RA GEO/ADD43/2: 24-25 November 1789

Very few volumes of Queen Charlotte’s diary have survived in the Royal Archives, and therefore the nine remaining, rather plain-looking notebooks, dating from the years 1789 and 1794, should indeed be considered archival treasures. As consort of George III and mother of a large family, Queen Charlotte led a busy domestic life often under strain from her husband’s illness, yet she remained interested in many subjects, including the arts, music, botany and the theatre.

As these are the only eighteenth-century royal diaries to survive in the Royal Archives, these notebooks provide a unique record of Georgian life from the perspective of a member of the royal family. The entries record the public life of the Queen, such as her theatre visits, stays in country houses and dinners with aristocratic families; but often more fascinating are the minutiae of the domestic lives of Queen Charlotte and the royal family described in her diary. The entries illustrated here, from 24 and 25 November 1789, were written while the royal family were residing at Windsor Castle and contain details of the daily routine and leisure pursuits enjoyed by the family.