Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha

Princess Augusta was born in Gotha to Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Magdalena Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst. Her paternal grandfather was Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, eldest surviving son of Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. In 1736, it was proposed that she marry 29-year-old Frederick, Prince of Wales, eldest son of George II of Great Britain and his queen consort Caroline of Ansbach. Frederick had been intended to marry Princess Louisa Ulrika, eldest unmarried daughter of Frederick William I of Prussia. A marriage alliance between Great Britain and Prussia had been an ambition for many years. However, when George II suggested that his eldest son would marry Louisa Ulrika, while his second (unmarried) daughter would marry the eldest son of the Prussian king, Frederick William demanded that his eldest son should likewise marry the eldest (unmarried) daughter of the king of Great Britain, and George II refused to agree to this demand. Around the time the Prussian plan was cancelled, there were rumours that Frederick might marry Diana Russell, Duchess of Bedford, granddaughter of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, and that such a marriage had been proposed when he visited the Duchess's lodge at Richmond. Augusta did not speak French or English, and it was suggested that she be given lessons before the wedding, but her mother did not consider it necessary, as the British royal family were from Germany. She arrived in Britain, speaking virtually no English, aged 16, for a wedding ceremony which took place almost immediately, on , at the Chapel Royal in St James's Palace, London. At the time of her wedding, Augusta was described as tall and slender, with regular features, an oval face, and light brown hair. Contemporary accounts noted that although her figure was still developing, she was considered likely to become attractive, and her eyes were described as bright and expressive. ==Princess of Wales==

, 1736–1738 Augusta of Saxe-Gotha left Hellevoetsluis 17 April 1736 and arrived at Greenwich on the royal yacht William and Mary on the 25th, where she was welcomed by her groom. On 27 April 1736, she was escorted to St James's Palace, where she met the rest of the royal family. When she was introduced to the royal family, she made a favourable impression on the King and Queen by throwing herself on the floor before them in a gesture of respect. Frederick once stated that he would never allow himself to be influenced by his consort as his father was, and he thus never made Augusta his confidante. When Augusta's first pregnancy was announced, the Queen stated that she would be sure to witness the birth, to be assured that the pregnancy was indeed genuine. She reportedly wished the succession to pass to her second surviving son, Prince William, Duke of Cumberland. The birth of their first daughter, Princess Augusta, on 31 July 1737, took place at St James's after the Princess of Wales was forced by Frederick to travel from Hampton Court Palace while in labour, to prevent his hated parents from being present at the birth. The delivery was traumatic: St James's Palace was not ready to receive them, no bed was prepared, no sheets could be found, and Augusta was forced to give birth on a tablecloth. Queen Caroline once said of her daughter-in-law and the inconveniences she had inflicted on her: "Poor creature, were she to spit in my face, I should only pity her for being under such a fool's direction, and wipe it off." The circumstances of the birth of Princess Augusta led to a dispute between the Prince and Princess of Wales and the King and Queen, who were not reconciled until public opinion during the Jacobite rising of 1745 pressured them to. After the reconciliation, the couple became less isolated from high society, allowing courtiers to appear at both courts without giving offence. Augusta made a good impression in society life, where she was described as pretty, elegant, and a gracious hostess. On some occasions, the children of Augusta were made to give amateur theatre performances for their guests, notably on 4 January 1749, when George, Augusta, Elizabeth, Edward and some of their playmates acted in Cato, a Tragedy. ==Princess dowager==

, 1754 On 31 March 1751, Frederick unexpectedly died, making Augusta a widow at thirty-two. Dr. Doran described her at the death of her spouse: "She had, throughout her married life exhibited much mental superiority, with great kindness of disposition, and that under circumstances of great difficulty, and sometimes of a character to inflict vexation on the calmest nature. [...] She was then the mother of eight children, expecting shortly to be the mother of a ninth, and she was brought reluctantly to knowledge that their father was no more. It was six in the morning before her attendants could persuade her to retire to bed; but she arose again at eight, and then, with less thought for her grief than anxiety for the honour of him whose death was the cause of it, she proceeded to the Prince's room, and burned the whole of his private papers. By this the world lost some rare supplementary chapters to a Chronique Scandaleuse!" by Augusta and completed less than a year after Frederick's death The King reportedly did not show much feeling upon the death of his son and the funeral was simple. Furthermore, she initially appointed a large part of Charlotte's court staff, several of whom were suspected of reporting to Augusta about Charlotte's behaviour. He answered that he had made a sacred vow never to do so, but that if Caroline Matilda preferred von Plessen's company over his, so be it. In the end, Louise von Plessen was not reinstated, and Augusta apparently asked Caroline Matilda not to press the matter and to show more affection to Christian. In 1770, rumours about Caroline Matilda, the queen of Denmark, began to circulate. In particular these concerned the mental state of her spouse as well as the fall of prime minister Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff, in which Caroline Matilda was rumoured to have participated. When Augusta visited her eldest daughter in Brunswick that year, she also took the opportunity to see Caroline Matilda, who received her in breeches, which at that time was regarded as scandalous. Upon Augusta's lamentations, her daughter answered: "Pray, madam, allow me to govern my own kingdom as I please!" Augusta died of throat cancer at the age of 52 at Carlton House, and was buried seven days later at Westminster Abbey. ==Kew Gardens==

Princess Augusta enlarged and greatly extended Kew Gardens after her husband's death. Sir William Chambers built several garden structures for her. One of these, the lofty Great Pagoda built in 1761, still remains. ==Issue==

Several places in British America were named in her honour: • Augusta, Georgia • Augusta County, Virginia • Fort Augusta, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania Michelle Fairley portrayed a fictionalised version of Augusta in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (2023). ==Ancestors==