Editing Caroline of Ansbach (section)

==Queen consort and regent==
[[File:Coronation medal Queen Caroline 1727.jpg|thumb|right|Official coronation medal of Queen Caroline in 1727 by J. Croker]]
[[File:Caroline Wilhelmina of Brandenburg-Ansbach by Jacopo Amigoni.jpg|thumb|Portrait by [[Jacopo Amigoni]], 1735]]
On George I's death in 1727, George Augustus ascended as George II and Caroline became queen consort. [[George II and Caroline's coronation]] was held at [[Westminster Abbey]] on 11 October that year.<ref>Hanham, p. 292; Weir, pp. 277–278.</ref> Though George II denounced Walpole as a "rogue and rascal" over the terms of the reconciliation with his father, Caroline advised her husband to retain Walpole as the leading minister.<ref name=odnb/> Walpole commanded a substantial majority in Parliament and George II had little choice but to accept him or risk ministerial instability.<ref>Black, pp. 29–31, 53 and 61.</ref> Walpole secured a [[civil list]] payment of £100,000 a year for Caroline, and she was given both [[Somerset House]] and Richmond Lodge.<ref>Arkell, p. 147; Van der Kiste, p. 93.</ref> Courtier [[John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey|Lord Hervey]] called Walpole "the Queen's minister" in recognition of their close relationship.<ref name=odnb/> For the next ten years, Caroline had immense influence. She persuaded the King to adopt policies at the behest of Walpole, and persuaded Walpole against taking inflammatory actions. Caroline had absorbed the liberal opinions of her mentor, Queen Sophia Charlotte of Prussia, and supported clemency for the [[Jacobitism|Jacobites]] (supporters of the rival [[House of Stuart|Stuart]] claim to the throne), [[freedom of the press]], and freedom of speech in Parliament.<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 104–105.</ref>

Over the next few years, the King and Queen fought a constant battle against their eldest son, Frederick, Prince of Wales, who had been left behind in Germany when they came to England. He joined the family in 1728, by which time he was an adult, had mistresses and debts, and was fond of gambling and practical jokes. He opposed his father's political beliefs, and complained of his lack of influence in government.<ref name=odnb/><ref name="vdk119">Van der Kiste, p. 119.</ref> The [[Regency Acts|Regency Act 1728]] made Caroline rather than Frederick [[regent]] when her husband was in Hanover for five months from May 1729. During her regency, a diplomatic incident with Portugal (where a British ship had been seized on the [[Tagus]]) was defused, and the negotiation of the [[Treaty of Seville (1729)|Treaty of Seville]] between Britain and Spain was concluded.<ref name=vdk119/><ref>Arkell, pp. 167–169.</ref> From May 1732, she was regent for four months while George II was again away in Hanover. An investigation into the penal system uncovered widespread abuses, including cruel treatment and conspiracy in the escape of wealthy convicts. Caroline pressed Walpole for reform, largely unsuccessfully.<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 126–127.</ref> In March 1733, Walpole introduced an unpopular [[Excise Bill]] to parliament, which the Queen supported, but it gathered such strong opposition that it was eventually dropped.<ref>Arkell, pp. 197–203.</ref>

Caroline's entire life in Britain was spent in southeast England in or around London.<ref>Arkell, p. 67; Van der Kiste, p. 41.</ref> As queen, she continued to surround herself with artists, writers and intellectuals. She collected jewellery, especially [[Cameo (carving)|cameos]] and [[Intaglio (jewellery)|intaglios]], acquired important portraits and miniatures, and enjoyed the visual arts. She commissioned works such as [[terracotta]] busts of the kings and queens of England from [[Michael Rysbrack]],<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 124.</ref> and supervised a more naturalistic design of the royal gardens by [[William Kent]] and [[Charles Bridgeman]].<ref>Arkell, pp. 247–249; Van der Kiste, pp. 101–102.</ref> In 1728, she rediscovered sets of sketches by [[Leonardo da Vinci]] and [[Hans Holbein the Younger|Hans Holbein]] that had been hidden in a drawer since the reign of [[William III of England|William III]].<ref>Arkell, p. 245; Van der Kiste, p. 123.</ref>

Caroline's eldest daughter, Anne, married [[William IV of Orange]] in 1734 and moved with her husband to the Netherlands. Caroline wrote to her daughter of her "indescribable" sadness at the parting.<ref>Arkell, p. 212; Van der Kiste, p. 134.</ref> Anne soon felt homesick and travelled back to England when her husband went on campaign. Eventually her husband and father commanded her to return to Holland.<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 135–136.</ref>