WHO WAS THE LAST ROYAL BLACK QUEEN OF ENGLAND? | HO!!

For more than two centuries, historians, genealogists, royal commentators, and cultural critics have quietly wrestled with a question that refuses to disappear:

Did the British royal family once have a queen with African ancestry?

And if so…
Does that ancestry continue through every modern monarch—including King Charles III, Prince William, and Prince Harry?

It’s a theory explosive enough to rewrite the narrative of the British monarchy, challenge long-held assumptions about race and royalty, and expose the uncomfortable contradictions at the heart of the British Empire.

At the center of this debate stands one woman:

Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of King George III, mother of 15 children, grandmother of Queen Victoria, and the woman whose portraits have fueled one of history’s most persistent mysteries.

Some call her the first Black queen of England.

Others argue the claim is exaggerated, misunderstood, or misrepresented.

But one thing is undeniable:
Queen Charlotte’s appearance, ancestry, and legacy have been the subject of speculation for over 200 years.

And the story behind that speculation is as dramatic as any royal scandal today.

THE PORTRAITS THAT STARTED A FIRESTORM

Walk into the Royal Collection and you’ll find dozens of portraits of Queen Charlotte. But something strange becomes clear almost immediately:

She does not look the same in all of them.

In some early paintings—particularly those by court artist Allan Ramsay—Charlotte appears with:

a broader nose

fuller lips

a darker complexion

facial characteristics some art historians describe as “African-influenced”

But in later portraits, her features become noticeably different:

narrower nose

lighter skin

thinner lips

more stereotypically “Europeanized” appearance

Why the drastic shift?

Some scholars argue it was simply artistic variation or flattering royal styling.
Others believe it was deliberate—an effort to visually align the queen with expectations of European aristocracy during a period when Britain’s racial politics grew more rigid.

It wouldn’t be the first time a royal image was “adjusted” for public comfort.

THE ANCESTRY QUESTION: A PORTUGUESE LINK

The theory of Queen Charlotte’s African ancestry hinges on one genealogical claim:

Her lineage traces back to a 15th-century Portuguese noblewoman named Margarida de Castro e Souza.

Portugal during this period was deeply intertwined with North Africa.
For centuries, the Iberian Peninsula had been ruled partly by Moorish kingdoms—Muslims of North African, Arab, and mixed ancestry.
Intermarriage between Moorish and Portuguese nobility was recorded, documented, and relatively common in certain regions.

This is where historians disagree.

Some believe Margarida’s ancestry included African or Moorish heritage.
Others argue that documentation is too sparse or that conclusions rely on interpretation rather than definitive proof.

But the idea persisted—quietly at first, then loudly.

THE HISTORIANS WHO INSIST SOMETHING WAS THERE

The debate was resurrected in the early 20th century by Black historian J.A. Rogers, known for challenging Eurocentric historical narratives.
In his research, he highlighted Queen Charlotte’s alleged connection to a “Black branch” of Portuguese royalty.

Later, several genealogists—both American and British—re-explored the claim.
They reinforced that Charlotte’s ancestry could trace back to African or Moorish heritage through Margarida’s lineage.

Notably, the U.S. public broadcaster PBS aired a documentary in 1999 (“Frontline: The Blurred Racial Lines of Famous Families”) which examined the claim in detail. Its conclusion?

Charlotte may have had African ancestry—but definitive DNA proof does not exist.

The British royal family offered no comment.

THE OBSERVERS WHO SAID THE QUIET PART OUT LOUD

Long before genealogists debated the issue, several contemporaries made remarks that fed the theory.

Scottish author Sir Walter Scott allegedly described Queen Charlotte as having “a true mulatto face,” using an 18th-century term applied to people of mixed heritage.
Other diarists, physicians, and royal observers also referenced her appearance using language that would today be considered racially charged.

Such comments cannot be taken as scientific evidence—racial vocabulary in the 1700s was imprecise, biased, and often cruel.

But their existence adds to the puzzle.

THE POLITICS OF APPEARANCE: BRITAIN’S RACIAL PANIC

The timing of Charlotte’s arrival in England—1761—was dramatic.

