Editing Anne, Queen of Great Britain (section)

=== Death of Prince George ===
[[File:Charles Boit, Queen Anne and Prince George crop.jpg|thumb|left|Anne and George, painted by [[Charles Boit]], 1706]]
Anne was devastated by Prince George's death in October 1708,<ref>Curtis, pp. 165–168; Green, p. 198; Gregg, p. 280; Somerset, pp. 372–374</ref> and it proved a turning point in her relationship with the Duchess of Marlborough. The Duchess arrived at [[Kensington Palace]] shortly before George died, and after his death insisted that Anne leave Kensington for St James's Palace against her wishes.<ref>Green, p. 199; Somerset, p. 370</ref> Anne resented the Duchess's intrusive actions, which included removing a portrait of George from the Queen's bedchamber and then refusing to return it in the belief that it was natural "to avoid seeing of papers or anything that belonged to one that one loved when they were just dead".<ref>Green, p. 202</ref>

The Whigs used George's death to their own advantage. The leadership of the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]] was unpopular among the Whig leaders, who had blamed Prince George and his deputy [[George Churchill (Royal Navy officer)|George Churchill]] (who was Marlborough's brother) for mismanagement of the navy.<ref>Green, pp. 175–176; Gregg, pp. 254, 266</ref> With Whigs now dominant in Parliament, and Anne distraught at the loss of her husband, they forced her to accept the Junto leaders Lords Somers and Wharton into the cabinet. Anne, however, insisted on carrying out the duties of Lord High Admiral herself, without appointing a member of the government to take George's place. Undeterred, the Junto demanded the appointment of the Earl of Orford, another member of the Junto and one of the prince's leading critics, as [[First Lord of the Admiralty]]. Anne appointed the moderate [[Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke|Earl of Pembroke]], on 29 November 1708. Pressure mounted on Pembroke, Godolphin and the Queen from the dissatisfied Junto Whigs, and Pembroke resigned after less than a year in office. Another month of arguments followed before the Queen finally consented to put Orford in control of the Admiralty as First Lord in November 1709.<ref>Gregg, p. 284</ref>

Sarah continued to berate Anne for her friendship with Abigail and, in October 1709, Anne wrote to the Duke of Marlborough asking that his wife "leave off teasing & tormenting me & behave herself with the decency she ought both to her friend and Queen".<ref>Green, pp. 210–214; Gregg, pp. 292–294; Somerset, pp. 389–390; Waller, p. 325</ref> On [[Maundy Thursday]] 6 April 1710, Anne and Sarah saw each other for the last time. According to Sarah, the Queen was taciturn and formal, repeating the same phrases—"Whatever you have to say you may put in writing" and "You said you desired no answer, and I shall give you none"—over and over.<ref>Curtis, p. 173; Green, pp. 307–308; Gregg, pp. 221–222</ref>