Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Born into a minor German duchy in 1744, Charlotte was selected in 1760 precisely because she was unremarkable—a young princess with no political entanglements, suitable for the newly crowned George III. They married in September 1761, and she bore him 15 children, 13 surviving to adulthood, among them George IV, William IV, and a daughter who became Queen of Württemberg. She expanded Kew Gardens as an amateur botanist and in 1800 decorated a Christmas tree for children at Windsor, seeding a tradition. Her husband's recurring illness became permanent, and in 1811 their eldest son took over as p…