On 3 September 1785, at the age of fifteen, Charlotte married Duke Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, who stood until 1787 under regency of his great-great uncle Joseph Frederick.
The marriage was not a happy one; Charlotte was mentally superior to Frederick, who began to ignore her.
They also had financial problems; Saxe-Hildburghausen had been financially ruined by the disastrous policies of Frederick's predecessors and in 1806 it had been put into Imperial receivership.
The receivers allowed the Duke and Duchess only a reduced Civil List.

Charlotte's father and two brothers often stayed with Charlotte in Hildburghausen.
In 1787, her father moved to Hildburghausen permanently, and became president of the credit committee.
In 1792, Charlotte's grandmother and her sisters fled before the advancing French army from Darmstadt to Hildburghausen.
Her grandmother noticed of Charlotte's husband .... of all his duties, he only fulfills his marital duties with zeal.
Charlotte, who never loved this man, is always pregnant.
 The family spent several carefree weeks at Hildburghausen.
 In 1793, Charlotte's  grandmother returned from exile and travelled with Charlotte's sisters to Frankfurt am Main, where Louise met her future husband, Frederick William.

Charlotte had a very intimate and loving relationship with her sister Friederike and relatives in Strelitz.
In 1803 and 1805, the Prussian royal couple visited Hildburghausen.
For this occasion, the receivers allowed the ducal couple to renew some of their furniture.
 On 9 October 1806, Charlotte and her sister Therese were visiting their sister Louise at the headquarters in Erfurt of king Frederick William III of Prussia, when he declared war on Napoléon Bonaparte.
 Louise had helped draft the declaration of war.

Christian Truchseß von Wetzhausen zu Bettenburg was a friend of the ducal couple and godfather of Charlotte's son Edward.
 After Charlotte and her daughter Therese, who was Crown Pricess of Bavaria at the time, visited his Bettenburg Castle in Franconia, Christian wrote to Fouqué: Our Crown Pricess of Bavaria and the Hereditary Princess of Weilburg were visiting their mother, the Duchess of Hildburghausen; and since I have known these lovely daughters since childhood, and they had always been kindly disposed towards me, they felt the urge to visit the old Truchseß on his castle and they and their brother George and the Hereditary Prince of Weilburg, the brave man of Waterloo and really only a small suite came to me on a Sunday afternoon.
 Many spectators had come to see the Bavarian Crown Princess.
 When receiving his guests, Truchseß tried to lead the lower-ranking Charlotte first into his castle, but she refused, referring to her daughter.
 Truchseß replied: Your Highness will forgive me, but as long as this castle has stood here, mothers have always enjoyed precedence before their daughters.
 Therese then grabbed the baron's other arm, and the three of them walked through the gate together.

The Duchess gave about half of her annual income to the poor, pensioners, and education and apprenticeships for the lower classes.
 After her sister's death in 1815, she erected the Louise Memorial in the Hildburghausen City Park.
On 3 September 1785, at the age of fifteen, Charlotte married Duke Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, who stood until 1787 under regency of his great-great uncle Joseph Frederick. The marriage was not a happy one; Charlotte was mentally superior to Frederick, who began to ignore her. They also had financial problems; Saxe-Hildburghausen had been financially ruined by the disastrous policies of Frederick's predecessors and in 1806 it had been put into Imperial receivership. The receivers allowed the Duke and Duchess only a reduced Civil List.
Charlotte's father and two brothers often stayed with Charlotte in Hildburghausen. In 1787, her father moved to Hildburghausen permanently, and became president of the credit committee. In 1792, Charlotte's grandmother and her sisters fled before the advancing French army from Darmstadt to Hildburghausen. Her grandmother noticed of Charlotte's husband .... of all his duties, he only fulfills his marital duties with zeal. Charlotte, who never loved this man, is always pregnant.  The family spent several carefree weeks at Hildburghausen.  In 1793, Charlotte's  grandmother returned from exile and travelled with Charlotte's sisters to Frankfurt am Main, where Louise met her future husband, Frederick William.
Charlotte had a very intimate and loving relationship with her sister Friederike and relatives in Strelitz. In 1803 and 1805, the Prussian royal couple visited Hildburghausen. For this occasion, the receivers allowed the ducal couple to renew some of their furniture.  On 9 October 1806, Charlotte and her sister Therese were visiting their sister Louise at the headquarters in Erfurt of king Frederick William III of Prussia, when he declared war on Napoléon Bonaparte.  Louise had helped draft the declaration of war.
Christian Truchseß von Wetzhausen zu Bettenburg was a friend of the ducal couple and godfather of Charlotte's son Edward.  After Charlotte and her daughter Therese, who was Crown Pricess of Bavaria at the time, visited his Bettenburg Castle in Franconia, Christian wrote to Fouqué: Our Crown Pricess of Bavaria and the Hereditary Princess of Weilburg were visiting their mother, the Duchess of Hildburghausen; and since I have known these lovely daughters since childhood, and they had always been kindly disposed towards me, they felt the urge to visit the old Truchseß on his castle and they and their brother George and the Hereditary Prince of Weilburg, the brave man of Waterloo and really only a small suite came to me on a Sunday afternoon.  Many spectators had come to see the Bavarian Crown Princess.  When receiving his guests, Truchseß tried to lead the lower-ranking Charlotte first into his castle, but she refused, referring to her daughter.  Truchseß replied: Your Highness will forgive me, but as long as this castle has stood here, mothers have always enjoyed precedence before their daughters.  Therese then grabbed the baron's other arm, and the three of them walked through the gate together.
The Duchess gave about half of her annual income to the poor, pensioners, and education and apprenticeships for the lower classes.  After her sister's death in 1815, she erected the Louise Memorial in the Hildburghausen City Park.
Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz