by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2021

Favorite: a person treated with special or undue favor by a king, queen, or another royal person

Coat of arms of Piers Gaveston; Credit – By Own workiThe source code of this SVG is valid.This vector image was created with Inkscape by User:Jaspe., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3849182

Piers Gaveston was born Pierre de Gabaston circa 1283, in the Duchy of Gascony, now a province in southwestern France, the son of Arnaud de Gabaston (link in French) and Claramonde de Marsan, daughter of Viscount Arnaud-Guillaume de Marsan.

Piers had six siblings:

• Arnaud-Guillaume de Gabaston (circa 1272 – after 1325)
• Unknown sister
• Unknown sister
• Gérard de Gabaston
• Raimond-Arnaud de Gabaston
• Amie de Gabaston (? – after 1312)

Through his marriage, Arnaud de Gabaston, Piers’ father, acquired land and castles that were under the jurisdiction of King Edward I of England in his capacity as Duke of Aquitaine, and so Arnaud became a vassal of King Edward I. After the death of his wife in 1287, Arnaud had to fight legal claims over his wife’s inheritance. This made him financially dependent on King Edward I who he served for the rest of his life. Arnaud fought with King Edward I in the First War of Scottish Independence and the Conquest of Wales. When Arnaud died in 1302, he was given the great honor of burial in Winchester Cathedral in England.

King Edward I and his son Edward, Prince of Wales; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1300, Piers sailed to England with his father and older brother Arnaud-Guillaume. Probably because of his father’s influence, Piers became a member of the household of King Edward I’s son and heir Edward of Caernarfon, the future King Edward II. King Edward I was impressed with Piers’ conduct and skill in tournaments, and he wanted him to serve as a role model for his son. Piers and Edward of Caernarfon soon became inseparable companions. Piers was knighted on May 22, 1306, at the Feast of the Swans, a celebration of the knighting of 267 men at Westminster Abbey.  King Edward I first knighted his son Edward of Caernarfon who then knighted the 266 other young men. However, Piers soon became involved in conflicts between King Edward I and his son. The situation got so bad that King Edward I banished Piers in 1307.

King Edward II; Credit – Wikipedia

On July 8, 1307, King Edward I died and his son became king. One of King Edward II’s first acts as king was to recall his favorite Piers Gaveston back to court.  In 1308, Edward II married Isabella of France. ​ From the start of her marriage, Isabella was confronted with the close relationship between her husband and Piers, described as “an arrogant, ostentatious soldier, with a reckless and headstrong personality.”  The true nature of the relationship between Edward II and Piers is unknown and there is no contemporary evidence that comments directly on Edward’s sexual orientation. It is probable that may have simply been friends with a close working relationship. In 1307, Piers was created Earl of Cornwall, a title usually given to the sons of the king, and in 1308, Edward II arranged for Piers to marry his niece Margaret de Clare, daughter of Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford and Joan of Acre, Edward II’s sister. Both these acts and several other incidents greatly displeased the English nobility.

The April 1308 parliament demanded the exile of Gaveston but Edward II resisted. Eventually, with the influence of Isabella’s father King Philippe IV of France, Edward I’s second wife and widow Dowager Queen Margaret who was also Isabella’s aunt, and Robert Winchelsey, Archbishop of Canterbury, Edward II agreed to exile Gaveston to Ireland.  However, in a move that angered the nobility, Edward II made Gaveston Regent of Ireland.

After much back and forth negotiations that even involved Pope Clement V, Piers was allowed to return to England. The nobles who agreed to the compromise hoped Piers had learned his lesson. However, upon his return, he was more arrogant than ever, giving insulting nicknames to some of the most important nobles. This led to Parliament passing the Ordinances of 1311 that restricted the power of the king. In addition, the Ordinances of 1311 dealt with Piers specifically. He was to be exiled again and would face the punishment of an outlaw if he dared return to England.

Edward II responded by revoking the Ordinances of 1311 and recalling Piers to England. Piers and Edward II were reunited at York in January 1312. The nobles were furious and met in London where Piers was excommunicated by Robert Winchelsey, Archbishop of Canterbury. Plans were made to capture Piers to prevent him from escaping to Scotland. When Edward II, his wife Isabella, and Piers left York for Newcastle, they were pursued by a group of nobles led by Edward’s first cousin Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster. The royal party including Piers fled by ship and landed at Scarborough, where Piers stayed while Edward and Isabella returned to York.

