Author Archives: Scott

Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick, Mistress of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick, was the mistress of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom from 1889 until 1898, while he was The Prince of Wales. A renowned social hostess, she later put much of her time and effort – and fortune – into helping those less fortunate.

Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick – source: Wikipedia

Frances Evelyn “Daisy” Maynard was born in London on December 10, 1861, the daughter of Col. Charles Maynard and Blanche FitzRoy. Her father was the son and heir of Henry Maynard, 3rd Viscount Maynard. Daisy’s father Charles died several months before his father, resulting in the VIscountcy Maynard becoming extinct. As the elder child, Daisy inherited the majority of the Maynard estates and fortune. Daisy’s mother was descended from King Charles II in several different ways, through his mistresses Nell Gwyn, Barbara Palmer and Louise de Kéroualle.

Daisy had one younger sister:

  • Blanche Maynard (1864) – married Col. Lord Algernon Gordon-Lennox, had issue

Two years after being widowed, Daisy’s mother married Robert St Clair-Erskine, 4th Earl of Rosslyn, a favorite of Queen Victoria. Through this marriage, Daisy had five half-siblings:

Having inherited her paternal grandfather’s estates and fortune in 1865, including the family seat, Easton Lodge in Essex, Daisy was greatly pursued as a potential bride. One prominent possibility was a marriage to Queen Victoria’s youngest son Prince Leopold. The Queen herself wanted to arrange a marriage, but it never came to be. Instead, Daisy fell in love with Leopold’s aide-de-camp Francis Greville.

Francis Greville, 5th Earl of Warwick. source: Wikipedia

On April 30, 1881, Daisy and Francis were married at Westminster Abbey, with several members of the Royal Family in attendance including The Prince and Princess of Wales. Daisy’s new husband was the eldest son and heir of George Greville, 4th Earl of Warwick and Lady Anne Wemyss-Charteris, daughter of the 9th Earl of Wemyss. Following their marriage, the couple lived at Easton Lodge, and after her husband succeeded as 5th Earl of Warwick in 1893, they moved to Warwick Castle.

Daisy and Francis had five children:

  • Leopold Guy Greville, 6th Earl of Warwick (1882) – married Elfrida Marjorie Eden, had issue
  • Marjorie Blanche Greville (1884) – married (1) Charles Duncombe, 2nd Earl of Feversham, had issue; (2) Sir William Gervase Beckett, 2nd Baronet, had issue
  • The Hon. Charles Greville (1885) – died in childhood
  • The Hon. Maynard Greville (1898) – married Dora Pape, had issue
  • Lady Mercy Greville (1904) – married (1) Basil Dean, had issue; (2) Patrick Gamble, no issue; (3) Richard Marter, no issue

It is believed that only the couple’s first child was the legitimate child of Daisy’s husband. She alleged Lord Charles Beresford was the father of her elder daughter Marjorie and it is possible that her son Charles was also Beresford’s child. Her last two children were fathered by Joe Laycock, a wealthy bachelor with whom Daisy maintained a long-term affair despite his wandering ways.

The Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII; Credit – Wikipedia

Quickly rising in the ranks of London society, Daisy became one of the most celebrated hostesses amongst the Marlborough House Set – the upper echelon of society led by the Prince and Princess of Wales. When her affair with Charles Beresford became a public scandal in 1889, Daisy turned to the Prince of Wales for advice and support. This quickly turned into an affair that would last for nine years. The Prince would often visit her at Easton Lodge, where she had a rail station built closer to the house to make it easier for him to come and go more discreetly. After her husband succeeded his father as Earl of Warwick in 1893, the Prince of Wales became less discreet about his relationship with Daisy, often attending the theatre and other events together. This led to the Princess of Wales, who had formerly enjoyed Daisy’s company, to refuse to include Daisy in any further social events at Marlborough House and Sandringham.

After ending her affair with the Prince of Wales, Daisy threw herself into philanthropic work. Getting involved with the Social Democratic Federation, she fought for better working conditions, salaries, and education for women and those less fortunate. Within several years, she had depleted much of the fortune she had inherited from her grandfather, however, she refused an offer to write her memoirs and discuss her relationship with the then-King Edward VII. But after he died in 1910, her debt continued to increase and she began to consider the possibility of publishing her private letters. Her threats to publish them in the hopes of getting a financial settlement from the new King George V were unsuccessful. The King’s lawyers took the matter to court where it was decided that the Crown held the copyright to those letters and they could not be published in the United Kingdom. A subsequent threat to publish the letters in the United States was more successful. British politician Arthur Du Cros paid off a large amount of Daisy’s debt in exchange for the letters.

Daisy, Countess of Warwick in her later years. source: The Peerage

Having survived her husband for 24 years, The Dowager Countess of Warwick died at Easton Lodge on July 26, 1938, at the age of 76. She is buried at the Collegiate Church of Saint Mary in Warwick, England.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Lady Randolph Churchill, Mistress of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Jennie Jerome was an American socialite who was briefly the mistress of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, among others. Through her first marriage, she was the mother of Prime Minister Winston Churchill. She is also reported to have had affairs with King Milan I of Serbia, Prince Karl Kinsky, and Herbert von Bismark.

Jennie Jerome – source: Wikipedia

Jeanette “Jennie” Jerome was born in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, New York on January 9, 1854, one of four daughters of Leonard Jerome and Clarissa “Clara” Hall. Leonard Jerome had become a very wealthy and prominent financier and stock speculator, earning the nickname “King of Wall Street” for the number of fortunes he made and lost through the years. Despite his losses, he always managed to recover and earn even more, providing his family with a very lavish lifestyle. The family’s home in New York City, the Jerome Mansion, was one of the prominent homes in the area and included a theatre that could seat 600 people.

