she, like the Duchess of Kendal, was the King's mistress. On one occasion, a confectioner in the royal household was dismissed after being caught using "indecent expressions concerning the King & Madam Kielmansegg". Her access to the king meant her favour was sought with many gifts, particularly around the South Sea Bubble. She died at home in London on 20 April 1725.

Description

Gaining the nickname "the Elephant and Castle” after her arrival in England in 1714, she is said to have been a very large woman. Horace Walpole says of her:

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Darlington, Sophia von Kielmansegg, Countess of 1675 births 1725 deaths People from Osnabrück Sophia Life peeresses created by George I Irish countesses

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of ...