Princess Sophia of Gloucester (Sophia Matilda; 29 May 1773 – 29 November 1844) was a great-granddaughter of
King George II of Great Britain and niece of
King George III.
Life
Princess Sophia was born in Grosvenor Street,
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...
. Her father was
Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh, the third son of
The Prince Frederick, Prince of Wales. Her mother, the Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh, born
Maria Walpole, was the illegitimate daughter of
Sir Edward Walpole.
She was privately baptized in a drawing room at her parents' home in
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...
,
Gloucester House, on 26 June 1773, by
Charles Moss,
Bishop of St David's. She had three godparents:
The Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn, her paternal uncle; the
Duchess of Cumberland and Strathearn, her aunt by marriage; and the
Queen of Denmark and Norway, her paternal aunt, who was represented by a proxy.
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...
had been asked to stand as godfather, but he declined, upset by his brother's marriage to Maria Walpole, a commoner.
Sophia was considered as a potential bride for her first cousin
Prince William, Duke of Clarence and St Andrews (who later ruled as King William IV), but she expressed no enthusiasm for the match.
She lived at Gloucester Lodge on the
Gloucester Road from about 1805 and remained there after her mother's death in 1807, but by 1809 she had sold the villa to
George Canning. She also lived at New Lodge in
Winkfield, near
Windsor in
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...
.
In 1811, Sophia visited the
Royal Yacht Squadron
The Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) is a British yacht club. Its clubhouse is Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. Member yachts are given the suffix RYS to their names, and are permitted (with the appropriate warrant) to we ...
, at
Northwood on the
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...
with her brother the Duke of Gloucester: the Gloucester Hotel, by the Parade, was named in their honour.
From 1816, Sophia held the office of Ranger of
Greenwich Park and had a home at the
Ranger's House,
Blackheath.
Sophia was an early patron of the new seaside town of
St Leonard's on Sea, where she stayed at Gloucester Lodge on Quarry Hill in 1831. The building was formerly named the Castellated Villa, but was renamed in her honour.
Sophia died at the Ranger's House, Blackheath, on 29 November 1844, unmarried. She was buried in
St George's Chapel, Windsor.
Ancestry
Titles and styles
* 29 May 1773 – 23 July 1816: ''Her Highness'' Princess Sophia of Gloucester
* 23 July 1816 – 29 November 1844: ''Her Royal Highness'' Princess Sophia of Gloucester
[''The London Gazette'' styles her "Princess Sophia of Gloucester" consistentl]
http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/ViewPDF.aspx?pdf=14075&gpn=120
up to and includin
The Duke of Clarence's Wedding, 14 July 1818
After this point, (or at least after her brother's death
his funeral Gazette, 16 December 1834
the Gazette consistently styles her "Princess Sophia Matilda of Gloucester
http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/ViewPDF.aspx?pdf=20223&gpn=154
/ref>
**16 December 1834 – 29 November 1844: ''Her Royal Highness'' Princess Sophia Matilda of GloucesterGeorge III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...
. On their wedding day, the Prince Regent
A prince regent or princess regent is a prince or princess who, due to their position in the line of succession, rules a monarchy as regent in the stead of a monarch, e.g., as a result of the sovereign's incapacity (minority or illness) or ab ...
bestowed the style of ''Royal Highness'' on the Duke of Gloucester. The next day, Sophia was also bestowed with this style, giving her equal rank with her brother.
See also
* List of British princesses
*British Royal Family
The British royal family comprises Charles III and other members of his family. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is considere ...
*House of Hanover
The House of Hanover ( ) is a European royal house with roots tracing back to the 17th century. Its members, known as Hanoverians, ruled Hanover, Great Britain, Ireland, and the British Empire at various times during the 17th to 20th centurie ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sophia Of Gloucester, Princess
1773 births
1844 deaths
18th-century British people
19th-century British people
18th-century British women
19th-century British women
House of Hanover
British princesses
Daughters of British dukes
Burials at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
People from Mayfair
People from Winkfield