Jennie had three sisters:

As was common at the time, Jennie’s mother took Jennie and her sisters to Europe, settling for some time in Paris before moving on to London in 1870 after the German invasion of France. In London, Jennie first met The Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, and began a passionate affair that lasted for about two years. Jennie and The Prince of Wales remained close for the rest of his life and continued to see each other on occasion. She would be one of three former mistresses of The Prince of Wales to be invited to attend his coronation, joining Lillie Langtry and Sarah Bernhardt in a box at Westminster Abbey to view the ceremony.

Lord Randolph Churchill. source: Wikipedia

While attending a sailing regatta on the Isle of Wight in August 1873, Jennie was introduced (by The Prince of Wales) to her future first husband. Lord Randolph Spencer-Churchill was a younger son of John Winston Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough and Lady Frances Anne Vane. The couple was engaged within just three days, but it took several months for their parents to agree to a financial settlement. The Spencer-Churchills opposed the marriage, but after a $250,000 (several million dollars today) dowry was offered,  they quickly agreed to the marriage. The couple was married at the British Embassy in Paris on April 15, 1874, and Jennie became Jennie Jerome. The family surname was Spencer-Churchill, but they were known simply as Churchill.

Jennie with her two sons, c1889. source: Wikipedia

The couple had two sons:

George Cornwallis-West. source: Wikipedia

Lord Randolph Churchill died in 1895 and within a few years, Jennie met her next husband. She was introduced to George Cornwallis-West while attending a party held by The Countess of Warwick (another of Edward VII’s mistresses). Cornwallis-West, a member of the Scots Guards,  was just two weeks older than Jennie’s elder son, but the two quickly began a relationship. He was the son of William Cornwallis-West, a prominent politician, and Mary “Patsy” FitzPatrick, an Irish aristocrat who had once been the lover of the future King Edward VII in the early 1870s. George had two sisters. His elder sister, Daisy, married Prince Hans Heinrich XV von Hochberg, Prince of Pless. His younger sister, Constance (born in 1876) was the first wife of Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster.

Jennie and George were married on July 28, 1900, at St. Paul’s Church in Knightsbridge, London. At first, the marriage was happy but within about ten years the marriage began to show signs of strain. Jennie and George separated in 1912 and were divorced on April 1, 1914. Jennie returned to her former name, Lady Randolph Churchill and George Cornwallis-West married Stella Campbell, a noted stage actress.

Montagu Porch in later life. photo: By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64490806

Four years later, on June 1, 1918, Jennie married a third time. Her new husband was Montagu Phippen Porch. Porch, a former member of the British Army, had served with the Colonial Service since 1906 and was three years younger than Jennie’s son Winston. Porch continued to serve in the British Army until the end of World War I, devoting his time to several successful ventures in Africa. Following Jennie’s death, Porch returned to Africa for some time and remarried in 1926 to Donna Guilia Patrizi, the daughter of the Marchese Patrizi della Rocco. After being widowed again in 1938, he returned to England until he died in 1964.

Lady Randolph Churchill, c1899. source: Wikipedia

After breaking her ankle in May 1921, Jennie suffered from gangrene and had to have her lower leg amputated in June 1921. Two weeks later, on June 29, 1921, she died at her home in London as a result of a hemorrhage in her thigh. Jennie is buried in the Spencer-Churchill family plot at St. Martin’s Church, Bladon, alongside her first husband, her two sons, and their families.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Lillie Langtry, Mistress of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Lillie Langtry was the mistress of the future King Edward VII (while he was Prince of Wales) from 1877-1880. A married socialite at the time, she later embarked on a career in the theatre, with the encouragement and support of the Prince. She also took several other lovers, including Prince Louis of Battenberg, the Prince of Wales’s future nephew-by-marriage, who possibly fathered her only child.

Lillie Langtry; Credit – Wikipedia

Lillie Langtry was born Emilie Charlotte “Lillie” Le Breton on October 13, 1853, at the Old Rectory at St. Saviour Church on the Island of Jersey, part of the United Kingdom. She was the only daughter of the Very Reverend William Corbet Le Breton and his wife Emilie Martin Davis. Her father was the Rector at St. Saviour and also served as Dean of Jersey. Lillie had six brothers:

  • Francis Corbet Le Breton (1843) – unmarried
  • William Inglis Le Breton (1846) – married Elizabeth Price, had issue
  • Trevor Alexander Le Breton (1847) – unmarried
  • Maurice Vavasour Le Breton (1849) – unmarried
  • Clement Martin Le Breton (1851) – married Alice Jones, had issue
  • Reginald Le Breton (1855) – unmarried

On March 9, 1874, Lillie married Edward Langtry, a wealthy Irish landowner who had recently been widowed. They had known each other just six weeks but shared a love of sailing and bonded very quickly. Later in life, Lillie would jokingly say that “to become mistress of the yacht, I married the owner.” The couple moved to London, where Lillie soon became part of the London society scene. The couple remained married until 1897 but had been estranged for many years. Having become an American citizen in 1897, Lillie successfully filed for divorce from Langtry, who died several months later.

Upon her arrival in London, Lillie soon found herself amidst London’s high society. Her beauty caught the eye of the artist Frank Miles, who soon asked Lillie to sit for a portrait.   The portrait was purchased by Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany the younger brother of The Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII. Lillie also sat for portraits by several other artists, leading to her quick entrance into the highest ranks of society.

