Given none of the other ambassadors reports any marital bliss between FW and SD in late 1730/early 1731, quite the contrary, I'm mentally translating that description to "FW was extra considerate to SD in the vain hope of getting laid again, but no dice".
Incidentally, I forgot to mention, in the December 2nd 1730 entry when Stratemann is still going along with the "Wilhelmine is just really sick, not locked up in her room" pretense, he has this rumor to tell: The said princess is still bound to her sickbed, and for a few days now has been inconvenienced with undescribably strong headaches, and feels pain her her arms and legs, which everyone ascribes to a great alteration, though the fact the execution of the late Lt. v. Katte has been hidden from her, despite her often asking about him. ("ob sie sich gleich öfters nach dessen Zustand erkundigt".
Now: I'm perfectly willing to believe Wilhemine had headaches along with being locked up. She suffered from migraines often in her life, and until shortly before Katte's execution, there was a real prospect her brother would be killed. If I'm right and Madame de Joucoulles, the governess for the three youngest princesses (Amalie, Ulrike, Sophie) was Stratemann's source for the stories about the royal family, she may have tried to earn her bribery money with some truths (Wilhelmine isn't doing so well), while keeping mum about the larger point (the public hasn't seen her for months because she's basically a prisoner, too). Or Stratemann is quite aware of that (after all, the British envoy in his simultanous reports is), but in his dispatches home to Braunschweig keeps with the official version because he doesn't want to risk the newly secured Charlotte engagement by pissing FW off if his mail is read. (Not to mention that he may or may not have already had his eyes on the main marital prize, Fritz, since obviously the English marriage would not happen, and FW would look for a bride elsewhere since Fritz was still his successor.)
...but that bit about Katte is what truly intrigues me, because I can't think of why either Stratemann or his source (whether or not the source is Joucoulles) should make that up. On the contrary, a story of Wilhelmine asking repeatedly how Katte is doing could be risky to her reputation (given that FW in the big homecoming scene accused her of having an affair with him), which Stratemann at no point gives the impression of wanting to do.
Re: The Braunschweig Perspective: Family Holidays
Incidentally, I forgot to mention, in the December 2nd 1730 entry when Stratemann is still going along with the "Wilhelmine is just really sick, not locked up in her room" pretense, he has this rumor to tell: The said princess is still bound to her sickbed, and for a few days now has been inconvenienced with undescribably strong headaches, and feels pain her her arms and legs, which everyone ascribes to a great alteration, though the fact the execution of the late Lt. v. Katte has been hidden from her, despite her often asking about him. ("ob sie sich gleich öfters nach dessen Zustand erkundigt".
Now: I'm perfectly willing to believe Wilhemine had headaches along with being locked up. She suffered from migraines often in her life, and until shortly before Katte's execution, there was a real prospect her brother would be killed. If I'm right and Madame de Joucoulles, the governess for the three youngest princesses (Amalie, Ulrike, Sophie) was Stratemann's source for the stories about the royal family, she may have tried to earn her bribery money with some truths (Wilhelmine isn't doing so well), while keeping mum about the larger point (the public hasn't seen her for months because she's basically a prisoner, too). Or Stratemann is quite aware of that (after all, the British envoy in his simultanous reports is), but in his dispatches home to Braunschweig keeps with the official version because he doesn't want to risk the newly secured Charlotte engagement by pissing FW off if his mail is read. (Not to mention that he may or may not have already had his eyes on the main marital prize, Fritz, since obviously the English marriage would not happen, and FW would look for a bride elsewhere since Fritz was still his successor.)
...but that bit about Katte is what truly intrigues me, because I can't think of why either Stratemann or his source (whether or not the source is Joucoulles) should make that up. On the contrary, a story of Wilhelmine asking repeatedly how Katte is doing could be risky to her reputation (given that FW in the big homecoming scene accused her of having an affair with him), which Stratemann at no point gives the impression of wanting to do.