The British Queen Who Was Pregnant 17 Times

Queen Anne

Anne of Great Britain remains one of the most tragic figures in royal history. Between 1684 and 1700, she fell pregnant seventeen times. Most resulted in miscarriages or stillbirths, leaving the future Queen physically broken and deeply traumatised.

Only one child, Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, survived infancy.Prince William was the sole hope for the Protestant Stuart line. Described as a precocious but sickly boy, he suffered from hydrocephalus, a condition that made it difficult for him to walk. Despite his ailments, his family and the nation doted on him. Tragically, in July 1700, just days after his eleventh birthday, the young prince succumbed to a severe fever.The death of her last surviving child devastated Anne.

When she ascended the throne in 1702, she did so knowing she had no heir. This succession crisis forced Parliament to pass the Act of Settlement, ensuring the crown would pass to distant German cousins. Upon Anne's death in 1714, the Stuart dynasty died with her, marking a bittersweet and somber end to an era.