The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII. source: Wikipedia

In May 1877, Lillie attended a dinner party that was also attended by The Prince of Wales, who had arranged to be seated next to her.  Soon, the two began a relationship that would last until June 1880. However, she also had several other relationships during this time. One lover was The Earl of Shrewsbury, who she began seeing in July 1879. This relationship led to some media speculation that her husband was planning to divorce her and name the Prince of Wales as one of the co-respondents. The Prince quickly sued the journalist who was later sentenced to prison for his allegations. Other lovers during this time were Prince Louis of Battenberg (who would later marry the Prince of Wales’s niece, Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine), and Arthur Jones, the brother of Lilly’s sister-in-law. One of these affairs led to Lilly becoming pregnant in mid-1880. Lilly told Prince Louis that he was the father, and he was quickly dispatched to a warship with the Royal Navy. However, Lilly left for Paris – along with Arthur Jones – thanks to funding from The Prince of Wales. She gave birth to a daughter – Jeanne Marie – on March 8, 1881. It is most likely that Jones was the child’s father, but it was never confirmed. Prince Louis’s son Earl Mountbatten stated numerous times that he believed his father was the biological father.

Lillie’s pregnancy ended her affair with The Prince of Wales, but the two would remain in occasional contact and the Prince often used his influence to help her in her future career. In 1881, back in London, Lillie found herself in financial distress. A close friend, writer Oscar Wilde, suggested she try the theatre. She began with a local amateur theatre and soon made her debut at the Haymarket Theatre in London. Lillie quickly became a success, starting her own theatre company which toured throughout Europe and the United States over the next 26 years. She retired from the stage in 1917.

During her time in the United States, Lillie had a long-term affair with an American, Frederick Gebhard, who introduced Lillie to horse racing. Together the two bought a stable of horses which they trained and raced throughout the United States. She later became involved with George Alexander Baird, a very wealthy gentleman in the horse-racing world. After his death several years later, Lillie purchased several of his horses and some of his properties. By 1919, finding that horse racing was more of a financial drain than an income, Lillie sold all her horses and interests and moved to Monaco.

Lillie in 1915; Credit – Wikipedia

Two years after divorcing her first husband, Lillie married a second time. On July 27, 1899, at St. Saviour’s Church in Jersey, Lillie married Hugo Gerald de Bathe with just her daughter and the officials present. Eighteen years her junior, de Bathe had seven older siblings, but as he was the firstborn after his parents’ marriage, he was the heir to his father’s Baronetcy. He succeeded his father as 5th Baronet and inherited a large portfolio of properties in Sussex, Devon and Ireland. These in Sussex included Woodend, a 17-bedroom property on 71 acres, Hollandsfield, a 10-bedroom property on 52 acres, and Balsom’s Farm which consisted of 206 acres. The couple used Woodend as their primary residence. All of the properties were later sold, in 1919.

Lillie remained in close contact with The Prince of Wales and was a guest at his Coronation, sitting alongside Sarah Bernhardt and Lady Randolph Churchill. She was also a guest at his funeral in 1910.

In her later years, Lady de Bathe, as she was known after 1907, lived primarily in Monaco while her husband lived in nearby Vence, Alpes Maritimes. De Bathe later served as an ambulance driver with the French Red Cross during World War I. Instead of her husband, Lillie’s main companion was her dear friend Mathilde Marie Peat who inherited a large part of Langtry’s estate including a bequest of £10,000, her home in Monaco. Villa le Lys, and her car.

Emilie Charlotte “Lillie” Langtry, Lady de Bathe, died of pneumonia in Monaco in the early morning of February 12, 1929. She was 75 years old. Per her wishes, she was buried along with her parents at St. Saviour’s Church in Jersey.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Dorothea Jordan, Mistress of King William IV of the United Kingdom

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Dorothea Jordan was the mistress of the future King William IV of the United Kingdom from 1790 until 1811. William was the Duke of Clarence at the time.

Dorothea Jordan; Credit – Wikipedia

Dorothea Bland was born on November 21, 1761, in County Waterford, Ireland, the daughter of Francis Bland, a stagehand, and his mistress Grace Phillips, an actress. She had five siblings:

  • George Bland (c.1758-1807) – married Maria Theresa Romanzini, had issue
  • Hester Bland (1760-1848) – unmarried
  • Lucy Bland (c.1763-1778) – unmarried
  • Francis Bland (c.1765 – ?) – unmarried
  • Nathaniel Phillips Bland (c.1766-1830) – married Phoebe James, no issue

In 1774, Dorothea’s father abandoned his family to marry someone else. He continued to support the family, on the condition that they didn’t use his surname, so Dorothea took her mother’s name, becoming known as Dorothea Phillips. Around this time, her mother encouraged Dorothea to enter the theater, and within just a few years, she began to draw large crowds for her performances. She left Ireland in 1782 while pregnant with her first child, and moved to Leeds. It was at this point that she took the name Jordan. She performed for three years with the York Company, before being lured away in 1785 to move to the Royal Theatre, Drury Lane in London. By then, Dorothea was becoming a very popular performer and could be counted on to bring large crowds every night. It was at Drury Lane that her life would come to the attention of The Duke of Clarence several years later.

