| Collection | Diaries, essays and notes of Queen Charlotte |
| Description | This diary is a factual account of Queen Charlotte's daily activities rather than a record of her thoughts and feelings. The diary has been catalogued to pick out key events or interesting entries as such not every day has an entry recorded below although Queen Charlotte has typically recorded each day in the diary.
This diary sees the Royal Family splitting their time as follows: Weymouth, 16 August - 27 September; Windsor, 28 September - 22 October; Kew, 23 - 24 October; Windsor, 25 October - 5 November.
Due to Charlotte's sometimes idiosyncratic spellings and to enable greater discoverability, the names of people and places have been corrected and expanded in square brackets using the published edition of the diaries (see below) which contains further notes on people, places, and events mentioned.
22 September (f 1 v, f 2 r) - goes 'to the Camp to see the Soldiers at Dinner, Lrd Buck ['Lrd Buck' crossed out] which Lrd Buckinghamshire gave them upon It ['upon It' crossed out] to Day being the Coronation Day'; goes to see play. Departure of the Duke of Gloucester and Princess Sophia
23 September (f 2, f 3, f 4 r) - visit to Lord Dorchester at Milton Abbey; breakfasts with Lord Dorchester and Lady Caroline Damer; 'after Breakfast we went to see the Abbey & then took a Drive through the Woods round His Grounds & came back through the Village of Milton'. Description of Lord Dorchester's house at Milton Abbey
24 September (f 4 r, f 5 r) - goes to [Delamotte's] shop; visit to Mrs Bugton; 'at 3 we went to Ldy Courtowns room & raffled for a Watch which Amelia did win'; visit to Lady [Poulett]
25 September (f 5 v, f 6 r, f 7 r)- packs; walks on the Esplanade; visit from Lady Caroline Damer; goes to see play
26 September (f 6 v, f 7 r, f 8 r) - visit from Mrs [Mary] Weld and her daughters; goes to the Camp and breakfasts in Lord Chesterfield's Tent
27 September (f 8 r, f 9 r, f 10 r)- leaves Weymouth; breakfasts in Salisbury at the Bishop's Palace; dines at Harfordbridge; arrives at Windsor; 'The Town was entirely Illuminated'. Note of a near miss at Basingstoke
28 September (f 9 v, f 10 r) - visit to Frogmore; visits from the Duke of Clarence, Lord Beaulieu, and the Prince of Wales. Arrival of Lord and Lady Cardigan and General de Budé
29 September (f 10 v, f 11 r) - birthday of the Princess Royal. Breakfast at Frogmore; visit from Princess Sophia. Note of a plot to assassinate the King. Departure of the Prince of Wales
30 September (f 11 v, f 12 r, f 13 r) - walks to Frogmore; visit from Lady Caroline Waldegrave; visit to Sir George Howard; visit to Lady Kingsbury
1 October (f 12 v, f 13 r, f 14 r) - leaves Windsor for the Queens' House 'where I found all my rooms Painted Gray which the Kg hard ordered to be done during Our Absence'; visit from the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Clarence; returns to Windsor
6 October (f 18, f 19 r) - visit to Frogmore; visit from the Duchess of York and the Prince of Wales. Departure of General Goldsworthy
7 October (f 18 v, f 19, f 20 r) - visit to [Ritchings Park]
8 October (f 19 v, f 20, f 21 r) - visit to Lady Walsingham in Old Windsor. Note of a conversation with the Duchess of York regarding the wedding of the Prince of Wales and [Princess Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel]
10 October (f 22 r, f 23 r) - visit to Frogmore 'when we came there we found that the Paper Hanger had Fallen with the Ledder & was much hurt'
12 October (f 24 v, f 25, f 26, f 27 r) - goes to the Cathedral; visit to Frogmore. Note of correspondence between the King and William Pitt regarding the proposed appointment of the Duke of [Brunswick-Lüneburg] to the post of Commander-in-Chief
13 October (f 26 r, f 27 r) - visit to Frogmore; 'Ernest came in to Tell me He was to return to the Army in a few Days'
16 October (f 28 v, f 29) - visit to the Duchess of York at Oatlands. Note of a letter from the Princess of Orange via the Duchess of York
19 October (f 31, f 32 r) - goes to the Cathedral; visit from the Duke of Gloucester and his daughter Princess Sophia, the Prince of Wales; visit from Baron Dewitz
20 October (f 32 r, f 33 r, f 34 r) - visit to 'Newneham'; walks; 'when we came in we saw Lrd Harcourts Tapestry room'
22 October (f 33 v, f 34 r, f 35 r) - visit from Lady Cathcart; leaves Windsor for Kew; visit to Queen's House; 'we remained alone all that Evening'. 'The Kg told me that Lrd Southampton declined going to [Brunswick] to demand Princess Caroline in Marriage for the P. of W.'
23 October (f 34 v, f 35, f 36, f 37 v, f 38 v, f 39 v) - goes to Queen's House; goes to St James's; returns to Kew; 'we took leave of Ernest who set off immediately & is to join the Army in [Holland]'
25 October (f 37 r, f 38) - 'went with all the Princesses to Early Prayers on account of its being the [Kings] accession Day'; visit to Frogmore; visit from Mrs Howe; visit to Frogmore again
26 October (f 38 r, f 39) - goes to Cathedral; visit from the Prince of Wales 'who desired me to buy the Cloath for the Princess of Wales'; visit from Lady Howe
29 October (f 41, f 42) - visit to London to meet the Prince of Wales '& we chose Lace, Trimming & Gowns for the Princess of [Brunswick]. Then came [Nathaniel Jefferys] the Jeweller to Shew His Diamonds.'; visit from the Duke of Clarence
31 October (f 42 v, f 43 r, f 44 r) - visit to Lady Cardigan; airing; visit to Lady Cathcart. 'This Evening the Kg brought upstairs The Treaty of Marriage between the P.W. & P. Caroline of [Brunswick] which he Signed' |
| Custodial History | Transferred from the Royal Library, 1965 |