Queen Caroline's Merlin's Cave: 18th-Century Royal PR Through Arthurian Myth

In 1735, Queen Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1683-1737), wife of King George II, commissioned a garden folly at Richmond Palace called Merlin's Cave. The structure, filled with wax figures of Merlin and other legendary figures, was a deliberate attempt to bolster the Hanoverian dynasty's claim to the British throne by linking it to Arthurian legend. At the time, the House of Hanover, which had inherited the throne in 1714, was viewed with suspicion as foreign, and a public feud between George II and his son Frederick, Prince of Wales, threatened stability. Caroline, an avid reader, understood the political power of culture. By centering Merlin, an adviser and prophet, she aimed to connect the Hanoverians to Britain's ancient heritage and future success. The cave was mocked by contemporaries, including satirist Nicholas Amhurst (writing as Caleb D'Anvers), and became a target for opposition attacks on Caroline and her ally Robert Walpole. Scholar Amanda S. Meixell noted that critics understood the political message, objecting out of disagreement rather than confusion. The episode illustrates the use of myth for political legitimacy, a lesson monarchies still grapple with. The article, written by Amy Louise Blaney of the University of Wolverhampton, was republished from The Conversation.