The Death of Queen Caroline at Brandenburgh House

In 1821, the Queen of England, Caroline of Brunswick, died at Brandenburgh House, the home of Elizabeth Craven, Margravine of Anspach, in Hammersmith. She was uncrowned and died in sad circumstances, rejected by her callous husband King George IV, who refused to acknowledge her or even give her a home to live in. If she had not been invited to reside at Brandenburgh House by Elizabeth Craven, the poor German princess would have had no roof over her head at all.

The Margravine had left England some time before, and was not present when Caroline died, nor was her son Keppel, who had returned to Naples to be with his mother. This letter was written to her from Brandenburgh House in August 1821 by their friend Sir Lumley Skeffington, reporting the melancholy news. It has never been published, and is in the British Library, where it is not catalogued under either Caroline's or Elizabeth Craven's name. It is in the unsorted papers of Keppel Craven.

Dated Wednesday August 8th 1821, it says that the Queen died at twenty-five minutes past ten the previous night. She had been sick for some time and was heartbroken by the cruelty of George IV in not letting her attend the coronation. As she lay dying she exclaimed, of him and his ministers, "They have destroyed me! But I forgive them." She mentioned others who had wronged her too, and forgave them all before she expired.

Skeffington noted that it had been raining ceaselessly in Hammersmith all day and wrote ,"The angels seem to weep the fall of this unhappy Queen."

The letter is addressed to Her Serene Highness the Margravine of Anspach, Princess Berkeley, Naples.