During her stage career, and before meeting the Duke of Clarence, Dorothea had several relationships, resulting in at least four children. In the early 1780s, she became involved with Richard Daly, the married manager of the Theatre Royal in Cork, and had a daughter:

  • Frances Daly (1782-1821) – married Thomas Alsop, no issue

Other lovers included an Army Lieutenant, Charles Doyne, who proposed to her but she declined. She went to work for a theater company run by Tate Wilkinson, with whom she also had a brief affair. It was then that she took on the stage name ‘Mrs. Jordan’. After that relationship ended, she fell in love with another actor, George Inchbald, but that relationship also ended in heartbreak.

In 1786, after leaving Inchbald, Dorothea began an affair with Sir Richard Ford, a magistrate and lawyer who promised that he would marry her. This relationship resulted in three children:

  • Dorothea Maria Ford (1787) – married Frederick March
  • unnamed son (1788) – died at birth
  • Lucy Hester Ford (1789) – married General Sir Samuel Hawker, had issue

Dorothea realized that Ford would not marry her, and she ended their affair in 1790.  Soon after that, she began her relationship with The Duke of Clarence, the son of King George III. Her children moved in with her sister Hester, and Dorothea transferred much of her savings to provide for the children’s upbringing and education, in addition to providing them with an annual allowance.

The Duke of Clarence (later King William IV); source: Wikipedia

In 1790, Dorothea was first noticed by The Duke of Clarence (later King William IV) while performing at Drury Lane. They quickly began an affair that would last for the next 21 years. Dorothea moved in with the Duke at his home, Clarence Lodge in Roehampton, and later they moved to Bushy House in Bushy Park, Richmond upon Thames.

King William IV and Dorothea Jordan had ten children. Nine of the ten children were named after nine of William’s fourteen siblings. The tenth child was given William’s middle name Henry. The children were given the surname FitzClarence.

The children of King William IV and Dorothea had an elder half-brother, William Henry Courtney, born around 1788 to an unknown mother, and named after his father whose given names were William Henry. Dorothea cared for William, and she was fond of him and he was fond of her. William served in the Royal Navy from 1803 until 1807 when his ship HMS Blenheim was lost in a gale off Madagascar. Despite an extensive search, no trace of the ship was ever found. 590 men were lost aboard HMS Blenheim, including King William IV’s eldest illegitimate son nineteen-year-old William Henry Courtney.

William ensured Dorothea was well taken care of, providing her with an annual allowance of £1,200 and allowing her to continue performing on the stage in London and around England. Aside from her career, Dorothea was very content to enjoy the family life she had always wanted and kept out of political matters completely.

William and Dorothea’s children married into the British aristocracy and their many descendants include these notable people:

By 1811, William was pressured by his family to find a suitable wife. At the time he was fourth in line for the throne following his elder brother, the future King George IV, George’s daughter, Princess Charlotte of Wales, and his next oldest brother, The Duke of York. William gave in to the pressure and ended his relationship with Dorothea, but again made sure she was very well provided for. He gave her an annual allowance of £4,400 (half of which was designated for the welfare of their children), and she kept custody of their daughters while he retained custody of their sons. The one condition he insisted upon was that to receive that money annually, she could not return to the theatre. This arrangement lasted just three years before Dorothea returned to the stage in 1814, to earn money to help settle the extensive debts of her son-in-law Thomas Alsop. Hearing this, William took back custody of their daughter and canceled her annual stipend.

Dorothea performed for just a year before retiring in 1815. Still in debt, she sold her house and moved to France to escape her creditors, settling in Saint-Cloud, just outside Paris. After losing much of her savings when her eldest daughter and her husband ran up large debts in Dorothea’s name, her health quickly began to decline. Virtually penniless, Dorothea Jordan died in Saint-Cloud, France on July 5, 1816, at the age of 54. She is buried in the local cemetery in Saint-Cloud.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Elizabeth Conyngham, Marchioness Conyngham, Mistress of King George IV of The United Kingdom

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Elizabeth Conyngham, Marchioness Conyngham was the last mistress of King George IV of the United Kingdom, from 1820 until the King died in 1830.

Elizabeth Conyngham, Marchioness Conyngham – source: Wikipedia

Elizabeth Denison was born on July 31, 1769, the eldest child of Joseph Denison, a wealthy banker, and his wife Elizabeth Butler. She had two younger siblings:

On July 5, 1794 at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church in Covent Garden, London, Elizabeth married Henry Burton Conyngham, Viscount Conyngham (later the 1st Marquess Conyngham). Viscount Conyngham was created Earl Conyngham and Viscount Mount Charles in the Irish peerage in 1797. In 1800, he was one of the original Irish representative peers to sit in the British House of Lords and was installed in the Order of St. Patrick in 1801. He served as Governor of County Donegal from 1803 until 1831, and in 1816 was created Marquess of Conyngham, Earl of Mount Charles, and Viscount Slane in the Irish peerage. In 1821, he was created Baron Minster of Minster Abbey in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, became a member of the Privy Council and was appointed Lord Steward. In 1829, he was named Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle and served until he died in 1832. Elizabeth and her husband had five children:

According to the Duke of Wellington (to whom Elizabeth had become mistress in 1817), Elizabeth had expressed the desire to become the mistress of the Prince of Wales as early as 1806. Through the Duke of Wellington, she was introduced to the British court and caught the attention of the future King. By 1820, she had become his primary mistress, having replaced her friend, the Marchioness of Hertford. The aging king was besotted with Elizabeth, going so far as to ensure she was nearby at his coronation, reportedly winking and smiling at her during most of the ceremony. Quickly Elizabeth began to hold great influence over the new King, however, she avoided political matters, instead, she focused on the personal and financial gain of herself and her family. Her husband benefited greatly from the relationship – he was elevated to Marquess and received several positions within the royal household. One of her sons was made a Groom of the Bedchamber and Master of the Robes to the King, and of course, Elizabeth herself received lavish and expensive gifts as well, including some priceless jewelry from the royal vaults.

