Hanoverian to Windsor Consorts: Power, Influence, and Dynasty (Queenship and Power)

This book examines the lives and tenures of the consorts of the Hanoverian, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Windsor monarchs from 1727 to the present. Some of the consorts examined in this volumesuch as Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, consort to George VIare well known while others, including Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, consort to William IV, are more obscure. These innovative and authoritative biographies bring a fresh approach to the consorts of this period, revealing their lasting influence on the monarchy. In addition to covering a period that has seen the development of constitutional monarchy and increased media scrutiny of the whole royal family, this volume also looks to the future of the British monarchy, suggesting ways that future consorts can learn from the example of their predecessors. This volume and its companions reveal the changing nature of British consortship from the Norman Conquest to today. Aidan Norrie is Lecturer in History and Programme Leader at the University Campus North Lincolnshire, UK, and the Managing Editor of The London Journal. Carolyn Harris is Instructor in History at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies, Canada, and a regular royal commentator in Canadian media. J.L. Laynesmith is Visiting Research Fellow in Medieval Studies at the University of Reading, UK. Danna R. Messer is Senior Acquisitions Editor at Arc Humanities Press, and the Executive Editor of The Encyclopedia of the Global Middle Ages. Elena Woodacre is Reader in Renaissance History at the University of Winchester, UK, Editor-in-Chief of the Royal Studies Journal, and the founder of the Royal Studies Network Acknowledgements 8 Praise for Hanoverian to Windsor Consorts 10 Contents 11 Notes on Contributors 13 List of Figures 17 Preface 19 Chapter 1: Hanoverian to Windsor Consorts: Power, Influence, Dynasty 22 The Act of Settlement 23 The Perth Agreement 25 Change and Continuity 27 Further Reading 31 SECTION I: Hanoverian Consorts 32 Chapter 2: The Hanoverian Consorts: Enlightenment and Empire 33 Chapter 3: Caroline of Ansbach: Life and Literature 40 Early Life 41 Princess of Wales 43 Queen Consort 45 Caroline’s Library and Literary Patronage 48 Politics and Literary Culture 51 Protestantism and Dynastic Motherhood 54 Royal Power 56 Patronage and Maternal Legacy 58 Chapter 4: Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz: The Enlightened Nurturer 62 Early Years and Upbringing 64 Marriage and Coronation 66 Looks and Appearances 68 Domesticity, Motherhood, and Self-Fashioning 69 Politics and Philanthropy 76 Cultural Interests and Patronage 78 Regency Crisis and Loyalty 80 The Retreat: Sentiment and Civic Idealisation 82 Death and Legacy 83 Chapter 5: Caroline of Brunswick: Queen on Trial 86 Princess of Brunswick 87 Marriage 90 Prosecuting a Queen 96 Defending a Queen 100 After the Trial 102 Chapter 6: Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen: The Childless Queen Mother 107 Birth and Childhood 109 Marriage 110 Children 112 From Duchess to Queen 116 The Reform Question 118 Princess Victoria 120 Queen Dowager 121 Queen Mother 122 Whigs and Tories 124 Death 126 The Two Queens 127 Chapter 7: Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha: Prince Consort of the World 129 Finding a Role 132 Collecting and Exhibiting the World 136 Albert and India 141 Royal Tours 145 Albert’s Imperial Legacy 148 Chapter 8: The Hanoverian Consorts: Progresses, Pageants, and Performance 150 Royal Progresses in the Long Eighteenth Century 152 Arrival of the Consort 155 Consort and Monarch Relationships 158 Public Roles of Consorts 162 Private Roles of Consorts 166 Family Legacy 169 Section II: Windsor Consorts 171 Chapter 9: The Windsor Consorts: Longevity and the Modern Monarchy 172 Chapter 10: Alexandra of Denmark: Fashioning the Modern Consort 179 Early Life 180 Engagement and Marriage 183 Married Life 186 Queen Consort 193 Queen 198 Widow 200 A Queen’s Wardrobe 200 Chapter 11: Mary of Teck: A Dutiful Consort 202 Queen Mary’s Royal Background 203 Engagements, Marriage, and Children 206 Imperial Tours 210 Accession to the Throne, the Coronation, and the First World War 214 Silver Jubilee and Death of George V 218 Edward VIII and the Abdication Crisis 219 George VI and the Second World War 220 Deaths of George VI and Queen Mary 222 Legacy 223 Chapter 12: Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon: The People’s Matriarch 224 The Earl’s Daughter 225 The Duchess of York 230 The Queen Consort 234 The Queen Mother 239 Chapter 13: Prince Philip: The Unlikely Moderniser 245 Childhood 247 Courtship and Marriage 249 Marriage and Monarchy 252 Working Life 257 Remoulding the Monarchy 260 Leaving the Stage 264 Chapter 14: The Windsor Consorts: Matriarchy and Modernisation 266 From Maternity to Matriarchy 268 A Male Consort in the Windsor Matriarchy 277 Official Status and Duties 280 Chapter 15: Camilla and Catherine: The Future of the Royal Consort 288 The Death of Prince Philip in 2021 288 Consorts in a Time of Crisis 291 Camilla Parker Bowles 296 The Duchess of Cornwall 301 The Duchess of Cambridge 304 Camilla and Catherine 308 The Future of the Royal Consort 310 Index 312