Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III, is the first Black queen of the British Royal family. Queen Charlotte is the 2nd longest-reigning monarch of Britain that reigned for 57 years. She is the great grandmother of Britain’s present-day monarch, Queen Elizabeth.
Queen Charlotte gave birth to 15 children, two of which became kings of England–George IV and William IV.
Charlottesville, VA in the US is named after Queen Charlotte.
Princess Charlotte (who originally lived in Germany) became queen of Britain when King George III, age 22, chose her to be his wife in 1761 at the age of 17.
AFRICAN LINEAGE:
Queen Charlotte is a descendant of African lineage on both sides of her family, specifically, from the “Margarita de Castro y Sousa,” a black branch of the Portuguese Royal House. Moors from Africa are an integral part of the Portuguese royal family bloodline.
Queen Charlotte imreigned for 57 years until her death in 1818. She also had indirect influence on political affairs and decisions made by her husband King George III.
During their marriage King George purchased and expanded Buckingham House for Queen Charlotte. It is now known as Buckingham Palace where he and Queen Charlotte gave birth to their 15 children.
In a Washington Post story, Buckingham Palace spokesman did not deny Queen Charlotte’s African ancestry. Spokesman David Buck told the Globe: “This has been rumored for years and years. It is a matter of history, and frankly, we’ve got far more important things to talk about.”
Historian Mario De Valdes told The Washington Post that “in the current racial climate, Charlotte’s genealogy is important to history. Charlottesville, where white supremacists held a Unite the Right rally that turned violent, “is named after this queen. Her ancestry is very relevant.”
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