King George IV. source: Wikipedia

King George IV provided housing for Elizabeth and her family at Windsor Castle and the Brighton Pavilion. He ensured they traveled with him when he moved from one residence to another. Elisabeth was given full use of the King’s horses and carriages, and most of the large dinners held at her London townhouse were prepared in the kitchens of St. James’s Palace. To King George IV, nothing was ‘off limits’ for his beloved Elizabeth. Such was the King’s devotion to her that he bequeathed her all his plate and jewels although she refused them when he died.

However, it would all end on the morning of June 26, 1830, when King George IV died at Windsor Castle. By the following day, Elizabeth had packed her belongings and left Windsor for her brother’s home before traveling to Paris, reportedly expelled from the country by the new King William IV.

St. Mary’s Church, Patrixbourne. photo: By John Salmon, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2747370

Widowed in 1832, Elizabeth remained in Paris until the death of William IV in 1837. She returned to the family’s Bifrons estate in the village of Patrixbourne, near Canterbury, where she lived the remainder of her life. The Dowager Marchioness Conyngham died at Bifrons on October 11, 1861, at the age of 92, having survived all but one of her children. She is buried alongside her husband at St. Mary’s Church in Patrixbourne.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Isabella Ingram-Seymour-Conway, Marchioness of Hertford, Mistress of King George IV of The United Kingdom

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Isabella Ingram-Seymour-Conway, Marchioness of Hertford was the mistress of the future King George IV of the United Kingdom from 1807-1819.

Isabella Ingram-Seymour-Conway, Marchioness of Hertford source: Wikipedia

Isabella Anne Ingram was born in London on July 7, 1759, the eldest of five daughters of Charles Ingram, 9th Viscount of Irvine and Frances Shepherd. Charles Ingram was a prominent landowner and politician and served as a Groom of the Bedchamber to King George III from 1756 until 1763. Isabella had four younger sisters:

On May 20, 1776, she married Francis Seymour-Conway, Viscount Beauchamp, the eldest son of Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford, and Lady Isabella Fitzroy, a daughter of the 2nd Duke of Grafton. Beauchamp would later succeed his father as 2nd Marquess of Hertford in 1794.

Francis spent much of his life in politics and public service. He served in the Irish House of Commons from 1761-1776 and held the position of Chief Secretary for Ireland under his father, who served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1765-1766. He was a Lord of the Treasury from 1774-1780, and then Cofferer of the Household until 1782. A member of the Privy Council, he was appointed Master of the Horse in 1804, and Lord Chamberlain of the Household from 1812-1821.

Isabella and her husband had one son:

Ragley Hall. photo: By DeFacto – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57719761

The Seymour-Conways were one of the wealthiest families in Britain, with an extensive portfolio of land and properties throughout England, Ireland and Wales. Future generations would amass an extensive art collection that would later be left to the nation. Known as the Wallace Collection, it is housed at the former Hertford House, the family’s townhouse in London. In addition to their London home, Isabella and her husband also inherited Ragley Hall in Warwickshire, which would later become one of the first stately homes in Britain to be opened to the public, and Sudbourne Hall in Suffolk.

It was around 1806 when The Prince of Wales began to notice and pursue Isabella. At the time, the Prince was engaged in a legal battle over the guardianship of Minney Seymour, a ward of his mistress (and wife) Maria Fitzherbert. Using his influence, he had Isabella and her husband named as guardians to the young girl, with the assurance that Maria Fitzherbert would continue to raise her. It was then that he began to notice Lady Hertford. Despite her initial refusal, she soon replaced Mrs. Fitzherbert as the Prince’s mistress. Their relationship lasted for 12 years, during which time the Prince often visited Isabella at Ragley Hall and Hertford House. He had also visited her at Temple Newsam, in Leeds, where he gifted Isabella with some Chinese wallpaper and some tapestries.

Temple Newsam. source: Wikipedia

Temple Newsam had been the ancestral home of the Viscounts of Irvine. Following her father’s death, the property went to Isabella’s mother, and then passed to Isabella in 1807 upon her mother’s death. It was at that point that Isabella and her husband added ‘Ingram’ to their surname, becoming Ingram-Seymour-Conway. Temple Newsam had a rich history of royal connections. Perhaps the most widely known is that it was the birthplace of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, the husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, and father of King James IV of Scotland/James I of England.

In 1819, Isabella’s relationship with the Prince ended, as she was replaced by the Marchioness of Conyngham, who would become his last official mistress. Following her husband’s death in 1822, Isabella retreated to the family’s homes, spending much of her time at Temple Newsam and Ragley Hall, and living a relatively quiet life. She died at Ragley Hall on April 12, 1834, having lived through the entire reign of her former lover as King George IV and the succession of his younger brother, King William IV. She is buried at the Holy Trinity Church in Arrow, Warwickshire, near Ragley Hall.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey, Mistress of King George IV of The United Kingdom

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey was one of the mistresses of King George IV of the United Kingdom from 1793 until 1807.

Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey – source: Wikipedia

Frances Twysden was born in London on February 25, 1753, the daughter of the late Rt. Rev. Dr. Philip Twysden, Lord Bishop of Raphoe, and his second wife, Frances Carter. Rev. Twysden was a younger son of Sir William Twysden, 5th Baronet of Roydon Hall. He died in November 1752, before Frances’s birth, after allegedly being shot while trying to rob a stagecoach. She had one older sister, Mary (born 1751), who died in infancy.

