The DEATH ROOM Of Queen Charlotte Where She Died

The DEATH ROOM Of Queen Charlotte
Queen Charlotte frequented her bedroom and dressing room at Kew Palace during her visits. These rooms reflect the early 1800s decor, a period when much of the palace was refurbished due to King George III’s prolonged illness. Tragically, Queen Charlotte succumbed to pneumonia in her bedroom in 1818.
Strict royal protocols dictated that anyone wishing to enter the Queen’s bedroom had to wait in the adjacent ante-room. Adherence to etiquette was paramount; bedrooms were never directly accessible from public corridors.
Queen Charlotte adorned her rooms with family portraits, religious artworks, and unpretentious furniture. Unlike Princess Elizabeth's trendy Grecian couch bed, the Queen's bed has been recreated with the plain-colored cotton cloth she preferred. The room was meticulously restored to its original look in 2006 following extensive repairs.
Visitors standing in this intimate space can appreciate the unique horseshoe-shaped reading table, crafted for Queen Charlotte in 1789 for the White House at Kew. The Queen liked the design so much that she ordered another one in mahogany for Buckingham House (later Palace). The table features a sophisticated inlaid top and ‘Gothick’ style legs with a hidden mechanism for the steel reading desk, still in perfect working order.
A portrait of Queen Charlotte adorns the wall, a version derived from Thomas Gainsborough’s acclaimed full-length portrait from 1781, celebrated for its genuine and flattering depiction of the Queen.
In the year 1817, Queen Charlotte's health began a marked decline, exacerbated when a recommended cure in Bath was interrupted by the tragic death in childbirth of her cherished granddaughter and namesake, Princess Charlotte, the only legitimate child of the Prince Regent.
In June 1818, already frail and returning from Buckingham House (early Buckingham Palace) to Windsor, Queen Charlotte was compelled to stop at Kew. Despite its rich botanical charm that she adored, Kew held poignant memories tied to Georgian times-the gardens created by her mother-in-law, Princess Augusta, and summers spent there with family before the King's illness. Kew Palace, once known as the Dutch House, had seen her sons' education and her husband's seclusion during illness in 1804.
Struggling with breathing difficulties, Queen Charlotte summoned Sir Henry Halford to Kew, although she preferred to be near the ailing King at Windsor or her solace, Frogmore, in Windsor Great Park-a retreat where she pursued her passions amidst reminders of the King's health struggles.
Confined to her meticulously restored turquoise and flocked bedroom at Kew, Queen Charlotte battled swollen limbs and chest ailments. Unable to lie in bed, she sat propped in a chair, supported by pillows, praying with hands aloft-a sight that troubled her assistant dresser, Mary Rice. Her health rapidly declined, complicated by dropsy and pneumonia.
By June 22, 1818, news reported her brief stay at Kew, spending most of her time in her bedroom and being wheeled to her boudoir for meals in a specially crafted chair. Her eldest son, the Prince Regent, visited daily, providing a reclining chair for comfort.
In her final days, Queen Charlotte's body swelled from dropsy, preventing her from lying down. She succumbed to pneumonia on November 17, 1818, at Kew Palace, seated upright in an armchair-possibly the very one in her bedroom, now inscribed with the solemn record of her passing.
Following her death, a visitor recounted the housekeeper's gesture to preserve her memory, ensuring none sat in her chair. Queen Charlotte lay in state downstairs before her interment at Windsor.
Following the peaceful passing of Queen Charlotte in her bedroom at Kew Palace, Princess Mary recounted the moment with solace, describing how her mother expired without suffering, a serene smile gracing her face.
Queen Charlotte, aged 74, breathed her last on the morning of November 18, 1818, surrounded by her children-Princess Augusta, Princess Mary, the Duke of York, and the Prince Regent, who held her hand in her final moments.
During her illness, Queen Charlotte bequeathed two finger rings to her daughter, Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester, now preserved in the Royal Collection and later passed on to Queen Victoria.
In preparation for her laying in state, Queen Charlotte's bedroom was draped in black silk, illuminated by six silver candlesticks borrowed from the Tower of London. Her funeral procession, captured in Richard Barrett Davis's poignant painting "The Funeral Procession of Queen Charlotte," depicted the cortege passing Windsor's Guildhall by torchlight-a scene now adorning the Queen's Bedroom at Kew Palace.