Charlotte Papendiek facts for kids
Charlotte Louise Henriette Papendiek (born Albert; 2 July 1765 – 24 April 1840) was an important lady-in-waiting to the British queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. She lived in London and later in Windsor.
Life of Charlotte Papendiek
Charlotte was born in London in 1765. Her father, Friedrich Albert, was born in Germany. In 1755, he started working for a German duke. When the duke's sister, Charlotte, married King George III of Britain in 1761, Friedrich Albert moved to Britain. He worked for the new queen as a page, barber, and hairdresser.
On 16 January 1783, Charlotte married Christopher Papendiek. He was a talented musician who played the violin and flute. He also worked for King George III as a court musician. Charlotte and Christopher had six children together. Two of their notable children were George Ernest Papendiek, who became a diplomat and painter, and Charles Edward Ernest Papendiek, who became an architect.
Later, on 16 October 1794, Charlotte Papendiek got an important job. She became the Assistant Keeper of the Queen's Wardrobe. This meant she helped manage the queen's clothes and personal items. She also became Queen Charlotte's reader, which meant she would read books and letters to the queen.
Charlotte's Memoirs
In 1833, Charlotte Papendiek started writing her life story. These writings are called memoirs. She didn't finish them, but her granddaughter published them in 1887.
Her memoirs are very important for historians. Along with the diaries of Fanny Burney, another lady-in-waiting, they give us a lot of information. They tell us about family life and artistic events at the British royal court during that time.
Charlotte's memoirs also share many details about musicians in London. She wrote about famous people like Johann Christian Bach, Muzio Clementi, and Joseph Haydn. Her writings were even used by the writer Rita Dove for her book Sonata Mulattica. This book was about the life of a musician named George Bridgetower.
Published Works
Charlotte Papendiek's writings have been published in books. These books help us learn about her life and the royal court.
- Court and Private Life in the Time of Queen Charlotte: Being the Journals of Mrs Papendiek, Assistant Keeper of the Wardrobe and Reader to Her Majesty, edited by her Grand-Daughter, Mrs Vernon Delves Broughton, 2 volumes, London: Richard Bentley & Son, 1887
- Volume 1 (Digitised version)
- Volume 2 (Digitised version)
- Michael Kassler (ed.), The Memoirs of Charlotte Papendiek (1765–1840), London: Pickering & Chatto, 2015
