When Prince Harry weds Meghan Markle on May 19, their pairing will be the most prominent mixed-race marriage in the crown’s recent history – but not its first. Sophia Charlotte, Queen of Great Britain and the United Kingdom from 1751-1818, may hold that title.
Charlotte’s heritage has been debated by historians such as Mario de Valdes y Cocom. Paintings of the queen, which demonstrate many differences in her portrayal, suggest that she had ‘black’ features. A British prime minister once wrote that ‘her nose is too wide and her lips too thick’. Another claim by her royal physician, Baron Christian Friedrich Stockmar, described her as having a mulatto (mixed-race) face. The portraits made by Alan Ramsay, in particular, are used to illustrate this point.
Including Charlotte in ‘black history’ is now a hotly debated topic. Whether the Queen really was of racially-mixed descent is questioned – as is whether Friedrich really was her physician. Initially, the claim was made on the basis of two Flemish portraits of ‘black magic’ from the 15th century – once thought to be fiction but now believed to be actual members of the royal Portuguese household to which Charlotte is related.
Another tangible link is Charlotte’s Portuguese ancestor -the noblewoman Margarita de Castro y Sousa – who was nine generations descended from King Alfonso III of Portugal and his supposedly Moorish lover, Madragana. But the likelihood of African features being passed down 15 generations is slim – and there are doubts over Madragana’s own race.
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