Struensee’s success soon led Caroline Matilda to put him in charge of the crown prince’s upbringing and education. Struensee prescribed a simple lifestyle for the sickly child and educated him in line with Enlightenment principles, aiming to turn him into an independent thinker. Frederick grew up in the countryside with a middle-class playmate. The idea was for the boys to gather experiences through play, with minimal adult intervention. Only in dangerous situations would an adult step in. This was unprecedented for a crown prince, whose safety was of paramount importance to the succession, and contemporaries viewed the situation with concern. Later, Struensee was accused of having wanted to kill the crown prince. But he had in fact made the prince’s upbringing better.
Georg Haas
Copperplate engraving, 1772
Reproduction
Statens Museum for Kunst (KKSgb10969)
Crown Prince Frederick and Carl play with a dog. In these copperplate engravings, Frederick is always depicted without royal regalia and as equal to his middle-class playmate. “Naturalness” was at the core of Struensee’s educational approach. He felt that children should learn through experience, and that their upbringing should encourage independence.
Georg Haas
Copperplate engraving, 1772
Reproduction
Statens Museum for Kunst (KKSgb6661)
Crown Prince Frederick and his playmate Carl build a castle out of four chairs and two stools. This copperplate engraving belongs to a series of engravings commissioned by Struensee during his stay at Hirschholm Palace; his aim here was to bolster public approval of the crown prince’s education and upbringing.
Etching, 1768
Reproduction
Historisk Kronologisk Samling, Det Kongelige Bibliotek
Like life at court, the birth of a royal child was not a private event. Numerous court officials, clergymen and servants were present at such births. This etching shows Caroline Matilda surrounded by the extended royal household after having given birth to the crown prince.
Peder Als
Watercolour, 1771
Reproduction Statens Museum for Kunst (KKSgb5000)
This watercolour painting shows the queen (in a relaxed posture and without royal regalia) with the crown prince at Hirschholm Palace. The painting symbolises the desire to flee the constraints of the court, as well as the personal bond between a mother and her child (a closer bond than was usual for a family of royal status).