Anne, 2nd Princess Royal, Daughter of George II

Father Vs. Son

George II by Charles Jervas

George I's relationship with his son, George Augustus, had always been poor. Whatever could have made George Augustus so angry with his father?  Could it have been: a) George I's ever-present Hanoverian royal mistress, Melusine, who came with George I to England upon his succession; b) George's decision to imprison his wife, George Augustus's mother, Sophia of Celle, for the last 30 years of her life; c) George's decision to separate 11-year-old George Augustus and his sister from her, permanently; or d) all of the above?  Regardless, the heir to the throne always remained a thorn in George I's side.  George Augustus, more popular than his father, was associated with opposition politicians until at least 1720.  Their relationship remained extremely strained until George I's death in 1727, while on a trip to Hanover, where he was buried.

Family tree of George I (Ancestry.com):

A Budding Family in Hanover: Years 1705 - 1713

Caroline Wilhelmina of Brandenburg-Ansbach 
by Sir Godfrey Kneller

Despite this strain, and perhaps due to his own negative marital experiences, George did allow George Augustus to choose his own bride. Prior to his father's succession, George Augustus married an attractive, Protestant, German princess, Caroline of Ansbach, in 1705. They were devoted to each other throughout their lives. Caroline delivered a healthy son, Frederick, in 1707, as well as a daughter in 1709. And here, we finally come to the second Princess Royal, Anne.

Anne was born in Hanover and named after Queen Anne of Britain, who was still living at the time. During the first five years of her life, a time not commonly known as the most serene, she was styled Her Serene Royal Highness, Duchess Anne of Brunswick-Lüneburg (quite a mouthful).

Handel with George I
by Eduoard Hammon

As a child, Anne was taught music by Handel, who generally disliked teaching, but stated he would make an exception for "Anne, flower of princesses". He knew who buttered his bread. (The royal family always remained closely associated with Handel, commissioning him to write four anthems for George Augustus's coronation, the music for Anne's wedding, and the music for Caroline's funeral.) Anne spent a great deal of time with her younger sisters, Amelia and Caroline, the latter her mother's namesake.

A New Home in Britain: Years 1714 - 1724

Princesses Anne, Amelia and Caroline

by Martin Maingaud, 1721

When Anne was five years old, her grandfather, George I, succeeded to the throne, and her father left with George I for England. Anne sailed to England with her mother and sisters later that same year. Interestingly, Anne's elder brother, Frederick, was left behind in Hanover at the age of seven, to be raised by his great-uncle, Ernest, and private tutors. He would not see his family again for 14 years, a separation that would have negative repercussions for the family for years to come.

Anne's parents were styled the Prince and Princess of Wales, Caroline becoming the first Princess of Wales in over 200 years and the highest ranking woman in the kingdom. Princess Anne's parents were popular with the British public, both making a concerted effort to anglicize: learning the language, customs, and politics of Britain. George I felt threatened by his son's greater popularity.
Prince George William by John Simon

When Anne was eight years old, her younger brother, George William, was born. After a quarrel between George I and George Augustus at George William's christening, George I banished the baby's parents from the court, keeping all the children under his care, thereby separating the children, even the newborn, from their parents. Caroline was not granted permission to visit the baby until two months later. Both parents were allowed to visit the baby when he fell ill at three months old. Tragically, the baby died from the illness in February of 1718, with his father by his side. His parents initially blamed George I for the baby's death, as he had separated the parents from their children, much as he had separated his own children from their mother, George I's wife. Even after a postmortem revealed a polyp on the baby's heart, the relationship between the parents and George I always remained negative, to say the least. Until at least 1720, Anne and her two younger sisters remained in the care of the king.

At the age of 11, Anne survived smallpox, as Caroline and George Augustus had done before Anne's birth. The illness left her face somewhat scarred, and she was thereafter not considered as beautiful as her two younger sisters. Caroline subsequently became an advocate of variolation, a new, early form of immunization against smallpox. When Anne was 12, her younger brother, William, was born, followed by two sisters, Mary and Louise.