Britain was:

heavily involved in the transatlantic slave trade

profiting enormously from sugar, cotton, and Caribbean plantations

facing growing abolitionist pressure

constructing racial hierarchies to justify slavery and colonial rule

The rising pseudoscience of the era promoted racist ideas about “African inferiority.”

Now imagine how destabilizing it would be if rumors spread that the queen herself had African heritage—while the empire was defining the “African race” as subordinate.

This was the contradiction historians believe elites feared:

If the British monarchy had African ancestry, the ideological foundation of slavery collapsed.

Thus emerged the theory that portraits were softened, wording was policed, and genealogy was quietly scrubbed.

Again—this remains a theory.
But it continues to fascinate historians and provoke cultural debate.

WHAT MODERN GENETICISTS SAY

DNA testing has revolutionized genealogy—but there’s one problem:

Queen Charlotte has never been exhumed for genetic analysis.

The royal family has never authorized such testing.
Without DNA, her ancestry cannot be proven or disproven conclusively.

However, several geneticists have said that based on documented lineage, African ancestry is possible but not proven.

That leaves the question unresolved—and very much alive.

IF CHARLOTTE HAD AFRICAN ANCESTRY… WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR TODAY’S ROYALS?

Here’s where the theory becomes sensational.

Queen Charlotte and King George III had 15 children whose descendants married into royal houses across Europe.

Through Queen Victoria, Charlotte became an ancestor of every subsequent British monarch, including:

Edward VII

George V

George VI

Elizabeth II

Charles III

William and Harry

Thus the provocative claim:

If Queen Charlotte truly had African ancestry, then every British monarch since 1820 had it as well.

This is a theory—not a confirmed fact—but it is the reason the topic remains so explosive.

THE MEGHAN MARKLE EFFECT: WHEN HISTORY COLLIDED WITH MODERN ROYALTY

When Prince Harry married Meghan Markle in 2018—the first biracial duchess in modern royal history—British tabloids ignited with racially-coded commentary.

What many commentators overlooked was this irony:

If Queen Charlotte had African ancestry, Meghan was not introducing Black heritage into the royal family—she was reintroducing it.

The tension between past and present made the Charlotte debate suddenly relevant once more, fueling documentaries, op-eds, and academic conferences.

BUT WAS QUEEN CHARLOTTE ACTUALLY BLACK?

Here is the responsible, historically accurate answer:

✔ Queen Charlotte may have had distant African or Moorish ancestry through her Portuguese lineage.
✔ Contemporary observers described her appearance in racially-influenced terms.
✔ Some early portraits depict features that some interpret as African-influenced.
✔ Genealogical evidence is suggestive but not definitive.
✔ There is no DNA proof because the royal family has never authorized scientific testing.
✔ Many historians argue against the claim, citing insufficient documentation.

Thus:

Queen Charlotte’s ancestry remains controversial, debated, and unproven—not confirmed fact.

But culturally?
Artistically?
Symbolically?

Her story has become a powerful lens through which Britain’s racial history is re-examined.

SO… WHO WAS THE LAST “BLACK” QUEEN OF ENGLAND?

Here is the Daily Mail answer—with full historical responsibility:

If the theory is true:

The most recent monarch descended from this alleged African lineage was Queen Elizabeth II herself.

And today, King Charles III and Prince William would also carry the same ancestry.

If the theory is unproven:

Queen Charlotte remains a historical enigma—neither confirmed nor debunked. She is a symbol of how race, empire, and royalty collide in ways traditional history has often ignored.

WHY THIS STORY STILL MATTERS

Whether or not Charlotte had African ancestry, the controversy reveals deeper truths:

history is not neutral

racial categories were politically constructed

powerful institutions shape narratives to protect themselves

Black history and European history are far more intertwined than textbooks admit

what gets remembered—and what gets erased—is a choice

Queen Charlotte’s legacy forces the world to confront not just her own identity, but the identity of an empire built on contradictions.

And that is why a queen who died in 1818 remains one of the most debated figures in the monarchy today.