Her position as visibly neglected by the royal couple made her a natural center for the opposition. In 1768, she participated in the banishment of the king's mistress Støvlet-Cathrine, who was believed to have influence over the king. By 1770, her stepson King Christian VII of Denmark, had become insane and the power had fallen in the hands of his consort Caroline Matilda of Great Britain and her lover Johann Friedrich Struensee. They had liberal political views and issued a series of democratic reforms that raised the opposition to the nobility.