Adelaide Street runs parallel to Clare Place and runs across Adelaide Street Ope and Adelaide Place. The name honours Amelia Adelaide Louisa Theresa Caroline, eldest daughter of George, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Meiningen, who, in 1818, married William, Duke of Clarence.
The Duke’s mistress, Mrs Jordan, who had borne him ten children, had died two years earlier. However his marriage to Adelaide produced only two daughters, both of whom died in infancy. Adelaide herself became Queen when her husband succeeded to the throne, on the death of his brother George IV, in 1830. William enjoyed just seven years as monarch before he too died and, in the absence of any legitimate issue, the throne passed to his niece, Victoria.
Adelaide, who was subsequently described as being ‘worthy but dull’ meanwhile lived another twelve years as the Queen Dowager, the first to hold that title since Charles II’s widow, Catherine of Braganza.
Having had a succession of miscarriages and early deaths Adelaide had showered young Victoria with love and she had also, somewhat surprisingly, been very good to her husband’s illegitimate children. She died in Middlesex on 2 December 1849 –she was 57.
