Queen “Salty with Sugar” Charlotte, Heritage Owl Spotlight

Interestingly, the English monarchy is said to have Moorish lineage dating back to Madragana, the Moorish mistress of King Afonso the third of Portugal, and Queen Charlotte of England, the great-great-great-grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II.

Some historians have argued that there may be some truth to her Moorish ancestry, while others have discredited them as speculative. The evidence is inconclusive and the topic remains a matter of controversy and debate among scholars.

Queen Charlotte was also known for her stance on "no sugar!" You could say she was "salty with sugar." She was a patron of botanical studies and was interested in using plants for medicinal purposes and also was interested in healthy living, thus abstaining from sugar. On the other hand, abolitionists claim this was her way of protesting slavery, as the sugar trade was a major industry in the 18th century, and the sugar used in England was mainly produced by slaves on plantations in the Caribbean colonies. The British monarchy during her time was not known for taking any public stance on the issue of slavery at the time and the abolitionist movement was still in its early stages during her lifetime and not yet a major political issue.

However, it is important to note that Queen Charlotte entertained the company of anti-slavery intellectuals like Sir Allan Ramsay. Sir Allan Ramsay was also an artist, and his paintings of the queen were the most decidedly African of all her portraits as most of her other portraits seem to soften her sumptuous African features.

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Charlotte spoke English, German, and French. She was good friends with accomplished classical composer, Johann Bach, and his wife. And she once received a composition in her honor from Wolfgang Mozart.

Charlotte, North Carolina in the United States is named after her.

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