There's an Elizabeth II thread in political chat. Make that kind of post there instead of spamming pre 1900 threads.
The Last Hanover: The Life and Reign of Queen Charlotte
- Thread starter The_Most_Happy
- Start date
Well, that's it for you.
You've done this at least six times and were Kicked as a result 11 days ago.
Two actions for the same thing in 28 days (seven of which you were on a kick.
We'll call that Trolling Straight Out of the Gate.
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Let's please keep this thread about this thread.
Elizabeth II was a great Queen, I agree, but the only Queen on this thread is Charlotte I
Elizabeth II was a great Queen, I agree, but the only Queen on this thread is Charlotte I
Why, yes, yes he has. Thanks for the reminder.
i am absolutely in love with leopoldina of england and i want more of her. In fact, I demand it!!!Absolutely!any votes on what y'all would like to see?
wwbgdiaslt
Gone Fishin'
Absolutely!
I do like the ones that give us a hint of the future 🥳
Ooooh, now this will be fun. Gotta get a touch sneaky with it so I don't give away everything but I can manage that, I think
I do believe I can combine these nicely
I'd love to hear your thoughts on how fashion will develop with Charlotte as Queen of England? Will regency era styles last longer because those are the styles she favors? Does something different from our OTL Victorian fashions develop?Absolutely!
Well, in the current times, I'd like to hear about royal funerals. Maybe a grandchildren's vigil like we had on Saturday?Absolutely!
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Well damn, looks like we are getting multiple tidbit posts because I just had the best idea 😂Well, in the current times, I'd like to hear about royal funerals. Maybe a grandchildren's vigil like we had yesterday?
That's reassuring. I thought you were going to tell me I'd broken your heart with that suggestion!
Tidbits: Livia Leopoldina
“Dear Reader -
By the time this book is published, the subject will not still be among you. That was how she wanted it. My great-grandmother, Augusta, known as Leopoldina to many and Livia to one, insisted on her terms for this biography being published - and, like in every instance where she insisted, she got her way. By now, it has been fifty years since her death, per her request. Very few of the people mentioned shall still be alive - and that is how she wanted it. In addition to transcribed interviews between the subject and myself, in this book there are also letters, accolades from family and friends, excerpts from her numerous and detailed diaries, and other documents and photographs relaying the extraordinary life of this extraordinary woman.
The interview process began when my great-grandmother was ninety-nine. As she told me then, she wished to get her memories all “sorted out properly - for no lady lives to be a hundred, liebchen”. A year later, on her hundredth birthday, I remember her remark to her. She fixed her most imperious gaze on me (already sitting straight - I never once saw her back touch the back of a chair) and informed me regally “I am no lady, liebchen. I am a Queen.”
Known as Leopoldina to many and Livia to one, she was serious, intelligent, clever, thoughtful, proud, fierce, stubborn, devoted - and absolutely a Queen.
This is her story.”
“The third daughter of the-then Duke and Duchess of Kendal was born in London on July 26th, 1826. She was named for her paternal grandmother, the Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, whom she was said to resemble greatly. Named Augusta Elizabeth Sophia for her godmothers, she was baptized at Kew Palace by Llewellyn Lewellin, private chaplain to her parents.
According to family legend, her nickname ‘Leopoldina’ came to her from her aunt Anna Feodorovna, born Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Supposedly Anna Feodorovna was visiting the nursery when Augusa was two, and watched in surprise as the dark haired, dark eyed little girl batted away the hand of an elder brother to correct the misplacement of a puzzle piece, saying “No, no. My way.”. “What a little Leopold she is”, Anna remarked to her sister-in-law, the then-Duchess of Kendal, making the latter laugh. From then on, Augusta was known as Leopoldina to friends and family, to the point where years later, when she was announced with her given name, a young nephew tugged on his mother’s hand to ask very loudly “Who is Augusta? That’s Auntie Leopoldina.”
"In 1833, Queen Charlotte was introduced to Anne, Lady Byron, by the Countess Cowper, a lady of the bedchamber to the Queen and cousin to Lady Byron. Cowper would later write to a friend that she initiated the meeting because "the Queen so likes and admires educated women, and none can hold a candle to Annabella [Lady Byron] - and the Queen had many questions regarding the education of little Ada, as she wished to ensure a good education for the princesses, particularly Pss. Leopoldina [Augusta], who though six years younger is keeping up with her sisters in lessons". While the Queen and Lady Byron enjoyed corresponding with each other, the Queen found it hard to be more than friendly with Lady Byron, finding her "strict and cold".
That same year, Lady Byron's daughter, the intelligent and talented Ada, was presented at court. The Queen was fond of Ada, whom she considered something of a lost soul, and took the young girl under her wing, introducing her to the princesses as a companion. In Augusta, Ada found an intellectual companion, and the two formed a lifelong friendship that continued even after their respective marriages. From her friendship with Ada, Augusta met Mary Somerville (who later became her tutor), Charles Babbage, and other leading figures of the intellectual scene of the Carolean Era."
AUGUSTA: Well, liebchen. Ask your questions.
LEOPOLDINA: Were you always meant to marry Great-Grandfather?
AUGUSTA: You know the answer to that.
LEOPOLDINA: Granny, please. You’ve never told me the story - just the outcome.
AUGUSTA: There were several matches discussed for me. The heir to Prussia, dear old Fritz - that obviously didn’t come about, he was a little young for me - he was much better suited to my sister, anyway. There was a good push for me to marry the King of France - his mother was quite keen on it, thought it would do well for him to marry the daughter of a Parliamentary monarchy, to show off how modern he was. It never came about, of course - the religion issue could not be overcome. Terribly ironic now, of course, all things considered. We stayed dear friends, however, myself and Henri.
LEOPOLDINA: Weren’t you supposed to marry -
AUGUSTA: You know that story - though I am still deeply displeased with your grandmother for sharing it. I will not discuss it further.
LEOPOLDINA: Granny -
AUGUSTA: You may ask the questions you wish, as is your right. I may refuse to answer, as is mine. Do not ask it again.
LEOPOLDINA: [after a pause] How did Grandpapa propose?
AUGUSTA: He went to my parents and asked for my hand, as was proper. [pause] And then he came to me. I was in the library at Claremont - I was sulking. Caro had just needled me terribly about my lack of a husband. And he came in, all joy and light and... he asked me to marry him. It was the first time he called me Livia, actually. He said that I was like the wife of the great Augustus, and that if he did nothing else great in his life, marrying me would put him on par with the Emperor in terms of greatness. [low chuckle] He was always so flamboyant with his language. Especially when he was talking about his love for me.
