Charlotte, Princess of Wales, was the only child of George, Prince of Wales (later King George IV), and his wife, Caroline of Brunswick. She was expected to ascend the British throne after the deaths of her grandfather, George III and her father, but died in childbirth at the age of 21, predeceasing them both.
Charlotte's death set off tremendous mourning among the British, who had seen her as a sign of hope and a contrast to both her unpopular father and her mentally ill grandfather. She had been George III's only legitimate grandchild and, with her death, there was now a chance that the throne would pass to a distant relative. The King's ageing and unmarried sons looked for wives; it was his fourth son, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, who fathered the eventual queen, Victoria.
Biography[]
Born to King George IV and Caroline of Brunswick, she was the only legitimate heir to the throne. She married Leopold in 1816 and was soon pregnant with a child. She died a few days later after delivering a stillborn son due to complications. Leopold was said to be very heartbroken by her death. Had she not died, she would have been the Queen of the United Kingdom and Leopold would have been named Prince Consort. Those positions were later given to Queen Victoria and Albert respectively.