Princess Augusta Of Cambridge

Princess Augusta of Cambridge (Augusta Caroline Charlotte Elizabeth Mary Sophia Louise; 19 July 1822 – 5 December 1916) was a member of the British royal family, being a granddaughter of King George III. She was born at the Palace of Montbrillant in Hanover. Her father was Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, the seventh son of George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Her mother was Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel. As the male-line granddaughter of a British monarch, she was given the title of Princess of the United Kingdom with the style of Royal Highness.

Princess Augusta was baptized on 16 August 1822 at the Palace of Montbrillant. Her godparents included Princess Frederick of Hesse-Kassel (her maternal grandmother), Princess Luise Henriette of Nassau-Usingen (her maternal grandaunt), and Princess Louise, Countess von der Decken (her maternal aunt). Several other royal relatives were represented by proxies at her baptism, including members of the British royal family and German royalty.

During her early years, she resided in Hanover, where her father served as viceroy on behalf of his brother, King George IV. She had one brother, Prince George, later the 2nd Duke of Cambridge, and one sister, Princess Mary Adelaide, later Duchess of Teck. Through her family connections, she was the aunt of Mary of Teck, who married King George V. She was also a first cousin to Queen Victoria through her father and related to Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel via her mother, who was married to King Christian IX of Denmark.

On 28 June 1843, Augusta married her first cousin, Frederick William of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, in a ceremony held in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace in London. She became the Hereditary Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and, following the death of her father-in-law, she assumed the title of Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz on 6 September 1860. The marriage produced two sons: Duke Frederick William of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (who was born and died in January 1845) and Duke Adolphus Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (born in 1848), the latter succeeding his father as Adolphus Frederick V in 1904.

Although based mostly in Germany, she maintained close personal ties to the British royal family, regularly visiting her mother at Kensington Palace. After her mother's death in 1889, she acquired a residence known as Mecklenburg House at 16 Buckingham Gate, London, where she spent part of her remaining years. She was consulted on etiquette and attire for the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in 1901, reflecting her previous participation in the coronation of Queen Victoria when she was nine years old.

She had a close relationship with her niece, the future Queen Mary. Due to age and health, she was unable to attend the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911. During World War I, her British annuity was suspended under wartime legislation, though correspondence with her was maintained through the Swedish Embassy.

In her later years, she was noted for being somewhat cantankerous and shrewd. She reportedly disapproved of the emerging science of photography, fearing it would invade royal privacy. She died on 5 December 1916 in Neustrelitz and was buried in Mirow. At her death, she was 94 years old, making her one of the longest-lived members of the British royal family and the longest-lived British princess by blood until surpassed by Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, in 1977. Her estate was valued at the time at £57,282.

Throughout her life, she held various titles and received multiple honors from the United Kingdom, Germany, Hesse and by Rhine, and the Russian Empire, including the Royal Family Order of George IV, the Companion of the Imperial Order of the Crown of India, the Dame of the Order of Louise, the Ladies Merit Cross, the Grand Ducal Hessian Order of the Golden Lion, and the Dame Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Saint Catherine.