Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Race: Was Queen Charlotte Brown?

Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland as King George III’s wife from September 8, 1761, until her death in 1818.

There have been a lot of conversations about Queen Charlotte’s race. Some historians believe she was Britain’s first Black queen.

According to the Washington Post, the theory that Queen Charlotte is the first mixed-race or Black British royal stems from the genealogical research of historian Mario De Valdes y Cocom, who began his studies in 1967.

“Queen Charlotte, the wife of the English King George III (1738-1820), was directly descended from Margarita de Castro y Sousa, a Black branch of the Portuguese Royal House,” Valdes wrote for PBS’s Frontline.

According to the Washington Post, Valdes claimed that Ouruana, the mistress of Portuguese royal Alfonso III, was a Black Moor.

He pointed to Charlotte’s doctor, who used the outmoded and offensive term “mulatto” to describe her appearance. He also claimed that a prime minister portrayed her in a racist light by describing stereotypical features such as “her nose is too wide and her lips are too thick.”

Despite Valdes’ research which includes outdated and offensive language, other historians disagree with his conclusions. Charlotte died in November 1818, surrounded by her son George.