“Livia,
Oh, my own dear darling Livia - to call you thus is more bliss than I can express. I write for no other reason than to recall myself and my adoration to you. I long to see you again. I condemn whomever made days so short and nights so long. Please, allow me the honor of seeing you in the gardens after tea. Bring your sister for a chaperone, or Maffy, or your Mama, or even a brother - I certainly shall see none other than thee.
With all the love a man can possess,
-Your own dear one”
“All right everyone, as we continue our set on the jewels of Queen Charlotte’s daughters and daughters-in-law, we have come to Charlotte’s third daughter: Augusta!
Augusta was known for her simple yet elegant and impeccable taste. She didn’t really run to big gun jewels like her sisters Mary and Caroline did, but her pieces were always of the highest quality and style. Most of her jewelry came to her as a gift, either upon her wedding or throughout her marriage to her adoring husband, as she herself preferred to spend her money elsewhere. Today we’ll be taking a look at some of her more well-known pieces - fun fact, to our knowledge, none of her pieces have passed outside of her descendants!
Here is a portrait of Augusta painted a year after her wedding as an anniversary president to her husband. She is wearing the diamond coronet given to her upon her wedding by her parents, a diamond stomacher that was given to her by her great-aunt, and a diamond riviere necklace that was a gift from her siblings and their spouses.
Augusta's Diamond CoronetThe diamond coronet has a strawberry leaf pattern in the spires on top of the diamond bandeau - the spires can be removed to create a more ‘sedate’ bandeau tiara. Supposedly, her father chose the coronet specifically for the strawberry leaf pattern, as strawberries are said to symbolize the sweetness of life and love. It belongs to the family trust, created by Augusta, and is used by her successors in it’s full form as an official ‘Queen’ tiara. A charming tradition has begun of each princess in the family wearing the bandeau form of the tiara on her eighteenth birthday at her first official tiara appearance.
Diamond StomacherThe diamond stomacher is more often used as a brooch or even a hair piece than a stomacher nowadays, but it still remains one of the most popular pieces in the rotation of Augusta’s now great-great-great-granddaughter-in-law (say that five times fast!), the current Queen - who uses it in full magpie glory (we’ve done more than a few posts on her and the brooch, so I’ll keep this commentary fairly short for those of you who have read it and you can check them out if you haven’t!). The stomacher was a gift from the wife of August’s godfather, who was also her great-aunt, Mary, the Dowager Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh. The diamonds supposedly came from the dismantling of certain old jewels from the Dowager Duchess’ mother-in-law. Like the Strawberry Leaf Coronet, the stomacher belongs to the family trust.
Diamond Riviere Necklace Augusta’s favorite brother, Frederick, was the sibling that apparently led the campaign to purchase this wedding gift. He took collections from all the children (even Hal, who could only afford to throw in a few pounds and did, under Frederick’s apparently “withering glare”) and spent several hours perusing the offerings of various jewelers before selecting this necklace as acceptable for his favorite sister. Augusta treasured the piece dearly and left it to the family trust upon her death, to form a set with the Strawberry Leaf Coronet and the diamond stomacher. According to royal legend, there was quite a scene when Augusta refused to pass the necklace to her daughter-in-law, the future Queen, for a wedding gift - the start of their very fractious relationship.
Emperors Cameo Necklace The Emperor's Cameo Necklace is another piece that Augusta’s daughter-in-law didn’t get her hands on - or rather, that particular daughter-in-law. The Emperors Cameo Necklace was a wedding gift from Augusta’s husband, specifically chosen as a nod to his private nickname for her, Livia (the wife of Emperor Augustus). Augusta wore the necklace frequently throughout her life and cherished it very deeply. It was left to the wife of her second son in her will, as a final show of acceptance regarding their marriage, which Augusta had originally fought against. The necklace has remained in that line of the family and was last seen in March of 2022 at the wedding of Augusta’s great-great-great-great-great-grandson, having been loaned to the bride (who ironically has Augusta as a middle name).
Ears of Wheat TiaraAs a wedding present, Augusta’s in-laws gifted her eight diamond ears of wheat brooches. Some years later, Augusta turned the brooches into a convertible tiara, which became known as the Ears of Wheat tiara and one of her favorite pieces. The tiara was later loaned to her only daughter for her wedding, and passed to her on Augusta’s death. It has passed through her descendants to the current owner, the Empress of Austria. Pictured above is Augusta’s daughter wearing the tiara in photos taken shortly before her wedding, with her mother's diamond riviere necklace shortened and a diamond pendant gifted to her by her fiance.
Five Strand Pearl Necklace The five strand pearl necklace was a gift to Augusta from her husband following the birth of their eldest son, and quickly became one of her best known pieces of jewelry. There are many noted references to her “long, slender fingers toying with the pearls she wore round her neck” as she thought, spoke in council meetings, or wrote letters. Upon her death, she left the five strand pearl necklace to her youngest son's wife, who treasured the necklace deeply and wore it often. The necklace has continued down through the family line in a female-line, and remains in a private collection, though it has been displayed several times in the last few years in exhibitions on Augusta and her husband.
“She [Augusta] preferred to be called ‘Madame’ by members of the household, rather than the more formal ‘Majesty’; likewise, her husband preferred ‘Sir’. He called her 'Livia' before the household, the children, the court - before anyone who could hear it. She called him "Husband" or by his Christian name when others were about - only when they were alone did she call him "my love". It was like watching a flower open to the sun, the way her face changed when he called her Livia.
She was a devout woman, who not only read but understood the Bible, and would cheerfully debate the finer points of it with any who were interested to do so. She kept to the dietary laws of Moses, and refused to allow 'unclean food' to be served to herself or her children (Madame could not, to her great displeasure, break her husband of his fondness for bacon). She preferred water to wine and wine to sherry, and never took more than a single glass of the latter, and only then over an entire evening. Madame had no patience for wastefulness, drunkenness, or foul language, which did not endear her to many of her husband’s friends (nor to her eldest son) but did provide a much needed standard of decorum at her court and in her household.