On March 26, 1770, Frances married George Bussy Villiers, 4th Earl of Jersey, who was more than twice her age. Villers had served in the House of Commons from 1756 until 1769 when he inherited the Earldom and took his seat in the House of Lords. He was a Lord of the Admiralty from 1761-1763, became a member of the Privy Council in 1765, and served as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household from 1765-1770. After becoming the 4th Earl in 1769, he served as a Gentleman of the Bedchamber to King George III from 1769-1777, Master of the Buckhounds from 1782-1783, and several other positions at court over the next 30 years. He would later be appointed Master of the Horse to the Prince of Wales in 1795. Frances and Villiers had ten children:

The Prince of Wales, circa 1798. source: Wikipedia

Frances began her affair with the Prince of Wales in 1793, following a string of other discreet affairs she had had with others, including Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle, and William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire – the husband of her close friend Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. By that time, George was secretly married to Maria Fitzherbert, but his wandering eye could not be kept in check. By the following year, Frances had convinced the Prince to end his relationship with Mrs. Fitzherbert and encouraged him to marry his future wife, Caroline of Brunswick. George and Caroline married in 1795, and Frances was appointed a Lady of the Bedchamber to the new Princess of Wales. Frances and George continued their affair and before long, he brought Mrs. Fitzherbert back into his life as well. The two disliked each other greatly, but the Prince continued his affairs with both. Then, a new mistress made her appearance, The Marchioness of Hertford soon replaced Frances as the Prince of Wales’s mistress. By 1807, Frances lost her royal household position and left the court completely.

Having been widowed in 1805 and left with little financial means, Frances struggled to maintain the lifestyle expected of someone of her rank. She benefited only from the generosity of her son who increased her annual income and often paid off her debts.

The Dowager Countess of Jersey died in Cheltenham on July 25, 1821, at the age of 68. She is buried in the Villiers Family vault in Middleton Stoney, Oxfordshire.

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Princess Delphine of Belgium

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

HRH Princess Delphine of Belgium – formerly known as Delphine Boël – is the illegitimate daughter of King Albert II of Belgium and his longtime mistress, Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps.

Delphine and her daughter in 2008; photo: By Luc Van Braekel – https://www.flickr.com/photos/lucvanbraekel/2407637011/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26839140

Delphine Boël was born in Uccle, Brussels, Belgium on February 22, 1968, the daughter of Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps and the then-Prince of Liège (the future Albert II, King of the Belgians). Sybille and Albert began an affair around 1964 which reportedly continued until 1982.  At the time of Delphine’s birth, Sybille was married to Jacques Boël, who was listed on the birth certificate as the child’s father. Her parents divorced in 1978, and four years later, her mother remarried. At that time, Delphine and her mother moved to London.

Delphine’s mother, Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps, in a television interview in 2013. source: VRT News

Delphine attended the Institut le Rosey, an exclusive boarding school in Switzerland, before enrolling at the Chelsea School of Art and Design in London, graduating with a degree in Fine Arts. She has worked as an artist for many years and has had numerous exhibitions of her work in Europe.

In 2003, Delphine married James O’Hare, an American, and the couple had two children, who are now a Prince and Princess of Belgium:

  • Princess Joséphine of Belgium (born 2003)
  • Prince Oscar of Belgium (born 2008)

Having had several exhibitions of her work in Belgium already, Delphine and her family moved to Brussels in 2003. After the move, her public profile began to rise again because of her art and her alleged relationship to King Albert II.

In 1999, in a biography of Queen Paola, the first public allegation was made of Sybille’s affair with King Albert II and the subsequent birth of their daughter. The Belgian royal court quickly dismissed the report as “gossip”, but King Albert seemed to refer to the situation later that year. In his Christmas message, he spoke of a “crisis” in his marriage some thirty years earlier that they had overcome, but of which they had been recently reminded. That would be the last public statement on the matter for many years.

Albert, Prince of Liege, c1964. source: Wikipedia

In May 2005, Delphine stated in an interview that she was King Albert’s daughter, having been told this by her mother when she reached the age of 18. She said that the future King had continued his relationship with her mother until around 1982 when he abruptly ended things and cut off all contact with them. She also alleged that when she and her mother moved to England, Albert thought about divorcing his wife and joining them, but Sybille was against the idea due to the impact it would have on Albert and his future role in the monarchy.

In June 2013, Delphine filed a lawsuit to prove, through DNA testing, that she was King Albert’s biological child. The King was named in the suit, however, he had complete immunity from prosecution at the time, so she also named two of his legitimate children Philippe and Astrid. When King Albert II abdicated in September of that year, she withdrew the suit against Philippe and Astrid, now being able to file against the former King. In 2017, her claim was initially rejected, but that was overturned in October 2018 by the Court of Appeal. Based on DNA testing, it was proven that Jacques Boël was not her father, thus furthering her claims. The former King was instructed to provide a DNA sample, but he appealed that ruling. Again, the Court of Appeal upheld the order in May 2019 and imposed a fine of €5,000 per day until King Albert complied. Within weeks, a DNA sample was provided for testing, and in January 2020, the former King finally acknowledged that he was Delphine’s biological father, as proven by the DNA testing.

On October 1, 2020, the Belgian Court of Appeal ruled that Delphine and her children are entitled to the style and title of HRH Prince/Princess of Belgium, and can use the former King’s surname of Saxe-Coburg. In addition, she is legally entitled to inherit one-quarter of the former King’s estate, a share equal to that of his three legitimate children. She is still considered illegitimate (born out of wedlock) and as such, Delphine and her descendants are not in the line of succession to the Belgian throne.

