The Land of Nowhere

It does come down to the basic problem that the only contemporary source we have for them having had a romantic relationship is Trenck, and he demonstrably lied a lot about other issues as well. Anyone else writing about the relationship wrote after Trenck had published his memoirs, treating them as fact. No one else writing about the relationship BEFORE Trenck claimed it is really odd in the case of Lehndorff, who was Chamberlain to Frederick's neglected Queen Elisabeth Christine, in love with Frederick's brother Henry, and pretty close to Amalie herself through the years, and who is a fantastic source for spicy gossip about the Prussian royals and their intimates in his diaries. Now, George Sand couldn't have known that, because the Lehndorff diaries weren't published within her life time, but I can't imagine Lehndorff, who paints a vivid and detailed picture of Amalie both in her good and bad days ("this princess has no avarage, she's either a fiend or an angel"), not mentioning something as good as the Trenck story if he had heard the slightest rumor. (I mean, this is the guy who gives us the goods on an m/m/m love triangle involving Frederick the Great, the Frederick the Great-his brother Heinrich- hot page Marwitz scandal. He would not have held back on Amalie/Trenck.)

So here are some quotes from Lehndorff's diaries on Amalie through the years. Background for the first is Amalie and her mother Sophia Dorothea not getting on at all. Lehndorff sides with Mom.

1757, 16th January: Her Majesty the Queen Mother is very unwell. (...) She alone is the one holding the royal house together and holding up dignity at court. It has to be said that Princess Amalie bears much blame for her distress, she who often curses the coincidence of being born a Princess at night, and makes her environment feel she's a princess regardless by her arrogance and her moods. (...) Truly, the behavior of the Princess Amalie is unqiue. The waves of the ocean are not more unruly than her manners. Good and evil, philosopher, citizen of the world and pious prig, she's all this in turn and more; ten times a week she's content and discontent. This moody creature is of course a pain to her environment. She feels best when everything is upside down.

26th January: After watching a comedy, I go to the antechamber of the queen mother to ask about her health. Her distress causes universal grief. It is said that the main cause of her sickness is the anger which Princess Amalie causes in her. The most wonderful Queen was so upset that she's forbidden the Princess to appear in front of her. All the world is disgusted by the later.

28th January: The quarrel between the Queen Mother and Princess Amalie continues. Her Majesty has now forbidden that her kitchen should continue to supply the princess with meals. Now the Princess must either invite herself to other tables or grill chicken at her fireplace. Thus, she asks me to hire a cook for her. One sees that the great ones are as prone to human weakness as the lowest mortals.

Whereas a year later, Amalie comes across very sympathetic. Mom is dead, the Queen is Elisabeth Christine, Lehndorff's nominal boss:

6. Princess Amalie back from Schwedt. She shows a very polite behavior. We will see whether this friendliness towards her fellow creatures will endure. I take my little brother-in-law with me to Schönhausen and show him all the sights of Berlin.

9. The Queen arrives in Schönhausen. She manages to make the stay there, which could be delicious, incredibly boring by entering all conversations without having anything interesting to say.

10. Dinner with Princess Amalie, who is infinitely benevolent. Since she's returned from Schwedt, she shows a kindness that delights everyone. May it keep! My little brother-in-law seems to like it here. He is dreading the day of his departure.

July: Princess Amalie, surprising in all things, has just managed to commit the most beautiful, the oddest and the most generous deed. Frau v. Maupertuis, has just learned that the state of her husband who is lying sick in Basel has become so much worse that she has decided to go to him to nurse him. HRH the Princess Amalie gives her 2000 Taler for the journey, as well as a diamond ring, and so that the staff of Frau v. Maupertuis is not neglected, she calls the lady's maid and tells her: "My child, be as good as to help me out of my dress." This happens, and she gives the maid the dress as a present, as well as a silver coffee ensemble.

(>This all happens during the Seven Years War, which the Prussians have realised won't end any time soon, so Amalie providing Madame de Maupertuis with the means to go to her husband really is a big deal.)

And this is Lehndorff describing Amalie's death in 1787, decades later:

30th. Around 5 pm, I want to drive to the Princess Sacken. When my people open the carriage for me, they call: "The Princess Amalie has died!" In my first shock, I have to think about the passage in Flechier where he describes the universal horror which the death of the Princess Henriette caused in France, and where he says: Night of horrors in which one heard the call: Madame is dead! Madame is no more!" Deeply sad, I arrive at the Princess Sacken's. The news I bring, no one wants to believe; one doubts and sends enquiries. But unfortunately, the sad news is confirmed. I would have gone immediately, but I had an invitation to the Queen Widow's, and so I go there. But at the foot of the stairs I already meet a servant of the Queen's, who tells she was deeply shaken and unable to receive anyone.
I meet up with old Count Podewils and bring him to the Gusow Podewils'place while I hurry to the mourning place. I find Madame de Maupertuis, the Fräuleins of Zerbst and v. Dönhoff and all belonging to the house in deep pain, added to which is the shock about the sudden death. At lunch the Princess was still doing well. Since eight days, she was complaining about a strong cough, but no one assumed a serious danger. Around 3 am Madame de Maupertuis was called, and she found her already without consciousness. Now the entire royal family was notified, and everyone rushed to her. But she was already gone. There was hardly any death struggle; she died in the arms of her first chamber woman, Fräulein Hartmann, in her 64th year of life. My pain is great. I've known her since forty years, and have been in her particular favor. She had very much esprit, but also many excentricities, and at any rate she had the mindset of a great princess, one can say, the Brandenburg mindset, which is very characteristic.
After having cried hot tears in the first floor, I went to the chamber women. They told me about several traits of the Princess and led me to the chamber where the royal corpse was lying. At such an opportunity, one can only exclaim: Vanity, vanity, all is vanity! This Princess, who had so many rich spiritual qualities, who had a great nature, a high flowing mind, she awoke the respect in everyone which her high birth alone would not have produced. There she lies stretched on a bed and regarded with melancholy by everyone. One only talks of the weakness of her body, which has housed such a beautiful soul. Since twenty years, she has been sick, and getting sicker. The food she ate had to be cut for her, since she had become paralysed. Morever, she had ordered a sick eye to be removed and did this with an amazing stoicism. Despite all this, she did not want to be at rest. Eighteen years ago, she had all the trees removed from her garden because she wanted to have an English Garden. People hinted she would not live to see the new garden, given her bad health, but her strong will kept her going, and I have seen her walk among the new plants.

BTW, Amalie ordering a sick eye to be removed in the 19th century has become Amalie destroying her own face for love of Trenck, which tells you something, but not about Amalie.