She preferred biographies and facts to novels, but had a terrible weakness for poetry, particularly that of Lord Byron and of Shakespeare. She was proficient in piano and preferred German composers to French or Italian ones. Madame had a clever sense of humor. She kept dachshunds, as their self-importance made her laugh - she named them for great men of history, as this made her laugh as well. Upon hearing of this, the Duke of Reichstadt, an old family friend whom later became a dear correspondent of Madame, sent her a dachshund puppy with a fine leather collar with REICHSTADT set in diamonds. Not to be outdone, the Duke of Wellington sent a puppy in a blue collar set with rubies and diamonds spelling out WELLINGTON. The Duke of Reichstadt won, however, after sending yet another puppy with a collar emblazoned with KENDAL, the name of her father's dukedom. Madame doted on all of the dogs, but on Kendal most of all.
She had a horrible temper - a Hanover temper, she called it, which never failed to make her husband smile - but worked very hard at keeping it under control. I only saw her lose her composure very rarely, and always very warranted. She was never cold, as others accused her, but merely quiet and thoughtful. I was and remain under the impression that under her pride and her fine mind, she was terribly shy. She was very kind, in her own way. Her kindness was not grand and encompassing, like that of her elder sister - she remembered birthdays and the names and ages of children, favorite colors when handing out used dresses to the ladies in waiting and the maids, and such things.
She followed the same schedule every day, every week of her life, with changes based on traveling or poor health. Madame [Augusta] awoke every morning at half-past five and, a devout woman, spent the first half hour of the day in private prayer. From six to seven fifteen, she would dress, attend to her toilette, and discuss her schedule for the day with her private secretary. Similarly to her mother, Madame preferred to employ a female secretary, the longest serving being Baroness Fitzclarence and myself. From a quarter past seven to a quarter past eight, Madame and her husband breakfasted alone in their private dining room - no one, neither children nor officials nor servers, were allowed in during this hour. Madame herself poured her husband’s coffee and he buttered her toast. It was the only guaranteed time the two of them would spend alone every day, and it was more precious than any jewel to both of them - even during war-time, no one dared to enter the room and interrupt that time. After breakfast was finished, the couple would attend their various meetings and interviews with government officials; on Fridays, at her insistence, the entire cabinet met from a quarter past eight to noon to discuss any and all business, and assure nothing was falling through the cracks between departments. Even after the death of her husband and the accession of her son, Madame still kept meetings every morning between eight-fifteen and noon with government officials (an incident early in his reign, where her son had ordered her to stop the meetings at the insistence of his awful wife, had so tangled up government proceedings that he was forced to relent and allow Madame to continue her meetings to smooth things over. Everyone was quite displeased at such treatment of her).
From noon to one, Madame took luncheon with her family or alone, depending on the demands of the day and her own health. Afterwards she continued work until four in the afternoon, meeting with officials, balancing her household accounts, and writing letters. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, having taken another page out of her mother’s book, Madame held ‘Queen’s Hours’ from one to four, during which time any subject could come and speak to her regarding any issues. She took tea with her children and husband at four sharp and then spent the next three hours spending time with the children: she would read over their lessons for the day, practice their languages with them (Madame was fluent in six and insistent on her children managing at least four), listen to them play the piano, or play card games or chess. At seven, the children were taken back to the nursery for their supper and bed, and Madame retired to her rooms to dress for supper. Supper began promptly at eight and usually ended around ten, depending on the courses and the guests. An hour after supper was over, Madame was neatly dressed in her night shift and in bed. When traveling, if her children had not come with them, Madame would spend the time after tea writing, engaging in needlepoint, visiting with her hostess, or walking the grounds.”
“Out of all the siblings, Frederick was closest to his sister, Augusta, two years his junior. The two were both decidedly more ‘Coburg’ than ‘Hanover’ in both appearance and outlook, and lacked the joie de vivre of their siblings while possessing an intelligence and clear-mindedness not found in the others. This closeness, founded in their childhood, continued through their adult lives - Fred, while at Durham University, wrote to Augusta every week and even included copies of his assignments for her to attempt to ‘keep herself occupied’. Augusta, more social than her brother, introduced him to Ada Lovelace (who became one of his few friends), Charles Babbage, Mary Somerville, and William King, among others and created a coterie of intelligent, academic minded people that wrote each other often and kept each other well and truly ‘entertained’...
Frederick disapproved mightly of Augusta’s marriage, writing to her that her fiance was “a known lecher with three children already, and certainly more to follow”, “more interested in licentiousness than learning”, and “not at all worthy to kiss your feet, let alone your hand”. All this was true - Augusta’s husband was a well known lover of women (lecher perhaps a bit too harsh a term) with illegitimate children, and he would continue to have more of both throughout their marriage. He was also, Augusta argued, intelligent and kind and generous and above all, devoted to her. After a trip to Claremont to watch the two interact together and a serious conversation with his future brother-in-law (who would later write of it as “one of the more terrifying moments of my life”), Frederick withdrew his disapproval of the marriage and even arranged a wedding gift of a handsome diamond riviere necklace for Augusta...
Frederick later stood as the namesake and godfather to Augusta’s second son, Friedrich - known as Freddy in the family - and took his role very seriously, writing twice a month to first Augusta and then Freddy, once he was old enough, for updates on his health and education. When Freddy took ill, he would only read the books sent by Frederick. When Freddy took a European tour, he wrote to his godfather asking for advice on where to stop, what to see, and what to avoid. When Freddy chose to attend his godfather’s alma mater, Durham University, Frederick made sure to come to visit the young man at the university at least once a month, with letters in between. And when Freddy decided to marry Susannah Burdett-Coutts, it was Frederick who defended his choice to Augusta and to the Queen, writing that “Such marriages have been allowed before and should be allowed, for the joy of such a young man and woman”. The couple married at St. Margaret’s, Westminster, and honeymooned at Frederick’s country home, Nether Lypiatt, in Gloucestershire. The young couple would later attribute Augusta’s eventual acceptance of the marriage entirely to the efforts of “dear Uncle Fred”.
Upon his death, Frederick left a third of his impressive estate to his godson, including his country home, which remains amongst his descendants today.”
LEOPOLDINA: What of his infidelity? His disloyalty?
AUGUSTA: [huffing] You silly girls, with your notions of love and marriage. He was never disloyal to me. He was always mine.