Half-siblings Princess Delphine and Philippe, King of the Belgians meet for the first time; Credit – Belgian Monarchy Facebook

On October 9, 2020, Princess Delphine met her half-brother Philippe, King of the Belgians for the first time at Laeken Castle, the king’s residence. A common message from King Philippe and Princess Delphine was posted on Facebook: “This Friday, October 9th, we met for the first time at Laeken Castle. Our meeting was warm. We had the opportunity to get to know each other during a long and rich exchange that allowed us to talk about each other’s lives and shared interests. This bond will now develop in a family setting.”

A photo made available by the Belgian Royal Palace of Queen Paola, King Albert, and Princess Delphine; Credit – Belgium Royal Palace

On October 25, 2020, King Albert and his wife Queen Paola met with Princess Delphine for the first time since she was recognized as a royal at Belvédère Castle in Brussels. A joint statement by all three was released: “On Sunday, October 25, a new chapter began, filled with emotions, appeasement, understanding and also of hope. Our meeting took place at Belvédère Castle, a meeting during which each of us was able to express our feelings and experiences serenely and with empathy. After the turmoil, suffering, and hurt, it is time for forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation. Together we decided to take this new path. This will take patience and effort, but we are determined.”

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Maria FItzherbert, Mistress of King George IV of The United Kingdom

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Maria Fitzherbert was the mistress of The Prince of Wales (later King George IV of the United Kingdom) from 1784 until 1794 and again from 1798 until 1807. The couple married secretly in 1785, however, the marriage was not considered legal as it had not received the approval of the Sovereign as required under the Royal Marriages Act.

Maria Fitzherbert. source: Wikipedia

Maria Anne Smythe was born on July 26, 1756, at Tong Castle in Shropshire, England, the eldest child of Walter Smythe, a younger son of Sir John Smythe, 3rd Baronet, and Mary Ann Errington. Her siblings included:

  • John Smythe (born 1758) – married, had issue
  • Frances Smythe (born circa 1760) – married Sir Carnaby Haggerston, 5th Baronet, had issue

Maria’s husband, Edward Weld. source: Wikipedia

In 1774, Maria married Edward Weld, a wealthy widower, twice her age. He was the son of Edward Weld and Mary Theresa Vaughan. Following his father’s death in 1761, Edward became one of the wealthiest men in England, having inherited Lulworth Castle in Dorset along with many other properties and villages. Maria became a very wealthy woman upon her marriage, but it was not to last. Just three months after their marriage, Edward died of injuries he sustained after falling from his horse. He had not yet signed a new will to provide for his wife, and his entire estate passed to his younger brother.

Left without any financial resources, Maria soon sought a new husband as soon as it was acceptable. In 1777, she married Thomas Fitzherbert, the son of Thomas Fitzherbert and Mary Theresa Throckmorton. The couple had one son who died in infancy, and Maria was once again widowed when her husband died on May 7, 1781. However, this time she was provided for, as Fitzherbert left her an annuity of £1,000 per year and a home in Mayfair, London.

The Prince of Wales, c1781. source: Wikipedia

After spending several years traveling throughout Europe, she returned to England in early 1784. One evening in March, she attended the opera with her uncle and was briefly introduced to the Prince of Wales, the future King George IV. Quickly enamored, the Prince pursued Maria relentlessly. Soon she was accepting invitations to visit him at Carlton House, his home in London, next to St. James’s Palace, but made it clear that she had no interest in merely becoming his mistress. The Prince countered with an offer of marriage. Maria argued against it. There was no chance King George III would consent to his son’s marriage to Maria. Even if he did, Maria was Catholic, which would make the Prince ineligible to inherit the throne. But the Prince continued his pursuit, even threatening to kill himself if Maria would not marry him.

In July 1784, the Prince of Wales stabbed himself just enough to make it look like a serious suicide attempt. Maria, accompanied by the couple’s mutual friend, Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, was quickly taken to Carlton House, where they found the Prince again threatening to kill himself if she did not agree to marry him. Maria signed a document agreeing to marry him, knowing that the document would not be considered legal. She left England for France the next day, hoping the situation would cool off. But the Prince continued to pursue her, and Maria eventually agreed to return to England and marry him. When she returned to England in November 1785, the Prince of Wales searched for someone to conduct the marriage ceremony. He found a young curate, Reverand John Burt, who was in debtors’ prison at the time. Burt agreed to perform the ceremony in exchange for £500 to pay off his debts and a position as one of the Prince’s chaplains. Quickly settled, Maria and George married in her Mayfair home on December 15, 1785, with just her uncle and brother present as witnesses.

Maria and the Prince of Wales soon faced rumors, and questions were raised in Parliament, all of which were denied by friends of the prince. For the next several years, the two maintained their relationship very discreetly and seemed to be immensely happy. But by 1793, the marriage was beginning to break down. While Maria was perfectly content with quiet nights at home, the Prince of Wales preferred to be out on the town and continued his philandering ways. Soon, he found a permanent replacement for Maria, after beginning an affair with Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey. Lady Jersey convinced the Prince that he was so unpopular because of his relationship with the Catholic Mrs. Fitzherbert. Convinced that marrying an acceptable Protestant princess would be in his best interest, George informed Maria on June 23, 1794, that their relationship was over. Soon he found a bride, his cousin Caroline of Brunswick whom he married in April 1795. However, it seems Maria was still close to his heart, as the following year, he wrote his will, leaving everything “…to my Maria Fitzherbert, my wife, the wife of my heart.”

