Léopold of Saxe-Coburg marries Princess Charlotte Augusta
On 2nd May 1816, Leopold married Princess Charlotte of Wales at Carlton House in London.
Charlotte was the only legitimate child of the Regent George ~ later George IV, and therefore second in line to the British throne.
Charlotte wore a stunning gown of cloth of silver, which gave the gown a beautiful metallic look that sparkled and dazzled guests.
The silk satin high-waisted bodice had short puffed sleeves and a dipping neckline.
The underskirt, overskirt, train and metallic embroidery, were very fashionable in the early nineteenth century.
The dress had a border, festooned with flowers and was trimmed with Brussels lace at the neck and hem.
It is thought that the dress cost over £10,000, an eyewatering sum in those days.
Princess Charlotte’s hair was simply dressed, over which she wore a wreath of diamonds in the shape of rosebuds, held together with a diamond hairpin.
Charlotte also wore earrings, pearls and an armlet ~ possibly the diamond bracelet given to her as a wedding present by Prince Leopold.
On 5th November 1817, Princess Charlotte gave birth to a stillborn son.
Following complications from the birth, Charlotte died the next day, she was just 21.
Leopold was said to have been heartbroken by her death, they had only been married 18 months.
Had Charlotte survived, she would have become queen of the United Kingdom on the death of her father, and Leopold presumably would have assumed the role of prince consort.
This role was later taken by his nephew, Prince Albert of Saxe~Coburg & Gotha, upon his marriage to Queen Victoria.
Charlotte’s wedding gown is one of the earliest preserved wedding dresses, at over 200 years old.
It was put on display, as part of the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection at Kensington Palace, and has since been carefully boxed, to preserve its fragility.
