The queen wears the trousers

With the birth of the crown prince in January 1768, Caroline Matilda had fulfilled her most important duty. The queen embraced her role as a mother far more fully than was usual for someone of her rank. She spent as much time as possible with her son, and even breastfed him herself. In other roles, she was less in line with the expectations of her contemporaries. On the medical advice of Struensee – and to please her husband, who had a predilection for the masculine – Caroline Matilda often rode astride in public. She wore men’s clothing, had herself painted in uniform, took great pleasure in going for walks in the city and the countryside, and made only half-hearted efforts to conceal her relationship with Struensee. 18th-century society was changing, but only very slowly, and Caroline Matilda’s quest for personal freedom met with a distinct lack of understanding.