Princess Sophia Of Gloucester

Princess Sophia of Gloucester (Sophia Matilda) was born on 29 May 1773 in Grosvenor Street, Mayfair. She was a member of the British royal family, being a great-granddaughter of King George II of Great Britain and a niece of King George III.

Her father was Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh, the third son of Prince Frederick, Prince of Wales. Her mother was Maria Walpole, known as the Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh, who was the illegitimate daughter of Sir Edward Walpole. Sophia was privately baptized on 26 June 1773 in a drawing room at her parents' residence, Gloucester House in Mayfair. The baptism was conducted by Charles Moss, Bishop of St David's. Her official godparents included her paternal uncle, the Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn; her aunt by marriage, the Duchess of Cumberland and Strathearn; and her paternal aunt, the Queen of Denmark and Norway, who was represented by a proxy. King George III was asked to be her godfather but declined, reportedly upset by his brother's marriage to Maria Walpole.

In her life, Sophia was considered as a potential bride for her first cousin, Prince William, Duke of Clarence and St Andrews, later King William IV; however, she did not show enthusiasm for the match. She resided at Gloucester Lodge on Gloucester Road from around 1805 and continued to do so after her mother's death in 1807. By 1809, she had sold this property to George Canning. Additionally, she lived at New Lodge in Winkfield near Windsor in Berkshire.

In 1811, Sophia visited the Royal Yacht Squadron at Northwood on the Isle of Wight alongside her brother, the Duke of Gloucester. The Gloucester Hotel, situated near the Parade in Northwood, was named in honor of her and her brother. From 1816, she held the position of Ranger of Greenwich Park, and she resided at the Ranger's House in Blackheath. Sophia was an early supporter of the seaside town of St Leonard's-on-Sea; she stayed at Gloucester Lodge on Quarry Hill in 1831, a building previously known as the Castellated Villa and later renamed in her honor.

Princess Sophia remained unmarried throughout her life and died at Ranger's House in Blackheath on 29 November 1844. She was buried in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. Over her lifetime, her titles evolved: from 29 May 1773 until 23 July 1816, she was styled as Her Highness Princess Sophia of Gloucester; from 23 July 1816 until her death, she was known as Her Royal Highness Princess Sophia of Gloucester; and from 16 December 1834, she was referred to as Her Royal Highness Princess Sophia Matilda of Gloucester.

Her style of Highness was conferred at birth due to her male-line descent from George II. Following her brother Prince William Frederick's marriage to Princess Mary on 22 July 1816 — a union that elevated her brother to the style of Royal Highness — Sophia was also granted the style of Royal Highness, placing her on equal social rank with her brother.