Princess Amelia Sophia of Great Britain
The Princess Amelia Sophie (10 July 1711 – 31 October 1786), was a member of the British Royal Family, the second daughter of King George II.
Early life
Princess Amelia was born in Schloss Herrenhausen, Hanover, Germany. Her father was The Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg (later King George II of Great Britain), the son of the Elector of Hanover (later King George I of Great Britain). Her mother was Caroline of Ansbach, daughter of Johann Friedrich, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach.
At her birth she was styled Her Serene Highness Princess Amelia Sophia of Hanover. She was known to her family as Emily.
Princess of Great Britain
Under the Act of Settlement 1701, Princess Amelia's grandfather became King of Great Britain on August 1, 1714 following the death of Queen Anne. Amelia's father became Duke of Cornwall, and was created Prince of Wales on September 27, 1714. Amelia became Her Royal Highness Princess Amelia Sophia of Wales. She moved to Great Britain with her family and resided at St James's Palace in London.
On June 11, 1727, King George I died and her father succeeded him as King George II. Amelia was now styled Her Royal Highness The Princess Amelia Sophia. She lived with her father until his death in 1760. She was the intended wife of Frederick II of Prussia until his father forced him to marry Elisabeth Christine von Braunschweig-Bevern in 1733.
Later life
In 1761, she became the owner of Gunnersbury Estate, Middlesex, and at some time between 1777 and 1784, commissioned a bath house—extended as a folly by a subsequent owner of the land in the 19th Century—which still stands today with a Grade II English Heritage listing and is known as "Princess Amelia's Bathhouse".
She also owned a property in Cavendish Square, Soho, London, where she died unmarried. She was buried in the Henry VII Lady Chapel in Westminster Abbey.
Amelia Island in Florida, United States is named for her, as is Amelia County in Virginia, United States.
Titles, Styles, Honours & Arms
Titles
- 1711-1714: Her Serene Highness Princess Amelia Sophia of Hanover
- 1714: Her Royal Highness Princess Amelia of Sophia Cornwall
- 1714-1727: Her Royal Highness Princess Amelia Sophia of Wales
- 1727-1786: Her Royal Highness The Princess Amelia Sophia