After a short siege, Piers surrendered to Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke and John de Warenne, 7th Earl of Surrey who promised he would not be harmed. However, while under the protection of the Earls of Pembroke and Surrey, Edward’s first cousin Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, Guy de Beauchamp, 10th Earl of Warwick, Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford, and Edmund Fitzalan, 2nd Earl of Arundel seized Piers and took him to Warwick Castle where, on June 18, 1312, before an assembly of nobles, he was condemned to death for violating the terms of the Ordinances of 1311.

Guy de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick standing over the decapitated body of Piers Gaveston, from the Rous Rolls, fifteenth‐century parchment scrolls that present a heraldic and genealogical history of the Earls of Warwick; Credit – Wikipedia

On June 19, 1312, the Earls of Lancaster, Hereford, and Arundel led Piers Gaveston on the road towards Kenilworth as far as Blacklow Hill, which was on the Earl of Lancaster’s land. Here, they left Piers to the mercy of two Welshmen who ran him through with swords and then, because he was a noble, gave him the coup de grace of beheading. Pier’s body was left at his execution site. Eventually, it was brought to the Dominican Monastery in Oxford where the monks sewed the severed head back on the body and then embalmed the remains. However, Piers’ remains could not be buried because he had been excommunicated. The remains were kept at the monastery in Oxford for over two years. Eventually, King Edward II secured a papal absolution for Piers. On January 2, 1315, the remains of Piers Gaveston were buried in an elaborate ceremony officiated by Walter Reynolds, Archbishop of Canterbury, four bishops, and many other members of the clergy at the Dominican Monastery in Kings Langley but the tomb has since been lost. A cross with an inscription was erected at Blacklow Hill in 1823 by the local squire Bertie Greathead on the site believed to be the location of Gaveston’s execution.

The 1823 Gaveston monument at Blacklow Hill, circa 1899; Credit – Wikipedia

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.

Works Cited

• De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Piers Gaveston, 1. Earl Of Cornwall. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piers_Gaveston,_1._Earl_of_Cornwall> [Accessed 16 November 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Edward II Of England. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_II_of_England> [Accessed 16 November 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Piers Gaveston, 1St Earl Of Cornwall. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piers_Gaveston,_1st_Earl_of_Cornwall> [Accessed 16 November 2020].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2016. King Edward II Of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-edward-ii-of-england/> [Accessed 16 November 2020].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Arnaud De Gabaston. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnaud_de_Gabaston> [Accessed 16 November 2020].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Pierre Gaveston. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Gaveston> [Accessed 16 November 2020].

by Susan Flantzer    © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal; Credit – Wikipedia

Melusine von der Schulenburg was born on December 25, 1667, in Emden, Electorate of Brandenburg, now part of Altenhausen in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. She was the second of the five daughters and the fourth of the nine children of Gustavus Adolphus, Freiherr (Baron) von der Schulenburg (1632 – 1691) and his first wife Petronella Ottilie von Schwencken (1637 – 1674). Melusine came from an old Brandenburg noble family. Her father served as a member of the Brandenburg Privy Council. Melusine’s mother died in childbirth along with her last child.

Melusine had eight siblings:

• Margarete Gertrud von der Schulenburg (1659 – 1697), married Friedrich Achaz von der Schulenburg
• Matthias Johann von der Schulenburg (1661 – 1747), Count (Graf) von der Schulenburg, Field Marshal in the service of the Republic of Venice
• Daniel Bodo von der Schulenburg (1662 – 1732), Count (Graf) von der Schulenburg, Lieutenant-General in the service of the Electorate of Saxony
• Sophie Juliane von der Schulenburg (1668 – 1753), married Rabe Christoph, Count (Graf) von Oeynhausen
• Charlotte Katharine von der Schulenburg
• August von der Schulenburg
• Anna Elisabeth von der Schulenburg (1673 – 1725), married Georg Friedrich von Spörcken
• Charlotte von der Schulenburg (born and died 1674)