Family tree of George II (Ancestry.com):

The Succession of George II and Anne's Marriage: Years 1727 - 1734

Portrait of Anne, Princess Royal and 
Princess of Orange by Bernard Accama

In 1727, when Anne was 18 years old, Anne's father, George Augustus, succeeded to the throne as George II. For the next 10 years, Queen Caroline, who was coronated, wielded immense political influence, consistently making wise decisions, promoting unity between her husband and Parliament, and showing mercy to the most unfortunate of her subjects, including those in the penal system. Only 10 weeks after his succession, George II created Anne Princess Royal. She used this style for six years and six months. Upon marrying William IV, Prince of Orange, in 1734, the 24-year-old Anne was styled Princess of Orange.

William IV was the first-cousin-twice-removed of William III of England (on William III's father's side). Anne was the second-cousin-twice-removed of William III of England (on William III's mother's side). However, unlike so many royal couples, William IV and Anne were not related. Anne was two years older than William. It was essential that she marry a Protestant and remain Protestant herself; so essential, she had turned down the chance to become Queen of France, when King Louis XV insisted that she first convert to Catholicism.

Reports of William's physical appearance differ. He had a spinal deformity, which affected his appearance. However, at least in the Netherlands, William was considered attractive, educated, and accomplished. Regardless, according to politician Horace Walpole, Anne had said she would marry him even "if he was a baboon" to which George II replied, "Well then, there is baboon enough for you!". After their honeymoon at Kew, the couple sailed to the Netherlands.  

A New Home in the Netherlands: Years 1735 - 1746

Portrait of William IV, Prince of 
Orange by Joseph Aved

Anne and her mother missed each other very much, Queen Caroline writing to her of her "indescribable" sadness at Anne's departure. Feeling homesick and believing herself to be pregnant, Anne visited England while William was on campaign in the Rhineland. She stayed long enough for both her husband and her father to command her to return to Holland. Some reports state that Anne had not been pregnant, after all. Some state she had a stillborn son in 1735. Regardless, in 1736, she had a stillborn daughter.

Anne's decision to visit England may have been prescient, for, in 1737, her mother died. Queen Caroline's uterus had ruptured, and a strangulated bowel had burst, due to a long-untreated umbilical hernia (caused by her final pregnancy in 1724). George II ordered a pair of coffins with removable sides, so that when he joined her in death, they could lay together.

In 1739, Anne had a second stillborn daughter. However, in 1743, she had a healthy daughter, who she named Carolina, after her mother. In 1746, Anne had another daughter, Anna, who only lived for six weeks.

A Final Home at The Hague: Years 1747 - 1759

In 1747, upon William's appointment as General Stadtholder of all the Netherlands, the family moved from Leeuwarden to The Hague. Then, in 1748, the long-awaited son and heir, William, was born. Anne was 38 years old at the time. When William was one year old, he was made the 568th Knight of the Order of the Garter, providing evidence for the maxim that it's all in who you know.  

William IV had been born in 1711, just six weeks after his father's death. His mother had been appointed regent during his childhood. In 1751, when William IV's son was only three-and-a-half years old, William IV died at the age of 40. Anne was appointed regent for the newly-styled William V.

As Princess-Regent, Anne was hardworking, but was unpopular due to her demeanor, which was seen as "neither ingratiating nor bending," according to Walpole. She had a great deal of power as regent, a position she held for nearly 11 years. Despite her powerful position, she was unable to convince the Netherlands to enter the Seven Years' War on the side of the British. The war lasted for most of Anne's regency, and Britain won without the help of the Netherlands. In 1759, when William V was only 10 years old, his mother, Anne, died of dropsy at The Hague.

A Coming of Age: Years 1759 - 1766

State Portrait of Prince William V of Orange 
by Johann Georg Ziesenis

After Anne's death, William V's grandmother, the Dowager Princess Marie Louise, was appointed co-regent, in which capacity she served until her death in 1765. Her co-regent, Duke Louis Ernest, served until 1766, at which time he became a privy councilor.  However, William V was only 17 at the time, still too young to reign independently.

During their regency, in 1760, William V's elder sister, the 17-year-old Princess Carolina had married Karl Christian, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg. In 1766, at the age of 22, Carolina stepped in to "tide over" William V, serving as regent for one year until he turned 18. By 1766, William V ruled as Stadtholder in his own right. Princess Carolina went on to have 15 children.

Family tree of Anne, Princess Royal (Ancestry.com):

My next post will be about the transition from George II to his grandson, George III. It is necessary to understand this transition, in order to understand how the third holder of the title Princess Royal, Charlotte, daughter of George III, came to be.