Editing Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha (section)

==Princess of Wales==
[[File:Hogarth Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha.jpg|thumb|left|upright|One of the first portraits of Augusta of Saxe-Gotha as Princess of Wales by [[William Hogarth]], 1736–1738, [[National Museum, Warsaw]]]]

Augusta of Saxe-Gotha left [[Hellevoetsluis]] 17 April 1736 and arrived at [[Greenwich]] on the royal yacht ''[[HMY William & Mary (1694)|William and Mary]]'' on the 25th, where she was welcomed by her groom. On 27 April 1736, she was escorted to [[St James's Palace]], where she met the rest of the royal family. When she was introduced to the royal family, she made a favourable impression on the King and Queen by throwing herself on the floor before them in a gesture of respect.<ref name=Finchp284/> The wedding ceremony was held at the Royal Chapel inside St. James's Palace the same day (27 April [[Old Style and New Style dates|O.S.]], 8 May [[Old Style and New Style dates|N.S]].)

During the first year of marriage, Augusta could be seen playing with her doll in the windows of her residence, until her sister-in-law, [[Princess Caroline of Great Britain|Princess Caroline]], told her to stop.<ref name=Finchp284/> Frederick took advantage of her inexperience when he had his then lover, [[Lady Archibald Hamilton]], employed as her [[First Lady of the Bedchamber]], after convincing Augusta that there was no truth in the rumour of his affair.<ref name=Finchp284/> Augusta and Frederick had nine children, the last born after Frederick's death.<ref>{{cite book|last=Campbell Orr|first=Clarissa |title=Queenship in Europe 1660–1815: The Role of the Consort |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QORvlXsmsYQC|publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2004|page=350 |isbn=978-0-5218-1422-5 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1715-1754/member/hamilton-hon-charles-1704-86 |accessdate=5 October 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006140943/http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1715-1754/member/hamilton-hon-charles-1704-86 |archivedate=6 October 2015 |title=HAMILTON, Hon. Charles (1704–86), of Painshill, nr. Cobham, Surr. &#124; History of Parliament Online }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1715-1754/member/hamilton-hon-george-1697-1775 |accessdate=5 October 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006142537/http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1715-1754/member/hamilton-hon-george-1697-1775 |archivedate=6 October 2015 |title=HAMILTON, Hon. George (C.1697–1775). &#124; History of Parliament Online }}</ref>

Frederick once stated that he would never allow himself to be influenced by his consort as his father was, and he thus never made Augusta his confidante.<ref name=Finchp284/> He did, however, instruct her to act in accordance with his wishes in his feud with his parents, and on several occasions, Frederick reportedly instructed her to snub them.<ref name=Finchp284/>
When she attended the service of the German Lutheran Chapel, for example, which was also attended by the Queen, Frederick instructed Augusta to make sure she always arrived after the Queen, so that she would be forced to push in front of the Queen to reach her place. This eventually made the Queen insist that Augusta should be directed to her place by another entrance, which in turn caused Frederick to instruct Augusta to refuse to enter the Chapel if the Queen had arrived before her.<ref name=Finchp284/>

[[File:Augusta, Princess of Wales with Members of her Family and Household.jpg|thumb|200px|Augusta and her family in 1739, by Van Loo]]

When Augusta's first pregnancy was announced, the Queen stated that she would be sure to witness the birth, to be assured that the pregnancy was indeed genuine. She reportedly wished the succession to pass to her second surviving son, [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland]]. The birth of their first daughter, [[Princess Augusta of Great Britain|Princess Augusta]], on 31 July 1737, took place at St James's after the Princess of Wales was forced by Frederick to travel from [[Hampton Court Palace]] while in labour, to prevent his hated parents from being present at the birth.<ref name=Finchp284/> The delivery was traumatic: St James's Palace was not ready to receive them, no bed was prepared, no sheets could be found, and Augusta was forced to give birth on a tablecloth.<ref name=Finchp284/>
Queen Caroline once said of her daughter-in-law and the inconveniences she had inflicted on her: "Poor creature, were she to spit in my face, I should only pity her for being under such a fool's direction, and wipe it off."<ref name=Finchp284/>

The circumstances of the birth of Princess Augusta led to a dispute between the Prince and Princess of Wales and the King and Queen, who were not reconciled until public opinion during the [[Jacobite rising of 1745]] pressured them to.<ref name=Finchp284/> After the reconciliation, the couple became less isolated from high society, allowing courtiers to appear at both courts without giving offence. Augusta made a good impression in society life, where she was described as pretty, elegant, and a gracious hostess.<ref name=Finchp284/> On some occasions, the children of Augusta were made to give amateur theatre performances for their guests, notably on 4 January 1749, when George, Augusta, Elizabeth, Edward and some of their playmates acted in ''[[Cato, a Tragedy]]''.<ref name=Finchp284/>