Elizabeth Stuart was renowned for her beauty and charm. She was placed in the care of John Lord Harrington here at what was then Kew Farm. Her brother, Henry Prince of Wales favoured Richmond Palace and they spent a lot of time together with the company of Harrington's son, also John, and Robert Carr, Earl of Ancrum. Henry died in 1612 and his brother became Charles I. Elizabeth became a queen briefly in the reign of the Winter King and Queen of Bohemia but subsequently raised a large family including Prince Rupert who served Charles I in the civil war. Her youngest daughter Sophia's marriage to the Elector of Hanover was the foundation of the Hanoverian rulers of England of whom several favoured Kew as a residence.

O/S Co-ords:1850.7752
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Kew Past