LEOPOLDINA: But the mistresses and the women -
AUGUSTA: Some men hunt. Some men gamble. Some men drink themselves blind and beat their wives. No one is perfect. Being married to me was certainly not always an easy thing - I was proud, headstrong, certain of my own rightness. In a time when Queens were little more than ornaments, should their husbands wish it so, he gave me a kingdom and allowed me to be his partner, fully and completely. He loved me exactly as I was - he never asked me to change, never expected me to be anyone but what I was. To demand things of him that he did not of me was unthinkable.
LEOPOLDINA: Didn’t it hurt, though?
AUGUSTA: They were stars. That’s what he always told me. They were stars and I was the sun of his world. He never meant to hurt me. He would’ve died before he thought of hurting me. It was his weakness, liebchen. For an hour a day, he was weak - for the other twenty-three, he was perfect.
LEOPOLDINA: [after a pause] It was very kind of you to care for his children.
AUGUSTA: They were his children. [sighs] He was such a good papa to all of his children.
LEOPOLDINA: I wish I had known him.
AUGUSTA: Oh, so do I. He would be so pleased with you.
LEOPOLDINA: Because I’m named for you?
AUGUSTA: Because you are like me, liebchen. He always wished for more little girls, and he wanted them all exactly like me. [laughs] Though he could never explain how he expected the world to function with all of us in it.
“Of Augusta’s seven children, only four survived to adulthood: three boys and a girl. Her third born son, Rupert, died of diphtheria when he was seven. Augusta, who had nursed him for weeks through his illness, refusing to leave his side, was devastated. Her husband had to personally come and carry her away from their son’s bed to lay her down in his own room, where he locked the doors and the couple remained alone with their grief for the rest of the night. Her second daughter, Dorothea, was born a month premature and came into the world “small and sickly”; she was baptized the day after her birth for fear that she was not long for the world. When she survived her first year, it felt “like a miracle” as Augusta wrote to her mother. Unfortunately, Dorothea would pass shortly after her first birthday from what is believed to have been pneumonia. Augusta and her family abruptly traveled to Scotland, where they remained for three months, following the burial. Augusta’s last pregnancy ended in the delivery of a stillborn girl a month before her fortieth birthday. The little girl was tenderly laid to rest in the mausoleum where her lost siblings lay - on her gravestone, she is named “Helene Livia Leopoldina”. After their deaths, Augusta rarely wrote or spoke of her lost children, though it is noted that her husband gave her a bracelet with enamel portraits of all seven of their children set into it, and that she wore the bracelet frequently.
Augusta was closer to her three younger children than her eldest son. As her second son, Friedrich, would write in his own memoirs:
She only spoke English with her children, and preferred ‘Mama’ or ‘Mother’ to the German ‘Mutti’. Augusta’s children were fluent in English, as well as German and French, from a young age and she herself tutored them in Greek and Latin. She insisted on an equal education being given to her daughter, who would later insist on the same among her own children. She insisted upon her children playing vigorously outdoors for at least two hours a day, and, according to her youngest son Mortiz:
Despite later commentary by her eldest son and his wife, Augusta was never cold nor cruel to her children. Her daughter vehemently denounced this in an interview with her own great-niece, stating:
-Augusta: Queen, Mother, Councilor by Victor Jerome, 2012
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“Among the attendees at today’s coronation was the Dowager Queen Augusta, a great-aunt of the current king. Ninety-six years old, she apparently refused the services of either a cane or an arm to lean upon as she proceeded down the aisle of Westminster, dressed in lilac silk and wearing her Strawberry Leaf Coronet. One of the two surviving children of Queen Charlotte, she was also the oldest attendee at the coronation.”
“It was so good to see dear Aunt Leopoldina at the coronation - what a thing it was, the way my heart quite went into my throat, when I saw her courtesy to Kit, the little boy she had bounced on her knee and sent puzzles and books to for Christmas. His own heart went quite funny, he later told me, seeing her curtsy to him, and he really could not bear it. He immediately lifted her back up and kissed her cheek, calling her Auntie dearest, and whispered to her that she simply cannot bow to him again, as he reveres her so highly. She patted his cheek and told him that she, being a Queen herself, could do as she pleased but in concession to it being his coronation, would not bow to him again that night. The two then quite walked away from the party, arm in arm, to discuss - well, I’m not sure what, but knowing the two of them, literature and maths and all sorts of things they share in common. Grief for old Uncle Gloucester, I’m sure, who took such a hand with Papa and Kit, and was so dear to Aunt."
“Received a furious letter from the Minx [Augusta’s daughter-in-law] about not being invited to the coronation herself - quite enjoyed replying that it was a family affair and she was therefore not considered needing an invitation. Too wicked of me, I know, but Aunt gave her permission and said she would quite enjoy hearing the tirade when she returns - promises to send me a transcript”.
“For her one hundredth birthday, a feat achieved by none of her siblings nor her parents, Augusta’s youngest son, Moritz, gave a grand ball at his residence. For gifts, he demanded a copy of each attendee’s favorite book for his mother, who was quite pleased (having an extensive library herself, she ended up with quite a few doubles, which she donated to Durham University). Family members and royalty from across Europe (often both in one person) attended and the final guest list reached a thousand. Augusta and her grandson, the current King, opened the ball with a waltz, and her grace and poise was much admired. She danced a second waltz later in the evening with her son, Moritz, and a third with her son-in-law, but spent most of the ball sitting on a throne near the back windows, where guests came up and spoke to her and expressed their well wishes. The Emperor and Empress of Austria attended, as did the King and Queen of Great Britain, the King and Queen of Greece, the King and Queen of France, and scions of royal houses from all over the world. The event lasted until almost ten in the morning the next day, and was declared a grand success by everyone, including the new centenarian.
The ball was one of the last public events where Augusta was seen. She continued to attend family events such as weddings and funerals but did not stay late at such events nor travel abroad again.”
“My great-grandmother passed away in her sleep sometime in the night between November 11th and November 12th, 1928. She was one hundred and two years old. She had spent the last day in the company of her Dachshund, Napoleon, and my grandparents, her youngest son and his wife. She had attended a sermon given in the palace chapel regarding Jesus washing the feet of his apostles, a favorite story of hers. She had taken luncheon with the family and had consented to be wheeled out for a walk through the gardens afterwards. She attended tea and told stories to her visiting great-great-grandchildren, my own daughter included. She took dinner privately in her rooms and, per the maid, spent half an hour praying before going to bed. It was a quiet day, a simple day, a day well deserved by the woman who had worked so tirelessly for her adopted country for so long. She had no pain nor suffering, no final words, no last testaments: confident and content with herself and her life, she simply slipped away.
