Glamsquad Magazine November 2022

Sophia Charlotte:

1744 - 1818

Chioma Esui

22

There are many who claim

that Megan Markle is the

first black royal. Well, she

isn’t! Well, if the United States

born isn’t the first non-British

royal, then who is?

Queen Sophia Charlotte

is the first black royal and

Queen of England (Great

Britain and Ireland). Let’s find

out more about her.

Princess Sophie Charlotte

was born on this date in 1744.

She was the first Black Queen

of England. Charlotte was

the eighth child of the Prince

of Mirow, Germany, Charles

Louis Frederick, and his wife,

Elisabeth Albertina of Saxe-

Hildburghausen.

In 1752, when she was

eight years old, Sophie

Charlotte’s father died. As

princess of Mecklenburg-

Strelitz, Sophie Charlotte

was descended directly

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from an African branch of

the Portuguese Royal House,

Margarita de Castro y Sousa.

Six different lines can be

traced from Princess Sophie

Charlotte back to Margarita de

Castro y Sousa. She married

George III of England on

September 8, 1761, at the

Chapel Royal in St James’s

Palace, London, at the age of

17 years of age becoming the

Queen of England and Ireland.

The conditions of the

marriage contract were,

‘The young princess, join the

Anglican church and be

married according to Anglican

rites, and never ever involve

herself in politics’.

Although the Queen had an

interest in what was happening

in the world, especially the war in

America, she fulfilled her marital

agreement. The Royal couple

had fifteen children, thirteen of

whom survived to adulthood.

Their fourth eldest son was

Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent,

later fathered Queen Victoria.

Queen Charlotte made

many contributions to Britain as

it is today, though the evidence

is not obvious or well publicized.

Her African bloodline in the British

royal family is not common

knowledge.

Portraits of the Queen had

been reduced to fiction of the

Black Magi, until two art historians

suggested that the definite

African features of the paintings

derived from actual subjects,

not the minds of painters.

Queen Charlotte was the

great great-great grandmother

Queen Elizabeth II.

In Queen Charlotte’s era

slavery was prevalent and the

anti-slavery campaign was

growing. Portrait painters of the