Cruel Facts About Augusta Of Brunswick, The Doomed Duchess
Duchess Augusta of Brunswick was born into an incredibly messed up royal family…and she still managed to be its most tragic member.
1. It Wasn’t Supposed To Happen That Way
At the beginning of her life, it looked like Augusta of Brunswick would become one of the luckiest women in the world. Her uncle was King George III of England, and her younger sister Caroline of Brunswick would go on to marry King George IV. But Augusta’s life quickly devolved into cruel chaos. And this cruelty started at home.
![Augusta of Brunswick in white and yellow dress](https://wsrv.nl/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.factinate.com%2Fstorage%2Fapp%2Fmedia%2Ffactinate%2F2023%2F12%2F1%2Faugustevonbraunschweig-wolfenbuttel-1.jpg&w=800)
2. Her Home Life Was Miserable
By the time Augusta of Brunswick was just a pre-teen, her parents’ marriage had devolved into petty infighting. Her father Charles, Duke of Brunswick had openly installed a mistress in the house. This led her mother, Princess Augusta, to get a supremely passive-aggressive revenge: The lady of the house turned up her nose and said she was going to retire from public life to raise Augusta and her siblings.
Yet the way that worked out was awful for everyone involved.
![Augusta of Great Britain, duchess of Brunswick in blue dress](https://wsrv.nl/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.factinate.com%2Fstorage%2Fapp%2Fmedia%2Ffactinate%2F2023%2F12%2F1%2Faugustaofgreatbritainduchessofbrunswick-wolfenbuttel-1.jpg&w=800)
3. Her Parents Misused Her
Augusta’s mother might have claimed she wanted to spend more time with her children, but in reality she just wanted to spend more time taking it out on her husband.
As time went on, Augusta’s parents only resented each other more, and often used their children as a “shuttlecock” in their petty battles. That wasn’t all, however.
![Charles William Ferdinand of Brunswick in blue uniform](https://wsrv.nl/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.factinate.com%2Fstorage%2Fapp%2Fmedia%2Ffactinate%2F2023%2F12%2F1%2FZiesenis_-_Charles_William_Ferdinand_of_Brunswick_-_SPSG.jpg&w=800)
4. She Wasn’t Prepared For Her Fate
More harmfully, the elder royals were so busy with getting back at each other, they barely had time to teach their children the basics of life.
Augusta’s sister Caroline, for example, was infamously brought up with almost zero contact with the outside world, and both girls reportedly had notoriously uncouth manners and hygiene.
Then again, the family had bigger problems than that.
![Caroline of Brunswick in silver dress](https://wsrv.nl/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.factinate.com%2Fstorage%2Fapp%2Fmedia%2Ffactinate%2F2023%2F12%2F1%2Fdupont-carolineofbrunswickprincessofwales-1.jpg&w=800)