Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Karl of Prussia was the son of Frederick William II of Prussia and Frederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt.

Frederick William II was king of Prussia from 1786 until his death in 1797. He was in personal union with the prince-elector of Brandenburg and sovereign prince of the Canton of Neuchâtel. As a defensive reaction to the French Revolution, Frederick William II ended the German Dualism between Prussia and Austria. Domestically, he turned away from the enlightened style of government of his predecessor and introduced a tightened system of censorship and religious control. The king was an important patron of the arts especially in the field of music. As a skilled cellist he enjoyed the dedication of various cello-centric compositions by composers Mozart, Haydn, Boccherini and Beethoven. He was also responsible for some of the most notable architecture in Prussia, including the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, the Marble Palace and Orangery in the New Garden, Potsdam.