Andrews Queen Charlotte Sophia

A Royal Affair
1. Auflage 2023
ISBN: 978-1-914344-88-6
Verlag: Jacaranda Books
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 434 Seiten

In an atmosphere of abolition and revolution, Queen Charlotte Sophia, Britain's most famous (possibly) mixed-race Princess comes alive in this reimagined story of her life where romance, adventure and politics collide. From a German backwater to the capital city of the most prolific Empire in the world, we journey with Queen Charlotte as she tries to discover the truth of her family's secret heritage, guided by an amulet and wooden chest left to her upon her father's death. Armed with a birthmark and bearing a complexion that reveals her silenced lineage, Queen Charlotte charges through the royal court of London, seeking answers, making allies and guarding secrets. With the weight of the amulet around her neck, Queen Charlotte learns what happens when love and legacy are at odds. On one side, is her secret true love Johann Christian Bach and the passionate life he offers, and on the other, her husband King George III and the impactful life her relationship with him provides. A daughter. A lover. A fighter. A Queen. Tina Andrews's Queen Charlotte Sophia: A Royal Affair, offers a fantastic portrait of a woman, whose life continues to fascinate the world.

Tina Andrews is an international award-winning writer, producer, director, actress as well as author, playwright, and multi-media visual artist. Her nonfiction book, Sally Hemings, An American Scandal: The Struggle to Tell The Controversial True Story (The Malibu Press), won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Achievement in Literary Nonfiction and the Literary Award of Excellence from the Memphis Writers Conference. The book was based on her award-winning CBS miniseries, Sally Hemings: An American Scandal, which she wrote and executive produced. It was the highest rated, most watched miniseries of its season garnering Tina the Writers Guild of America Award for 'Outstanding Long form Television.' She is the first African American to win the award in Long form. She also won the NAACP Image Award for 'Outstanding TV Movie, Miniseries or Special.' CBS bought the miniseries based on her play The Mistress of Monticello, which Tina originally wrote and directed at the Chicago Dramatists Workshop. Tina's work in film and television has led to other accolades, including a Proclamation from the City Council of New York. Tina performed as an actress in over 100 film and television roles including Conrack, starring Jon Voight; Carny starring Jodie Foster; and originated the seminal role of 'Valerie Grant' on Days of Our Lives in daytime television's first interracial romance. But it was the role of Kunta Kinte's girlfriend 'Aurelia' in the acclaimed miniseries Roots which led to an incredible relationship with her literary mentor, author Alex Haley. Together they collaborated on the PBS miniseries, Alex Haley's Great Men of African Descent. To support her numerous successful projects Tina has appeared on Oprah; CBS This Morning; Frontline (PBS) and more. Tina divides her time between New York, Los Angeles and London.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Andrews, Tina

Leseproben

Two

Mirow Palace, Summer, 1760

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On a Tuesday not unlike any other that June, Charlotte arose, was dressed, and had breakfast. At eleven o’clock, her music master arrived for her weekly lesson. As all her brothers were out on a hunt, only the women in Charlotte’s family were in the palace.

Duchess Elizabeth found she could not contain her excitement for she had just been informed by Lena that couriers had delivered her order of whalebone, silk, taffeta and chiffon. With it came a note from Monsieur Kyle LeCorbiere, her favourite dressmaker from Vienna, saying he would be delighted to design the gowns for Charlotte, her great aunt May Albertina, her sister Christiana, and the Duchess for the most talked-about event of the year—the King’s ball at Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam.

Their cousin, King Frederick II, known as Frederick the Great, was having a gathering of 400 guests, and every member of the German aristocracy, head of state, or celebrity was invited to the grand gala. It was to be held on 26 October 1760—and every servant, valet de chambre or lady-in-waiting at Mirow palace was busy preparing.

Charlotte’s mother was especially jubilant about the ball. She had been ill for some months and desired to make a fashionable entrance to let all know she was fit to return to the invitation lists of her royal society. She was also anxious to show off her son, Adolph, who had assumed his duties as the reigning Grand Duke of Mecklenburg upon turning 18. He was now a handsome and intelligent man who, in her mind, had become an exemplary ruler of the duchy since her husband’s death forced the duties on him eight years earlier, and she as Regent.

But more than anything else, Duchess Elizabeth needed money. Because of Grand Duke Charles’s financial mismanagement, she was forced to operate with far less than the doyenne of Mecklenburg required; thus, she was always plotting for funds. Everything she did or thought about was in concert with this, and the king’s ball fit the agenda perfectly. Her plan was to arrange proper marriages for Adolph, Christiana, and Charlotte, and she needed a venue where she’d be assured her eligible children would intercept suitable royal or titled prospects.

