Princess Mary Of Great Britain

Mary of Great Britain was born on 5 March 1723 at Leicester House in Westminster, London. She was the second-youngest daughter of King George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach. Her maternal grandfather was Johann Friedrich, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach.

Her father was the Prince of Wales at her birth and became King George II on 11 June 1727, upon his accession to the throne. Following her father's rise to the throne, Mary was granted the style "HRH The Princess Mary." Upon her mother's death in 1737, Queen Caroline entrusted Mary to her elder sister Caroline, with instructions to support her gentle and modest nature.

A marriage alliance was arranged between Princess Mary and Landgrave Frederick II of Hesse-Kassel, the only son and heir of William VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. Parliament allocated £40,000 for her marriage. The couple first married by proxy at the Chapel Royal of St. James's Palace in London on 8 May 1740, and their official in-person wedding took place on 28 June 1740 at Bellevue Palace in Kassel.

Princess Mary and Frederick II had four sons, three of whom survived to adulthood. The marriage is characterized historically as unhappy, with reports describing Frederick as "brutal" and "a boor," and allegations of spousal abuse. In late 1746, Mary traveled to Britain to escape her husband's maltreatment. The couple eventually separated in 1754, following Frederick’s conversion to Roman Catholicism.

Mary was supported financially by her father-in-law, who provided her with a residence in Hanau. She chose not to return to Britain but remained on the continent to raise her children. In 1756, she moved to Denmark to oversee the care of her sister Louise of Great Britain's children following her sister’s death in 1751. Mary took her children with her, and they were brought up at the Danish royal court, with her sons marrying Danish princesses.

Frederick II succeeded his father as Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel in 1760. Although estranged from her husband by this time, Mary held the title of Landgravine consort during the last twelve years of her life.

Mary died on either 14 or 16 January 1772 at the age of 48 in Hanau, Germany. Her personal library and documents are preserved in the Archive of the House of Hesse, housed in Fasanerie Palace in Eichenzell, Hesse, Germany.

Regarding her heraldic arms, on 30 August 1727, as a child of the sovereign, she was granted the use of the arms of the realm, differenced with a silver label featuring three points, each bearing a red canton.

Mary’s descendants and ancestral lineage are documented in genealogical sources including the Dictionary of National Biography and the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Portraits of her are held at the National Portrait Gallery in London.