Steine House, Brighton. photo: By C.Suthorn / cc-by-sa-4.0 / commons.wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70710474

Within two years, the Prince of Wales began to pursue Maria once again, and by 1799, the two were again in a relationship. In 1804, Maria built Steine House in Brighton, which would become her residence for the rest of her life. By 1807, the Prince’s wandering eye once again turned its attention to someone else. The Marchioness of Hertford soon became his preferred companion, and Maria found herself pushed to the side again by 1809.

The Prince became King George IV in 1820, and during his 10-year reign, the two only saw each other occasionally in social settings, but both remained in each other’s thoughts. When King George IV died in June 1830, he was succeeded by his brother. The new King William IV was always very gracious and welcoming toward Maria and continued to provide her annual pension of £10,000 per year. King William IV reportedly offered her a dukedom, but she declined. She did, however, ask his permission to dress in widow’s weeds and to allow her servants to dress in royal livery, both of which the King quickly agreed to.

Maria outlived George IV by nearly seven years, passing away at Steine House in Brighton on March 27, 1837. She is buried at the Church of St. John the Baptist in Brighton.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Mary Robinson, Mistress of King George IV of the United Kingdom

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Mary Robinson was a noted English poet and actress who became the first mistress of the future King George IV of the United Kingdom while he was Prince of Wales. Their relationship lasted just two years.

Mary Robinson, – source: Wikipedia

Mary Darby was born in Bristol on November 27, 1757, to Naval Captain Nicholas Darby and Hester Vanacott. When Mary was very young, her father left the family, leaving her mother to support herself and five children. She did this by opening a school for young girls, where Mary also taught before she was even 14 years old. After the school closed, she attended a school in London run by Hanna More, and there she caught the attention of famed actor David Garrick, who encouraged her to get involved in the theater.

However, Mary’s mother encouraged her instead to accept a proposal from Thomas Robinson,  a clerk who claimed to have a large inheritance. Initially against the idea, Mary relented after Robinson had helped care for her and her younger brother while both were quite ill. The couple married in April 1774 and Mary soon discovered that her husband did not have any inheritance, nor was he a devoted husband. The couple had one child, a daughter named Mary Elizabeth Robinson, born in November 1774.

When Mary’s husband was put into Debtor’s Prison in 1775, Mary went with him, living there with their six-month-old daughter for nearly 15 months until he was released. While there, Mary discovered she could publish some of her poetry to make a living. Her first book of poetry Poems By Mrs. Robinson was published in 1775. She soon caught the attention of Georgina Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire who became somewhat of a patron to Mary, sponsoring the publication of Mary’s second book of poetry — Captivity.

Mary Robinson as Perdita, 1782, portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds. source: Wikipedia

In 1776, following her husband’s release, Mary returned to the theater, appearing in several roles at the Drury Lane Theater. While performing as Perdita in an adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Winter Tale in 1779, Mary caught the attention of The Prince of Wales, the future King George IV, who attended a performance and was instantly smitten. The Prince pursued her relentlessly, but Mary refused his advances for some time. She was a married woman, although mostly estranged from her husband, and she was an actress. A relationship with the Prince would mean giving up what was becoming a financially successful career. The Prince promised her £20,000 in writing to compensate for giving up her livelihood to become his mistress. Maria eventually relented, and following her final performance in May 1780, she gave in to the Prince’s advances.

The Prince of Wales, c1781, portrait by Richard Cosway. source: Wikipedia

The relationship was relatively short-lived. In December 1780, Mary received a message from the Prince, telling her they must end their relationship.  Unbeknownst to Mary, the Prince had moved on to a new mistress, something he continued to do for the rest of his life.  Despite a brief meeting a few days later, the relationship abruptly ended.  Mary now found herself without any means of support, emotionally or financially.  She decided publishing her correspondence with the Prince would provide her with a significant income. When the Prince’s father King George III became aware of this, he quickly dispatched the Prince’s treasurer to arrange a settlement. Eventually, Mary received a payment of £5,000 in exchange for the letters. But Mary had another ace up her sleeve. Finding that the settlement barely covered her debts, she decided to pursue the Prince’s promise of £20,000. The King’s representative argued that the document from the Prince was invalid as he was underage, but Mary was unwilling to accept that as final. She asked for an annual annuity in exchange for the document, and eventually, she was successful. The matter was settled in August 1781, when it was agreed that she would receive £500 annually and that upon her death, her daughter would continue to receive half that amount.

Banastre Tarleton, portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds. source: Wikipedia

Mary Robinson, by now living separately from her husband, had several more affairs, including a long-term liaison with Banastre Tarleton, a distinguished soldier. She became mysteriously ill in 1783, and although she recovered, she was left partially paralyzed and frail. She turned her attention back to her writing, publishing several books of poetry, eight novels, three plays, and her memoirs. She became a champion of women’s rights and an outspoken supporter of the French Revolution.

Despite her financial settlements with the Crown, Mary Robinson died in relative poverty in Englefield Green, Surrey, England on December 26, 1800, at just 44 years old. She was buried at St. Peter and St. Andrew Churchyard in Windsor, Berkshire, England. Her estranged husband was granted administration of her estate, and Mary had instructed her daughter to publish the rest of her works after her death.  Although her brief affair with the Prince of Wales was long in the past, she left a request upon her death that a lock of her hair be cut off and sent to the Prince.  It is said that upon the future King George IV’s death in 1830, he requested that a lock of hair be buried with him.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.