This arrangement, however, would prove to be more arduous than resurrecting her dead husband. At the age of 17, her eldest daughter Christiana had been in love with and engaged to Lord Michael Ihde, the Duke of Saxe-Ihde. The wedding never took place because Lord Michael drowned in a storm on the North Sea when his ship capsized returning from Paris. Christiana went mad for a time and never fully recovered. She still had intermittent bouts of senselessness, oft times repeating the same phrase over and over:

Now at age 25, poor Christiana was far beyond the reasonable age for matrimony, and ‘quality’ prospects from the royal registry were almost out of the question. Left for consideration were bottom-rung elderly widowers, titled but physically deficient royals, or lettered men who were of questionable sexuality in need of ‘cloak’ wives. The latter category concerned her as Adolph appeared to be a member of this group as he exhibited a penchant for men instead of women.

Then there was Charlotte. Of all her children the Duchess felt her youngest daughter had the least female attributes which drew red-blooded men to women. The girl was too dark in skin tone, her nose was too broad and her mouth too large, giving her a distinctly mulatto appearance. Topping it all, Charlotte’s hair was an unruly mass of auburn crinkles. The Duchess hoped and was plotting for Charlotte to attract Lord Gregory Muldare, the rich Margrave of Anhalt-Cothen, who at age 81 was a widower in search of a new bride. He had commented favourably on the princess when he visited Mirow the previous February and enjoyed a woman who could accompany his violin with her own talent on the harpsichord as his deceased wife had.

Unfortunately, Charlotte’s musical proclivities appeared dire. Still, Duchess Elizabeth refused to lose hope. She vowed to place Charlotte in prime view of the aging royal and prayed the girl’s youth and figure would compensate for what she felt were Charlotte’s considerable shortcomings—failings she made the girl aware of every day. Nonetheless, Charlotte was given every chance for success as she had the better chance of marrying him than her insane sister. Thus, the princess was given the best tutors and dressmakers the little money the Duchess had could buy, and she spared no expense on music lessons.

Charlotte’s music master was none other than Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach. Known as CPE Bach, but called ‘Emmanuel’ by friends, he was the most renowned offspring of Johann Sebastian Bach. Her father had been so impressed with him that he had Herr Bach teach all his children to play the harpsichord and later the pianoforte. ‘Music like his comes from God,’ Charlotte remembered her father saying, ‘And we must have God in this palace—at least for an hour and a half once a week.’ So, Emmanuel Bach came, and continued so after the Grand Duke’s death.

The problem was Charlotte despised him. Emmanuel always seemed angry, summarily putting the princess through repetitive exercises which he knew grated on her. He would play a section of music brilliantly then chastise her when she tried and could not duplicate his skill. And it was no different on the day in question.

‘Your Highness, your fingering is sluggish. Feel the music and relax your fingers,’ he intoned for the umpteenth time. ‘It is precisely why you keep missing the C flat in this section.’

The princess played the passage again and inevitably made the same mistake, missing both the C flat and the E sharp in the stanza. This irritated the 45-year-old Bach and again he unleashed his wrath. Charlotte wondered why she allowed him to berate her so. After all, she was a princess of Mecklenburg. He was neither a royal nor married to royalty.

Yet something inexplicable happened that day, causing her to ignore his ranting. For some reason she refused to be pushed over the precipice of emotionalism and determined to forge ahead. She allowed herself to feel the music for the first time and began to play from her soul—each note becoming a heartbeat, each heartbeat becoming perfect music in perfect harmony with her spirit. When she finally finished the capriccio, Herr Bach placed his hand upon Charlotte’s shoulder and nodded, ‘That was a nice improvement, Your Highness, and I am as pleased as… well…,’ he gestured pompously, ‘…as anyone of my deportment can be.’

, Charlotte thought, raising her hand for him to kiss. Had he not possessed his own father’s genius and Charlotte’s father’s approval she would have had him dismissed for such insolence.

Herr Bach took her hand and bowed.

‘I look forward to your presence at the King’s ball in October. My younger brother, Christian, has agreed to join me in a string quintet, and we’ll perform the capriccio for the king and his guests. You will be able to hear it in its perfection—the way our father wrote it.’ As teacher and student walked toward the door he added, ‘In fact, Christian and I are headed to Berlin. We are to play for the Grand Duke.’

But before Emmanuel could put on his hat, Duchess Elizabeth entered the room. ‘Oh Herr Bach, your brother is here now,’ she exclaimed. ‘He arrived a few moments ago.’ When she moved aside, the most stunning creature Charlotte had ever seen came forward to hug his brother. ‘Forgive my being early,’ the younger Bach offered, ‘but my coachman delivered me sooner than expected. The weather turned out to be so much better coming from Hamburg.’

‘Quite all right,’ Emmanuel responded. Turning his brother toward Charlotte he added, ‘Permit me to introduce you to my student, Princess Charlotte Sophia Frederick. Your Highness, this is my youngest brother, Johann Christian Bach, just recently returned from an engagement in Paris. I believe the last time you saw each other; you were eight.’