Her funeral was a grand thing, perhaps the grandest seen in Europe. So many of those so highly placed knew her well, had been tutored by her, and had counted her amongst the very dear to them. There were three Emperors, fourteen monarchs, dozens of Princes, and uncountable nobles in attendance. The Holy Father sent a representative, along with a letter, that while she hadn’t been a Catholic, he had considered her “one of the finest Christian women” of his acquaintance. There was a twenty-four hour vigil beginning the morning before the funeral - Granny had so many prominent male relatives and descendants that four stood watch for an hour each, switching out every hour on the hour. The church positively swarmed with flowers - white roses and edelweiss, her favorites. The Bishop could hardly make it through the service, he himself was so distraught. Per her final request, earth from the fields of Claremont was placed in her coffin, so that she could “take some of England with her”.
Forty six years after the death of her beloved husband, Augusta was laid to rest beside him in the mausoleum he had designed for their family.”
By the time this book is published, the subject will not still be among you. That was how she wanted it. My great-grandmother, Augusta, known as Leopoldina to many and Livia to one, insisted on her terms for this biography being published - and, like in every instance where she insisted, she got her way. By now, it has been fifty years since her death, per her request. Very few of the people mentioned shall still be alive - and that is how she wanted it. In addition to transcribed interviews between the subject and myself, in this book there are also letters, accolades from family and friends, excerpts from her numerous and detailed diaries, and other documents and photographs relaying the extraordinary life of this extraordinary woman.
The interview process began when my great-grandmother was ninety-nine. As she told me then, she wished to get her memories all “sorted out properly - for no lady lives to be a hundred, liebchen”. A year later, on her hundredth birthday, I remember her remark to her. She fixed her most imperious gaze on me (already sitting straight - I never once saw her back touch the back of a chair) and informed me regally “I am no lady, liebchen. I am a Queen.”
Known as Leopoldina to many and Livia to one, she was serious, intelligent, clever, thoughtful, proud, fierce, stubborn, devoted - and absolutely a Queen.
This is her story.”
-Livia Leopoldina: The Life of a Queen by HRH Duchess Leopoldina of Oldenburg, 1978
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“The third daughter of the-then Duke and Duchess of Kendal was born in London on July 26th, 1826. She was named for her paternal grandmother, the Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, whom she was said to resemble greatly. Named Augusta Elizabeth Sophia for her godmothers, she was baptized at Kew Palace by Llewellyn Lewellin, private chaplain to her parents.
According to family legend, her nickname ‘Leopoldina’ came to her from her aunt Anna Feodorovna, born Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Supposedly Anna Feodorovna was visiting the nursery when Augusa was two, and watched in surprise as the dark haired, dark eyed little girl batted away the hand of an elder brother to correct the misplacement of a puzzle piece, saying “No, no. My way.”. “What a little Leopold she is”, Anna remarked to her sister-in-law, the then-Duchess of Kendal, making the latter laugh. From then on, Augusta was known as Leopoldina to friends and family, to the point where years later, when she was announced with her given name, a young nephew tugged on his mother’s hand to ask very loudly “Who is Augusta? That’s Auntie Leopoldina.”
-Those Coburg Girls: The Daughters of Queen Charlotte by Honor Cary, 2005
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"In 1833, Queen Charlotte was introduced to Anne, Lady Byron, by the Countess Cowper, a lady of the bedchamber to the Queen and cousin to Lady Byron. Cowper would later write to a friend that she initiated the meeting because "the Queen so likes and admires educated women, and none can hold a candle to Annabella [Lady Byron] - and the Queen had many questions regarding the education of little Ada, as she wished to ensure a good education for the princesses, particularly Pss. Leopoldina [Augusta], who though six years younger is keeping up with her sisters in lessons". While the Queen and Lady Byron enjoyed corresponding with each other, the Queen found it hard to be more than friendly with Lady Byron, finding her "strict and cold".
That same year, Lady Byron's daughter, the intelligent and talented Ada, was presented at court. The Queen was fond of Ada, whom she considered something of a lost soul, and took the young girl under her wing, introducing her to the princesses as a companion. In Augusta, Ada found an intellectual companion, and the two formed a lifelong friendship that continued even after their respective marriages. From her friendship with Ada, Augusta met Mary Somerville (who later became her tutor), Charles Babbage, and other leading figures of the intellectual scene of the Carolean Era."
-Augusta & Ada: The Unabridged Letters by Lady Wentworth, 2001
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AUGUSTA: Well, liebchen. Ask your questions.
LEOPOLDINA: Were you always meant to marry Great-Grandfather?
AUGUSTA: You know the answer to that.
LEOPOLDINA: Granny, please. You’ve never told me the story - just the outcome.
AUGUSTA: There were several matches discussed for me. The heir to Prussia, dear old Fritz - that obviously didn’t come about, he was a little young for me - he was much better suited to my sister, anyway. There was a good push for me to marry the King of France - his mother was quite keen on it, thought it would do well for him to marry the daughter of a Parliamentary monarchy, to show off how modern he was. It never came about, of course - the religion issue could not be overcome. Terribly ironic now, of course, all things considered. We stayed dear friends, however, myself and Henri.
LEOPOLDINA: Weren’t you supposed to marry -
AUGUSTA: You know that story - though I am still deeply displeased with your grandmother for sharing it. I will not discuss it further.
LEOPOLDINA: Granny -
AUGUSTA: You may ask the questions you wish, as is your right. I may refuse to answer, as is mine. Do not ask it again.
LEOPOLDINA: [after a pause] How did Grandpapa propose?
AUGUSTA: He went to my parents and asked for my hand, as was proper. [pause] And then he came to me. I was in the library at Claremont - I was sulking. Caro had just needled me terribly about my lack of a husband. And he came in, all joy and light and... he asked me to marry him. It was the first time he called me Livia, actually. He said that I was like the wife of the great Augustus, and that if he did nothing else great in his life, marrying me would put him on par with the Emperor in terms of greatness. [low chuckle] He was always so flamboyant with his language. Especially when he was talking about his love for me.
-TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO INTERVIEW BETWEEN HM THE DOWAGER QUEEN AND HRH PRINCES LEOPOLDINA, 1925
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“Livia,
Oh, my own dear darling Livia - to call you thus is more bliss than I can express. I write for no other reason than to recall myself and my adoration to you. I long to see you again. I condemn whomever made days so short and nights so long. Please, allow me the honor of seeing you in the gardens after tea. Bring your sister for a chaperone, or Maffy, or your Mama, or even a brother - I certainly shall see none other than thee.
With all the love a man can possess,
-Your own dear one”
-Note to Augusta from her fiance, written the day after he proposed
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“All right everyone, as we continue our set on the jewels of Queen Charlotte’s daughters and daughters-in-law, we have come to Charlotte’s third daughter: Augusta!
Augusta was known for her simple yet elegant and impeccable taste. She didn’t really run to big gun jewels like her sisters Mary and Caroline did, but her pieces were always of the highest quality and style. Most of her jewelry came to her as a gift, either upon her wedding or throughout her marriage to her adoring husband, as she herself preferred to spend her money elsewhere. Today we’ll be taking a look at some of her more well-known pieces - fun fact, to our knowledge, none of her pieces have passed outside of her descendants!
Augusta's Diamond Coronet
Diamond Stomacher
Diamond Riviere Necklace
Emperors Cameo Necklace
Ears of Wheat Tiara
Five Strand Pearl Necklace
-Post from Glittering Authority blog, July 26, 2022
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“She [Augusta] preferred to be called ‘Madame’ by members of the household, rather than the more formal ‘Majesty’; likewise, her husband preferred ‘Sir’. He called her 'Livia' before the household, the children, the court - before anyone who could hear it. She called him "Husband" or by his Christian name when others were about - only when they were alone did she call him "my love". It was like watching a flower open to the sun, the way her face changed when he called her Livia.
She was a devout woman, who not only read but understood the Bible, and would cheerfully debate the finer points of it with any who were interested to do so. She kept to the dietary laws of Moses, and refused to allow 'unclean food' to be served to herself or her children (Madame could not, to her great displeasure, break her husband of his fondness for bacon). She preferred water to wine and wine to sherry, and never took more than a single glass of the latter, and only then over an entire evening. Madame had no patience for wastefulness, drunkenness, or foul language, which did not endear her to many of her husband’s friends (nor to her eldest son) but did provide a much needed standard of decorum at her court and in her household.
She preferred biographies and facts to novels, but had a terrible weakness for poetry, particularly that of Lord Byron and of Shakespeare. She was proficient in piano and preferred German composers to French or Italian ones. Madame had a clever sense of humor. She kept dachshunds, as their self-importance made her laugh - she named them for great men of history, as this made her laugh as well. Upon hearing of this, the Duke of Reichstadt, an old family friend whom later became a dear correspondent of Madame, sent her a dachshund puppy with a fine leather collar with REICHSTADT set in diamonds. Not to be outdone, the Duke of Wellington sent a puppy in a blue collar set with rubies and diamonds spelling out WELLINGTON. The Duke of Reichstadt won, however, after sending yet another puppy with a collar emblazoned with KENDAL, the name of her father's dukedom. Madame doted on all of the dogs, but on Kendal most of all.
She had a horrible temper - a Hanover temper, she called it, which never failed to make her husband smile - but worked very hard at keeping it under control. I only saw her lose her composure very rarely, and always very warranted. She was never cold, as others accused her, but merely quiet and thoughtful. I was and remain under the impression that under her pride and her fine mind, she was terribly shy. She was very kind, in her own way. Her kindness was not grand and encompassing, like that of her elder sister - she remembered birthdays and the names and ages of children, favorite colors when handing out used dresses to the ladies in waiting and the maids, and such things.
She followed the same schedule every day, every week of her life, with changes based on traveling or poor health. Madame [Augusta] awoke every morning at half-past five and, a devout woman, spent the first half hour of the day in private prayer. From six to seven fifteen, she would dress, attend to her toilette, and discuss her schedule for the day with her private secretary. Similarly to her mother, Madame preferred to employ a female secretary, the longest serving being Baroness Fitzclarence and myself. From a quarter past seven to a quarter past eight, Madame and her husband breakfasted alone in their private dining room - no one, neither children nor officials nor servers, were allowed in during this hour. Madame herself poured her husband’s coffee and he buttered her toast. It was the only guaranteed time the two of them would spend alone every day, and it was more precious than any jewel to both of them - even during war-time, no one dared to enter the room and interrupt that time. After breakfast was finished, the couple would attend their various meetings and interviews with government officials; on Fridays, at her insistence, the entire cabinet met from a quarter past eight to noon to discuss any and all business, and assure nothing was falling through the cracks between departments. Even after the death of her husband and the accession of her son, Madame still kept meetings every morning between eight-fifteen and noon with government officials (an incident early in his reign, where her son had ordered her to stop the meetings at the insistence of his awful wife, had so tangled up government proceedings that he was forced to relent and allow Madame to continue her meetings to smooth things over. Everyone was quite displeased at such treatment of her).
From noon to one, Madame took luncheon with her family or alone, depending on the demands of the day and her own health. Afterwards she continued work until four in the afternoon, meeting with officials, balancing her household accounts, and writing letters. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, having taken another page out of her mother’s book, Madame held ‘Queen’s Hours’ from one to four, during which time any subject could come and speak to her regarding any issues. She took tea with her children and husband at four sharp and then spent the next three hours spending time with the children: she would read over their lessons for the day, practice their languages with them (Madame was fluent in six and insistent on her children managing at least four), listen to them play the piano, or play card games or chess. At seven, the children were taken back to the nursery for their supper and bed, and Madame retired to her rooms to dress for supper. Supper began promptly at eight and usually ended around ten, depending on the courses and the guests. An hour after supper was over, Madame was neatly dressed in her night shift and in bed. When traveling, if her children had not come with them, Madame would spend the time after tea writing, engaging in needlepoint, visiting with her hostess, or walking the grounds.”
-My Memories of Service by Baroness Eliza Dunajski, 1916
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“Out of all the siblings, Frederick was closest to his sister, Augusta, two years his junior. The two were both decidedly more ‘Coburg’ than ‘Hanover’ in both appearance and outlook, and lacked the joie de vivre of their siblings while possessing an intelligence and clear-mindedness not found in the others. This closeness, founded in their childhood, continued through their adult lives - Fred, while at Durham University, wrote to Augusta every week and even included copies of his assignments for her to attempt to ‘keep herself occupied’. Augusta, more social than her brother, introduced him to Ada Lovelace (who became one of his few friends), Charles Babbage, Mary Somerville, and William King, among others and created a coterie of intelligent, academic minded people that wrote each other often and kept each other well and truly ‘entertained’...
