Augusta of Cambridge

Augusta of Cambridge was born on 19 July 1822 in Hanover. Her parents were Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge and Augusta of Hesse-Kassel. She spent her earlier years in Hanover, where Adolphus was the viceroy for his brothers Kings George IV & William IV of the United Kingdom.

Augusta had one brother George, and one sister Mary Adelaide. When Augusta’s first cousin Queen Victoria succeeded their uncle King William IV, in 1837, their uncle Ernest became King of Hanover because of salic law in place in Hanover, which barred female succession to the throne. Augusta and her family returned to England and lived in Cambridge House in Piccadilly, London and Cambridge Cottage in Kew Gardens.

On 28 June 1843, Princess Augusta married Frederick William of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. They were first cousins through their mothers and second cousins through their fathers. Augusta then moved to the Grand Duchy, but visited London frequently, and retained close ties with the British Royal Family. Upon marriage, Augusta became the Hereditary Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. They had two sons but only one survived to adulthood; Frederick William, who died in 1845, and Adolphus Frederick who was born in 1848.

On 6 September 1860, Frederick William succeeded as Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz with Augusta as the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, following the death of her father-in-law. Because Augusta had no daughters, she was very close to her niece Mary of Teck, and the two wrote to each other often.

In 1887, Augusta took part in the Golden Jubilee celebrations of her cousin Queen Victoria. After her mother's death in 1889, the Grand Duchess bought a home near Buckingham Palace, which became known as Mecklenburg House, and she stayed there for a portion of each year until her mobility issues made it difficult for her to travel.

Augusta also attended Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 1897. Following her cousin’s death in 1901, Augusta assisted in the preparations for the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, providing information on matters of etiquette and attire. She had been present at the coronation of King William IV and Queen Adelaide and at the coronation of Queen Victoria.

In 1904, Augusta’s brother and husband both died. She had been visiting England when Frederick William died. Their son succeeded as the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Due to old age, Augusta was unable to attend the coronation of her niece Mary and her husband King George V of the United Kingdom.

Augusta had four grandchildren: Marie born 1878, Jutta born 1880, Adolphus Frederick born 1882, and Karl born 1888.

In August 1914, WWI started. Her only child had died only months previous and her grandson Adolphus Frederick was the new Grand Duke. The war proved stressful for Augusta. She stopped receiving a pension from the United Kingdom, due to living in an enemy country. Thankfully, she continued to correspond with her niece Mary with the help of Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden.

In Autumn 1916, Augusta’s health began to fail. She spent much of her time sleeping. When she was awake, she would listen to letters or newspapers read aloud to her. Augusta died on 5 December 1916. She was the longest-lived grandchild of George III and the last link to the British branch of the House of Hanover.

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