Melusine had four half-siblings from her father’s second marriage to Anna Elisabeth von Stammer (1657 – 1722):

• Johanne Auguste von der Schulenburg (1687 – 1748), married Werner Ludwig Spiegel von Peckelsheim
• Friedrich Wilhelm von der Schulenburg (1680 – 1720), chamberlain to George, Elector of Hanover before he was King of Great Britain and remained in that position when George I became King, married Sophia Anna de Melville, had three children
• Dorothea Elisabeth von der Schulenburg
• Dorothea Christiane von der Schulenburg

In 1690, Melusine became a maid of honor to Sophia, Electress of Hanover. Sophia was born Sophia of the Palatinate, daughter of Friedrich V, Elector Palatine. However, Sophia’s more important dynastic lineage was through her mother Elizabeth Stuart, the second child and eldest daughter of James VI and I, King of Scotland, England and Ireland, and his wife Anne of Denmark. A year later, Melusine had become the mistress of Sophia’s eldest son George, Electoral Prince of Hanover, the future Elector of Hanover and King George I of Great Britain.

George’s marriage to his first cousin Princess Sophia Dorothea of Celle had produced two children, the future King George II of Great Britain and Sophia Dorothea, the future wife of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King in Prussia. The marriage was happy at first, but soon both George and Sophia Dorothea found affection elsewhere. George fell in love with his mother’s maid of honor Melusine von der Schulenburg and Sophia Dorothea fell in love with a Swedish Count, Philip Christoph von Königsmarck, an officer in the Hanoverian army.

Despite warnings from her mother and friends, Sophia Dorothea and her lover von Königsmarck wrote letters to each other, met secretly, and planned to escape Hanover together. On the morning of July 2, 1694, after a meeting with Sophia Dorothea, von Königsmarck disappeared from Leineschloss Castle in Hanover and was never seen again. It was widely believed that George ordered von Königsmarck’s death.  On December 28, 1694, a tribunal of judges and Lutheran Church officials declared the marriage of George and Sophia Dorothea dissolved on the grounds of Sophia Dorothea’s desertion. George was not satisfied with punishing his former wife with just a marriage dissolution. He had his 27-year old former wife imprisoned in the Castle of Ahlden until she died 32 years later. Sophia Dorothea was never allowed to see her children again. George did not marry again and Melusine remained his mistress until he died in 1727.

George as Elector of Hanover; Credit – Wikipedia

Melusine and George had three illegitimate daughters who were never openly acknowledged as George’s children. Instead, two of Melusine’s sisters and their husbands officially acknowledged them. Anna Luise and Petronilla, known as Melusina, were raised by Melusine’s sister Margarete Gertrud and her husband and distant cousin Friedrich Achaz von der Schulenburg. Margarethe was raised by Melusine’s sister Sophie Juliane and her husband Rabe Christoph, Count (Graf) von Oeynhausen.

• Anna Luise Sophie von der Schulenburg, Countess of Dölitz (1692 -1773), married Ernest August Philipp von dem Bussche zu Ippenburg, no children
• Petronilla Melusina von der Schulenburg (1693 – 1778), known as Melusina, married Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, no children
• Margarethe Gertrud von Oeynhausen (1701 – 1726), married Albrecht Wolfgang, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe, had two sons

On July 30, 1700, a death occurred in the British Royal Family that would drastically affect George’s life. Eleven-year-old Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, the only surviving child of the future Queen Anne despite her seventeen pregnancies, died. William’s death caused a succession crisis as his mother was the only person remaining in the Protestant line to the throne established by the Bill of Rights of 1689. This caused Parliament to enact the 1701 Act of Settlement which made George’s mother Sophia of Hanover, a granddaughter of King James I and the nearest Protestant in the line of succession, heiress presumptive to the British throne. The British throne would go to Sophia and her Protestant heirs if King William III or Princess Anne, the sister of William III’s deceased wife and co-ruler Queen Mary II, had no children. The Act of Settlement bypassed 56 Catholics who had a better hereditary claim to the throne than Sophia of Hanover.

