by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2020
Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth was the mistress of King George II of Great Britain from 1735 until the King died in 1760. She was the last British royal mistress to be granted a peerage title.
Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth.source: Wikipedia
Amalie Sophie Marianne von Wendt was born in Hanover on April 1, 1704 to General Johann Franz von Wendt and Friederike Charlotte von dem Bussche-Ippenburg. Her maternal grandmother Catherine had been the first mistress of the future King George I, and her grandmother’s older sister Clara had been the mistress of George I’s father, Duke Ernst August von Braunschweig-Lüneburg.
In 1727, Amalie married Count Adam Gottlieb von Wallmoden, the son of Count Ludwig von Wallmoden and Anna Elisabeth von Helmberg. The couple had two children:
- Franz Ernst von Wallmoden (1728 – 1776)
- Friederike von Wallmoden (1729 – 1800)
King George II of Great Britain. source: Wikipedia
Amalie met King George II in 1735 while he was visiting Hanover, and they quickly began an affair that would last for the next twenty-five years. Her husband was quickly paid off by the King to turn a blind eye to the affair, receiving a payment of 1,000 ducats. In 1736, Amalie gave birth to a son with the King, although the child was registered as being her husband’s child:
- Johann Ludwig von Wallmoden (1736-1811) – married (1) Charlotte von Wangenheim, had issue, widowed; (2) Baroness Luise Christiane von Liechtenstein, had issue
Thoroughly smitten with Amalie, King George II continued to visit Hanover specifically to see her. Correspondence shows that he discussed the relationship extensively with his wife, Queen Caroline, and his chief minister, Robert Walpole. Meanwhile, his constant absence from London was causing him to lose the support of many in Britain. Sensing this, Walpole encouraged Queen Caroline to suggest to her husband that he return to England and bring Amalie with him. The King, however, felt that it would be inappropriate and chose to continue his journeys back and forth to Hanover.
After the Queen died in 1737, George finally called for Amalie to join him in England. Upon her arrival in early 1738, Amalie was given apartments in St. James’s Palace – the King’s primary residence – as well as Kensington Palace. The following year, she was divorced from her husband, who received an annual pension of £4,000 from the King.
In 1740, Amalie became a naturalized citizen of Britain, and on March 24, 1740, she was granted a life peerage as Countess of Yarmouth and Baroness Yarmouth in the County of Norfolk in her own right. This would be the last time that a royal mistress in Britain would be given a peerage title.
Over the next 20 years, Amalie played a very prominent role in the King’s life and his court. Immensely discreet, she supported him unconditionally and as he aged and became frailer, she became a mediator between the King and his ministers. On the morning of October 25, 1760, King George II died at Kensington Palace of a thoracic aortic dissection. Amalie received an annuity of £10,000 and retained her apartments in the palace, but soon returned to her native Hanover. Nearly five years later, on October 19, 1765, Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth, died of breast cancer at the age of 61.
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