| 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: Windsor, 24 October - 5 November; Kew, 6 -7 November; Windsor, 8 - 26 November; London, 27 - 28 November; Windsor, 29 November - 10 December; London, 11 - 12 December; Windsor, 13 - 29 December; London, 30 - 31 December.
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.
3 November (f 2 v, f 3 r) - Princess Sophia's birthday. Breakfast at Frogmore; visit from the Prince of Wales; visit from the Duke of Clarence
5 November (f 3 v, f 4, f 5 r) - leaves Windsor for Kew; goes to London; 'saw several Tradespeople at the Queens House'; visit from Princess Sophia of Gloucester; visit from Lord Southampton; visit from the Prince of Wales; returns to Kew; visit from the Duke of Clarence; 'we Spent the Evening quietly together'
6 November (f 4 v, f 5, f 6) - goes to London; 'saw several Tradespeople'; goes to [St James's] Drawing Room; returns to Kew; 'Spent the Evening quietly together'; visit from Mr [Francis Jenison] Walworth
8 November (f 7, f 8 r) - Princess Augusta's birthday. Goes to Frogmore for breakfast; visit from the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Clarence, the Duchess of York, Lord and Lady Harcourt
10 November (f 8 v, f 9 r, f 10 r) - visit to Frogmore; 'went to see the P. of Wales March in with His Regiment. Then we all went to the D of Yks apartment to see the Regiment from ['from' crossed out] in the Court'. 'The Kg said Lrd Malmsbury gave a painfull account of the French Democracticall Principles having got the Upperhand in Germany'
12 November (f 10 v, f 11, f 12 r) - visit from the Prince of Wales; 'then Madame Beauvais to choose all the Princesses Trimmings for the birth day & wedding Day'; visit to Frogmore
15 November (f 14 r, f 15 r) - visit to Frogmore; 'we saw Olivier with Patterns for Carpets'
16 November (f 15 r, f 16 r) - goes to the Cathedral; dines at Frogmore; 'After Dinner the P.W. Band of Musicians came & Played till 8 when we returned to the Lodge'
17 November (f 15 v, f 16 r, f 17 r) - goes to Ditton [Park] to dine at Lord Beaulieu's
18 November (f 16 v, f 17, f 18 r) - departure of the Duchess of York; visits from Mr Price and the Duke of Clarence. Notes on the trial of Parson Horn Took
19 November (f 18, f 19 r) - visit to Frogmore; walks; visit from Major [Hislop] bearing letters. King prorogues Parliament from 24 November to 30 December
22 November (f 20 r, f 21 r) - visit to Frogmore; 'after Caffe we all even the Kg went up Stairs to see Mrs [Judith] Spilsbury just arrived from Hamshire who is to make the Robes for the Princess of Wales Wedding…She made my Robes when I Married'
24 November (f 21 v, f 22, f 23) - the King 'went on Horseback but not into the Great Park on account of the Madness having broke out amongst the Deer'; visit to Frogmore. Note of correspondence on recalling the Duke of York
26 November (f 23, f 24 r) - leaves Windsor for London; 'The P. of W. came immediately. We saw M ['M' crossed out] Madame [Beauvais] Mrs Spilsbury & Mrs Barber with the P. Caroline of [Brunswick's] Dresses'; goes to see play; departure of Lady Elgin and Lady Charlotte Bruce
27 November (f 24 v, f 25, f 26, f 27 v) - visit from Mr Digby; visit from Mr [James Sayer]; goes to St James's; returns to the Queen's House. List of people presented at Court
28 November (f 26 r, f 27 v) - visit from the Prince of Wales; 'at 11 Mrs Spilsbury came with the P. of [Brunswick's] Scarlet Velvet Mantle. then I saw the rest of the Princesses things'; leaves London for Windsor. 'I proposed to [the King] of inviting the Dutchess of York, to tell her of the Dukes being ordered to come, & He agreed to it'
30 November (f 27 r, f 28) -goes to the Cathedral; visit of the Prince of Wales. 'This Evening the Kg segned ['segned' crossed out] signed an order for a Frigate to go [over] for the Duke of York'
1 December (f 28 r, f 29 r) - departure of the Duchess of York; 'went to Frogmore through the Park the ['the' crossed out] on account of the Waters being so much Out in Fro ['Out in Fro' crossed out] deep in Frogmore pond'; visit from Lady Dashwood
3 December (f 29 v, f 30 r, f 31 r) - visit to Frogmore; 'at one Mad[ame]. Beauvais Mrs Spilsbury & Mrs Gordon & Her Daughter came to shew me the Wedding Dress for the P of Wales'; visit from the Prince of Wales; Lady Courtown dines
5 December (f 30 v, f 31, f 32 r) - visit to Frogmore; visit from the Duke of Clarence; visit from Lord and Lady Harcourt. Note on the travel arrangements of the Princess of Brunswick
6 December (f 32, f 33) - visit to Frogmore; visit from the Duke of Clarence and the Prince of Wales; visit from the Bishop of Durham; arrival of the Duke of York
10 December (f 34, f 35 r) - leaves Windsor for London; visits from the Duke of York, the Prince of Wales, and the Duke of Gloucester; goes to see play
13 December (f 37 r) - visit to Frogmore; visit from the Duke and Duchess of York, Lady Elgin, and Lady Charlotte Bruce; goes to play
18-28 December (f 38 v, f 39 r, f 40 r) - 'From this Day we remained without any Company but Ldy Elgin & C. Bruce & every Day passed in the same without any event…Christmas Day we went to the Kgs Chapel at the Castle, & took the Sacrament'
30 December (f 40 v, f 41, f 42 v) - 'The Frost Continuing we did not go to Kew'; visit from the Prince of Wales; King goes to St James's '& from thence to the House of Lrds to open the Parliament'. Note on Parliamentary business
31 December (f 41 r, f 42) - visit from Lady Courtown; visit from Princess Sophia of Gloucester; visit from the Prince of Wales; goes to'Drury Lane for the 1st Time since it is rebuildt'. King receives Address of the House of Lords |
| Custodial History | Transferred from the Royal Library, 1965 |