Epilogue

Abstract This epilogue highlights Elizabeth Stuart's legacy in material, and subsequently, in immaterial terms. It considers the contents of the will that was drawn up shortly before she left The Hague for the last time. In simple terms, Charles Louis inherited her estates; Rupert received her rings, plate, and other goods; Edward received a table diamond with a ribbon; Elisabeth a pair of emerald earrings; and Sophia the small necklace of pearls Elizabeth had always worn. The jewels Rupert inherited were, if Sophia is to be believed, given by him to his mistress Margaret Hughes, the first actress to play Desdemona. The executor of Rupert’s will, Lord Craven, presumably sold the rest to settle debts (though Elizabeth’s debts were never fully settled) and to ensure Rupert’s daughter, Ruperta, was well provided for. The Crown of the Three Kingdoms eventually came to rest on the head of one of Elizabeth’s grandchildren: Sophia's son, Georg Ludwig, Elector of Hanover, was crowned King George I of Great Britain in 1714, starting a line which reaches directly down to the longest serving monarch of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II. In the sixty-five years that she lived, Elizabeth Stuart touched every corner of Europe. Indeed, her true legacy is incalculable and it is no exaggeration to say that the original Queen of Hearts is still with us.