Princess Louisa | |
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Born |
Leicester House, London |
19 March 1749
Died | 13 May 1768 Carlton House, London |
(aged 19)
Burial | Westminster Abbey, London |
House | Hanover |
Father | Frederick, Prince of Wales |
Mother | Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha |
Princess Louisa of Great Britain (Louise Anne; 19 March 1749 – 13 May 1768) was a grandchild of George II and sister of George III.
Princess Louisa was born on 19 March 1749, at Leicester House, Westminster, London, and was christened there on 11 April. Her father was Frederick, Prince of Wales, eldest son of George II and Caroline of Ansbach. Her mother was The Princess of Wales (née Augusta of Saxe-Gotha). Her godparents were Prince Frederick of Hesse-Kassel (her paternal uncle by marriage) and her paternal aunts The Queen of Denmark and The Princess of Orange, all of whom were represented by proxies. She was reportedly close to her sister Caroline Matilda, who was of roughly the same 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 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 von Bothmer, was informed of her weak constitution, her two years younger sister Caroline Mathilda 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-in-law, Adolf Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, but negotiations were deterred with reference to 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.