Queen Anne, at Least 17 Pregnancies and No Children

Anne, Queen of Great Britain, was born in 1665, at St James's Palace, London, the fourth child of the Duke of York (later King James II and VII).

Anne and George, painted by Charles Boit, 1706

As the Stuart dynasty's final ruler from 1702 to 1714, Anne would later preside over the Act of Union of 1707, which united England and Scotland.

An arranged marriage with Prince George of Denmark took place in 1683 and within months, Anne was pregnant with a baby girl, who was later stillborn.

Over the next two years, Anne gave birth to daughters, Mary and Anne Sophia, who both died of smallpox in 1687.

Anne also suffered another miscarriage. Reports indicate that the parents experienced immense grief.

Later in 1687, Anne gave birth to another stillborn child, a son.

In April 1688, Anne had another miscarriage.

Anne with her son Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, in a painting from the school of Sir Godfrey Kneller, circa 1694

In July 1689, Anne gave birth to Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, who became ill with convulsions at three weeks old. 

William had an enlarged head, from which surgeons would intermittently drain fluid. He could not walk properly, and would often stumble. He died of unclear causes at age 11.

In October 1690, Mary was born, two months premature, living for only 2 hours.

George was born in April 1692 but lived only for a few minutes.

Another stillborn daughter was delivered by Anne in March 1693.

Then, another miscarriage in January 1694. And, again, the miscarriage of a daughter by Anne in February 1696.

More miscarriages followed, in September 1696, March 1697 and December 1697.

In September 1698, another stillborn son. And, in January 1700, her final stillborn son.

By the end of 1700, after at least seventeen pregnancies, Anne was a childless widow.

In 1714, Anne died, weakened by “gout, dropsy, hemorrhage and stroke” (2.).

According to research (1.), Infant and child mortality more than doubled between the sixteenth and the middle of the eighteenth century in both wealthy and non-wealthy families, in London, UK.

Data from many places and time periods across the world, shows that in the past, the infant death rate was around 50%. Today, the global death rate of children has declined from around 50% to 4%. (3.)

Referemces

1. Razzell, P., & Spence, C. (2007). The History of Infant, Child and Adult Mortality in London, 1550–1850. The London Journal, 32(3), 271–292. https://doi.org/10.1179/174963207X227578

2. Lehman, H. E. (2005) Lives of English Monarchs. AuthorHouse Publishing, Bloomington, IN, USA, 339

3