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Princess Louisa of Stolberg, 1753 - 1824. Wife of Prince Charles Edward Stuart
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Princess Louisa of Stolberg, 1753 - 1824. Wife of Prince Charles Edward Stuart About 1772

On Display PORTRAIT GALLERY

In the spring of 1772 Prince Charles Edward Stuart married Princess Louisa of Stolberg-Gedern. The couple settled in Florence where they were known as the Count and Countess of Albany. Louisa found herself bound to an embittered older man who was increasingly debilitated by alcoholism and illness. Her solution was to amuse herself by flirting with handsome young men, culminating in her long-term liaison with the poet, Count Alfieri. She left Charles after a violent incident in 1780 and they separated formally in 1784.

Glossary Open

The Stuarts (The Stewarts)

The Stewarts / Stuarts were a Scottish royal dynasty that began with Robert II in the late fourteenth century. In 1603, with the Union of the Crowns of Scotland and England, James VI became James I of England. The Stuart reign saw a brief interruption with the republican Commonwealth due to the English Civil War, which followed Charles I?s execution in 1649, but it was restored in 1660 with Charles II as king. After the 1707 Acts of Union, the Stuarts became the heads of state of the newly created Great Britain. However, with childless Queen Anne?s death in 1714 the crown passed to the House of Hanover. The variant in spelling, from Stewart to Stuart, was due to Mary, Queen of Scots adopting the latter, French spelling, when she lived in France. This became the standard for future generations.

The Stuarts (The Stewarts)

Details

  • Acc. No. PG 1520
  • Medium Oil on canvas
  • Size 56.40 x 43.30 cm
  • Credit Purchased 1949

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Located In See floorplan

Portrait Second floor
  • Scottish National Portrait Gallery / Second floor / Gallery 4