Frederick disapproved mightly of Augusta’s marriage, writing to her that her fiance was “a known lecher with three children already, and certainly more to follow”, “more interested in licentiousness than learning”, and “not at all worthy to kiss your feet, let alone your hand”. All this was true - Augusta’s husband was a well known lover of women (lecher perhaps a bit too harsh a term) with illegitimate children, and he would continue to have more of both throughout their marriage. He was also, Augusta argued, intelligent and kind and generous and above all, devoted to her. After a trip to Claremont to watch the two interact together and a serious conversation with his future brother-in-law (who would later write of it as “one of the more terrifying moments of my life”), Frederick withdrew his disapproval of the marriage and even arranged a wedding gift of a handsome diamond riviere necklace for Augusta...
Frederick later stood as the namesake and godfather to Augusta’s second son, Friedrich - known as Freddy in the family - and took his role very seriously, writing twice a month to first Augusta and then Freddy, once he was old enough, for updates on his health and education. When Freddy took ill, he would only read the books sent by Frederick. When Freddy took a European tour, he wrote to his godfather asking for advice on where to stop, what to see, and what to avoid. When Freddy chose to attend his godfather’s alma mater, Durham University, Frederick made sure to come to visit the young man at the university at least once a month, with letters in between. And when Freddy decided to marry Susannah Burdett-Coutts, it was Frederick who defended his choice to Augusta and to the Queen, writing that “Such marriages have been allowed before and should be allowed, for the joy of such a young man and woman”. The couple married at St. Margaret’s, Westminster, and honeymooned at Frederick’s country home, Nether Lypiatt, in Gloucestershire. The young couple would later attribute Augusta’s eventual acceptance of the marriage entirely to the efforts of “dear Uncle Fred”.
Upon his death, Frederick left a third of his impressive estate to his godson, including his country home, which remains amongst his descendants today.”
-The Stone Duke: A Biography of Frederick, The Duke of Gloucester by Terrence Adcock, 1989
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LEOPOLDINA: What of his infidelity? His disloyalty?
AUGUSTA: [huffing] You silly girls, with your notions of love and marriage. He was never disloyal to me. He was always mine.
LEOPOLDINA: But the mistresses and the women -
AUGUSTA: Some men hunt. Some men gamble. Some men drink themselves blind and beat their wives. No one is perfect. Being married to me was certainly not always an easy thing - I was proud, headstrong, certain of my own rightness. In a time when Queens were little more than ornaments, should their husbands wish it so, he gave me a kingdom and allowed me to be his partner, fully and completely. He loved me exactly as I was - he never asked me to change, never expected me to be anyone but what I was. To demand things of him that he did not of me was unthinkable.
LEOPOLDINA: Didn’t it hurt, though?
AUGUSTA: They were stars. That’s what he always told me. They were stars and I was the sun of his world. He never meant to hurt me. He would’ve died before he thought of hurting me. It was his weakness, liebchen. For an hour a day, he was weak - for the other twenty-three, he was perfect.
LEOPOLDINA: [after a pause] It was very kind of you to care for his children.
AUGUSTA: They were his children. [sighs] He was such a good papa to all of his children.
LEOPOLDINA: I wish I had known him.
AUGUSTA: Oh, so do I. He would be so pleased with you.
LEOPOLDINA: Because I’m named for you?
AUGUSTA: Because you are like me, liebchen. He always wished for more little girls, and he wanted them all exactly like me. [laughs] Though he could never explain how he expected the world to function with all of us in it.
-TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO INTERVIEW BETWEEN HM THE DOWAGER QUEEN AND HRH PRINCES LEOPOLDINA, 1925
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“Of Augusta’s seven children, only four survived to adulthood: three boys and a girl. Her third born son, Rupert, died of diphtheria when he was seven. Augusta, who had nursed him for weeks through his illness, refusing to leave his side, was devastated. Her husband had to personally come and carry her away from their son’s bed to lay her down in his own room, where he locked the doors and the couple remained alone with their grief for the rest of the night. Her second daughter, Dorothea, was born a month premature and came into the world “small and sickly”; she was baptized the day after her birth for fear that she was not long for the world. When she survived her first year, it felt “like a miracle” as Augusta wrote to her mother. Unfortunately, Dorothea would pass shortly after her first birthday from what is believed to have been pneumonia. Augusta and her family abruptly traveled to Scotland, where they remained for three months, following the burial. Augusta’s last pregnancy ended in the delivery of a stillborn girl a month before her fortieth birthday. The little girl was tenderly laid to rest in the mausoleum where her lost siblings lay - on her gravestone, she is named “Helene Livia Leopoldina”. After their deaths, Augusta rarely wrote or spoke of her lost children, though it is noted that her husband gave her a bracelet with enamel portraits of all seven of their children set into it, and that she wore the bracelet frequently.
Augusta was closer to her three younger children than her eldest son. As her second son, Friedrich, would write in his own memoirs:
“My brother was a fool. He was intelligent, I cannot deny, but in practical matters, a fool. Instead of being in awe of Mama’s mind, and being pleased to be able to call upon it and her experience, he was threatened by it and declared himself displeased at her ‘unwomanly’ behaviors. My father, ever a champion of my mother, was quite furious at this disrespect and threatened to have it beaten out of my brother. Their relationship was quite sour over the whole thing and only became worse when the minx [Friedrich’s nickname for his brother’s wife] came into the mix, as she was quite determined that it was her right to supplant dear Mama as the lady of the land. Well, the land would not tolerate that for a moment, as those two quickly discovered.”
