Life At The British Court
When George Louis became King of Great Britain on the death of Queen Anne in 1714, Sophia and her family followed him to London. She mixed well with the king's British courtiers (who also assumed her to be one of the king's mistresses) but competed for influence with George's mistress, Melusine von der Schulenburg, and was disliked by the Princess of Wales, who 'thought her a wicked woman'. Sophia received many gifts from those seeking patronage; e.g. between 1715 and 1720, she received £9,545 from the Duke of Chandos and 1720, was given £15,000 of stock by the South Sea Company, with a bonus of £120 for every point the stock rose above £154.
Read more about this topic: Sophia Von Kielmansegg, Countess Of Darlington
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