This lady was a
remarkable figure in European history, born into a time
of great political upheaval and cultural change.
As the eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain and Ireland,
she was destined for a life of royalty, but her journey was not
without its challenges and controversies.
Throughout her life, she was known for her strong-willed character, musical talent,
and dedication to the health and well-being of those around her.
From surviving smallpox to supporting the work of Georg Friedrich
Händel, her life was one of dedication, perseverance, and excellence.
Her memory endures as a trailblazer
who shattered stereotypes and challenged conventional norms,
leaving behind an indelible impact that continues to stir us to this day.
So let’s take a look at the patriotic life of Anne,
Princess Royal and Princess of Orange.
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Born into royalty, Anne’s arrival at the Herrenhausen
Palace, Hanover, marked a new beginning for the family
as she was born five years before her grandfather’s succession
to the thrones of Great Britain and Ireland.
Her birth was swiftly followed by her baptism, with her name drawn
from her grandfather’s second cousin, Anne, Queen of Great Britain.
Endowed with a natural flair for language, Anne was a gifted learner
and quickly became proficient in German, French, and English.
Her musical prowess was honed by Georg Friedrich Händel, who praised the young
princess, making a rare exception to his stance against teaching.
Anne held a lifelong appreciation for Händel’s music
and was a dedicated attendee of his operas and subscriber to his sounds.
Anne’s fortitude was tested
when she contracted and recovered from smallpox in 1720.
The Queen, Caroline, took this opportunity
to popularize the practice of variolation, an early form of immunization,
by offering prisoners and orphan children the chance to undergo
the treatment in place of execution.
All those treated survived, including Anne’s
younger sisters, and the Queen was convinced of its medical value.
Although the disease
scarred Anne’s face, she held steadfastly and was not deterred by her
lack of physical beauty compared to her younger sisters.
In 1727, Anne was honoured with the title of Princess Royal,
a distinction not granted since the time of Charles I
for his daughter Mary, Princess of Orange, in 1642.
King George II made this royal proclamation, bestowing the title
upon his eldest daughter, forever cementing her place
in history.
The year 1725 marked a potential
turning point in the annals of European political alliances,
as the concept of a marriage between Anne, a member of the British royal family,
and King Louis XV of France was explored.
From the French perspective, this union promised valuable neutrality
with nations such as The Netherlands and Prussia
while also serving as a protective shield against Spain.
Despite these
prospects, the matter was plagued by religious obstacles,
as the requirement for Anne to convert to Catholicism raised concerns
over the Pope’s support and the possibility of Anne
becoming the Regent of France due to her assumed ties to the Huguenots.
Ultimately, the plan was discarded when the French demanded Anne’s
total commitment to Roman Catholicism.
On March 25th, 1734, Anne exchanged nuptials
with William IV, Prince of Orange, in the Chapel Royal at St.
James’s Palace.
In celebration of the event, Handel composed a musical piece entitled
“This is the day,” set to the princess’s own words
based on Psalms 45 and 118,
Despite William’s
physical deformity, Anne was unwavering in her commitment to the union,
as she sought to avoid a life of solitude at the court of her father and brother.
After a honeymoon at Kew, the
couple set sail for the Netherlands, residing in Leeuwarden.
Anne’s homesickness soon set in as William embarked on a campaign in the Rhineland,
leading her to return to England under the guise of pregnancy.
This decision was met with opposition from both William and her father,
and by April 1735, it became evident that no child
was on the horizon.
Despite her regal demeanour, Anne was not well-received by the Dutch people,
and her relationship with her mother-in-law,
Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel, was strained.
She was also criticized for her perceived belief in British superiority
over the Dutch and for neglecting her duties as a royal court member.
However, her relationship with William blossomed over time,
eventually evolving into a harmonious and intimate bond.
In 1747,
William became the stadtholder of the Seven United Provinces, followed
by a constitutional reform that made his newfound authority hereditary.
The couple relocated to the Hague, where Anne introduced Handel to the Netherlands
and entertained the composer Josina van Aerssen
as one of her ladies-in-waiting.
The enigmatic demise of King
William IV on October 22nd 1751,
at the tender age of forty, created a void in the Netherlands.
It was during this uncertain time that Anne was tasked with the mantle
of being the regent for her three-year-old son, William V.
Her ascension to power was exceptional as she was endowed with all the privileges
associated with being a hereditary stadtholder,
with the singular exception of the military duties,
which were bestowed upon Duke Louis Ernest of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
However, Anne’s unflinching work ethic was overshadowed
by her arrogance and imperious demeanour, which proved to be her undoing
as she struggled to win the hearts of her people.
The 1750s were marked by a growing sense of tension
and commercial rivalry between the Netherlands and Great Britain,
making Anne’s task of governing even more challenging.
Her internal policy was centred on preserving the authority
of the central hereditary stadtholder government
over the traditional rights of the Dutch states.
The reform of the post, introduced
during her late husband’s reign, was a contentious issue,
but Anne effectively defended the central government.
The conflict with the city of Haarlem was a case in point,
where she refused to release the list of candidates,
thereby preventing the city from holding its election.
Her rigid rule, although unpopular, successfully secured
the new ruling in the Netherlands.
Her foreign
policy was marked by her preference for the British alliance with the Emperor
over France, a stance that was not well received in the Netherlands.
The fortification of the southern provinces
against the French Netherlands was also met with significant opposition,
further exacerbating the already fragile situation.
Anne’s tenure as the regent ended with her death
from dropsy in 1759 at The Hague.
Her final words were “I am ready to go
when God calls me.” She was replaced by her mother-in-law,
Marie Louise who Duke Louis Ernest assisted.
Upon Marie Louise’s death in 1765, Anne’s daughter,
Carolina, was appointed as the regent until William V was eighteen in 1766.
Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange,
was a remarkable woman renowned for her early dedication
to religion, resilience in the face of adversity, linguistic proficiency,
and her strong connection to her adopted country despite her foreign birth.
Her legacy continues to inspire generations with her
unwavering devotion to piety and her grace
in the face of life’s challenges.
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