After her son’s marriage and accession to the throne, Augusta retreated to the palace assigned to her for her widowhood, where she resided with her youngest son, Moritz, and his family. She also traveled often, going to visit her daughter, traveling to Italy (Rome was a favorite location and the Pope a preferred theological sparring partner) and France (where she was dear friends with the King and his sister), and always to her beloved England.She only spoke English with her children, and preferred ‘Mama’ or ‘Mother’ to the German ‘Mutti’. Augusta’s children were fluent in English, as well as German and French, from a young age and she herself tutored them in Greek and Latin. She insisted on an equal education being given to her daughter, who would later insist on the same among her own children. She insisted upon her children playing vigorously outdoors for at least two hours a day, and, according to her youngest son Mortiz:
“We played with all the children of the capital - the priest’s, the children of the nobleman, the children of the servants, the orphans Mama took under her care. She was quite firm in breaking any vanities or snobbery among us, reminding us that ‘kings lived by the sufferance of those they ruled’, so it was better to know the ones and their hearts that one ruled.”
Despite later commentary by her eldest son and his wife, Augusta was never cold nor cruel to her children. Her daughter vehemently denounced this in an interview with her own great-niece, stating:
"She did not abide any weakness in others that she would not abide in herself - it was easier for Mama than the rest of us, having less weaknesses to abide. But she never punished anyone for theirs - she tried to help and comfort them. We worshipped her, utterly and completely, and had the confidence of children who knew they were adored by an adoring mother. We wished to succeed in order to increase her pride in us, not from fear of her."
-Augusta: Queen, Mother, Councilor by Victor Jerome, 2012
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“Among the attendees at today’s coronation was the Dowager Queen Augusta, a great-aunt of the current king. Ninety-six years old, she apparently refused the services of either a cane or an arm to lean upon as she proceeded down the aisle of Westminster, dressed in lilac silk and wearing her Strawberry Leaf Coronet. One of the two surviving children of Queen Charlotte, she was also the oldest attendee at the coronation.”
-The London Times, January 14, 1921
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“It was so good to see dear Aunt Leopoldina at the coronation - what a thing it was, the way my heart quite went into my throat, when I saw her courtesy to Kit, the little boy she had bounced on her knee and sent puzzles and books to for Christmas. His own heart went quite funny, he later told me, seeing her curtsy to him, and he really could not bear it. He immediately lifted her back up and kissed her cheek, calling her Auntie dearest, and whispered to her that she simply cannot bow to him again, as he reveres her so highly. She patted his cheek and told him that she, being a Queen herself, could do as she pleased but in concession to it being his coronation, would not bow to him again that night. The two then quite walked away from the party, arm in arm, to discuss - well, I’m not sure what, but knowing the two of them, literature and maths and all sorts of things they share in common. Grief for old Uncle Gloucester, I’m sure, who took such a hand with Papa and Kit, and was so dear to Aunt."
-Diary Entry of Princess Louise of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, January 14, 1921
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“Received a furious letter from the Minx [Augusta’s daughter-in-law] about not being invited to the coronation herself - quite enjoyed replying that it was a family affair and she was therefore not considered needing an invitation. Too wicked of me, I know, but Aunt gave her permission and said she would quite enjoy hearing the tirade when she returns - promises to send me a transcript”.
-Letter from Dowager Queen Dagmar to the Dowager Queen of Greece, January 14, 1921
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“For her one hundredth birthday, a feat achieved by none of her siblings nor her parents, Augusta’s youngest son, Moritz, gave a grand ball at his residence. For gifts, he demanded a copy of each attendee’s favorite book for his mother, who was quite pleased (having an extensive library herself, she ended up with quite a few doubles, which she donated to Durham University). Family members and royalty from across Europe (often both in one person) attended and the final guest list reached a thousand. Augusta and her grandson, the current King, opened the ball with a waltz, and her grace and poise was much admired. She danced a second waltz later in the evening with her son, Moritz, and a third with her son-in-law, but spent most of the ball sitting on a throne near the back windows, where guests came up and spoke to her and expressed their well wishes. The Emperor and Empress of Austria attended, as did the King and Queen of Great Britain, the King and Queen of Greece, the King and Queen of France, and scions of royal houses from all over the world. The event lasted until almost ten in the morning the next day, and was declared a grand success by everyone, including the new centenarian.
The ball was one of the last public events where Augusta was seen. She continued to attend family events such as weddings and funerals but did not stay late at such events nor travel abroad again.”
-Those Coburg Girls: The Daughters of Queen Charlotte by Honor Cary, 2005
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“My great-grandmother passed away in her sleep sometime in the night between November 11th and November 12th, 1928. She was one hundred and two years old. She had spent the last day in the company of her Dachshund, Napoleon, and my grandparents, her youngest son and his wife. She had attended a sermon given in the palace chapel regarding Jesus washing the feet of his apostles, a favorite story of hers. She had taken luncheon with the family and had consented to be wheeled out for a walk through the gardens afterwards. She attended tea and told stories to her visiting great-great-grandchildren, my own daughter included. She took dinner privately in her rooms and, per the maid, spent half an hour praying before going to bed. It was a quiet day, a simple day, a day well deserved by the woman who had worked so tirelessly for her adopted country for so long. She had no pain nor suffering, no final words, no last testaments: confident and content with herself and her life, she simply slipped away.
Her funeral was a grand thing, perhaps the grandest seen in Europe. So many of those so highly placed knew her well, had been tutored by her, and had counted her amongst the very dear to them. There were three Emperors, fourteen monarchs, dozens of Princes, and uncountable nobles in attendance. The Holy Father sent a representative, along with a letter, that while she hadn’t been a Catholic, he had considered her “one of the finest Christian women” of his acquaintance. There was a twenty-four hour vigil beginning the morning before the funeral - Granny had so many prominent male relatives and descendants that four stood watch for an hour each, switching out every hour on the hour. The church positively swarmed with flowers - white roses and edelweiss, her favorites. The Bishop could hardly make it through the service, he himself was so distraught. Per her final request, earth from the fields of Claremont was placed in her coffin, so that she could “take some of England with her”.
Forty six years after the death of her beloved husband, Augusta was laid to rest beside him in the mausoleum he had designed for their family.”
-Livia Leopoldina: The Life of a Queen by HRH Duchess Leopoldina of Oldenburg, 1978
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My heart is filled with rainbows. I'm desperate to know more. Who was her husband? I have a feeling she became Queen of Hanover, but I'm not entirely sure. And I can't remember if it was mentioned it before.
Oh, with the future George V? It would certainly explain the natural children, he would take after his father on that department.
I can't even remember who is who, but yeah, sure. Is that Adelaide's boy? Makes sense, I suppose.
And I just HAVE TO KNOW who is minx! Who is the little queen that hates to see my bad bitch winning!!!