On March 8, 1702, King William III died and the sister of his deceased wife and co-ruler Queen Mary II became Queen Anne. In 1705, George became a British citizen via the 1705 Sophia Naturalization Act. Sophia died on June 8, 1714, at the age of 83. She narrowly missed becoming queen, having died two months before Queen Anne. Queen Anne died on August 1, 1714, and George became King George I of Great Britain, the first of the Hanover monarchs.

King George I in 1716; Credit – Wikipedia

George made his state entry into London on September 20, 1714, accompanied by his mistress, Melusine von der Schulenburg, nicknamed “the Maypole” by the British because of her tall thin appearance. Melusine became a naturalized British citizen in 1716 and in the same year was created Duchess of Munster, Countess and Marchioness of Dungannon, and Baroness of Dundalk for life. In 1719, she was further created Duchess of Kendal, Countess of Feversham, and Baroness of Glastonbury and Somerset for life. At King George I’s request, Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI created Melusine Princess of Eberstein and she received her own coat of arms. This gives some credence to the belief that George and Melusine had secretly married. She lived with King George I in the royal palaces and acted as his hostess. At Kensington Palace, Melusine had a three-story apartment overlooking the gardens. British Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole said of Melusine, “She was as much Queen of England as ever any was.”

On June 3, 1727, King George I, who was still Elector of Hanover, accompanied by Melusine and their daughter Melusina, set out on one of his visits to Hanover. During the journey, George became ill and lost consciousness. It was noticed that his face had become distorted and his right hand hung limply at his side, a sign that he had suffered a stroke. The courtiers decided to continue with the journey to Hanover, where George died in the Prince-Bishop’s Palace in the Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück, now in Lower Saxony, Germany, on June 11, 1727, aged of 67. Following the instructions of George’s son, now King George II, George was buried in the chapel at Leineschloss in the Electorate of Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany.

Melusine’s long-term role as King George I’s unofficial consort had won her admiration and respect, even from the new King George II and his wife Queen Caroline. Melusine was allowed to mourn as a wife. Queen Caroline wrote to her: “My first thought, my dear Duchess, has been of you…I know well your devotion and love for the late King…I hope you realise that I am your friend.”

The grief-stricken Melusine returned to England where King George I had provided for her financially. In 1728, Melusine used the bequest from George to purchase a house near the River Thames in Isleworth in west London, which she named Kendal House, after one of her peerages. There Melusine lived out the remainder of her life in the companionship of a large bird, probably a raven, in which she believed that George’s soul had been reincarnated. Melusine died on May 10, 1743, aged 75, at her home Kendal House. She was buried at Grosvenor Chapel in South Audley Street, London, England.

Grosvenor Chapel where Melusine is buried; Credit – By GrindtXX – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=90320190

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.

Works Cited

• Beauclerk-Dewar, P. and Powell, R., 2006. Right Royal Bastards. Wilmington, DE: Burke’s Peerage & Gentry.
• De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Gustav Adolf Von Der Schulenburg. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Adolf_von_der_Schulenburg> [Accessed 28 September 2020].
• De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Melusine Von Der Schulenburg. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melusine_von_der_Schulenburg> [Accessed 28 September 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Melusine Von Der Schulenburg, Duchess Of Kendal. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melusine_von_der_Schulenburg,_Duchess_of_Kendal> [Accessed 28 September 2020].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2015. King George I Of Great Britain. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-george-i-of-great-britain/> [Accessed 28 September 2020].
• Williamson, D., 1996. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell.
• Worsley, Lucy, 2011. Courtiers. London: Faber.

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Elizabeth Hamilton, Countess of Orkney; Credit – Wikipedia

Born Elizabeth Villiers, she was the first cousin of another royal mistress, Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland, born Barbara Villiers, a mistress of King Charles II of England. Their fathers were brothers. Elizabeth was born in 1657, one of the eight children of Colonel Sir Edward Villiers, an English politician and military officer from the powerful Villiers family, and Frances Howard, daughter of Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk.

Elizabeth had seven siblings:

• Anne Villiers (circa 1651 – 1688) married William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland, had five daughters and two sons
• Barbara Villiers (1654 – 1708) married John Berkeley, 4th Viscount Fitzhardinge, had two daughters; Barbara was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Anne and governess to her son Prince William, Duke of Gloucester.
• Edward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey (1656 – 1711) married Barbara Chiffinch, had two sons and one daughter. Edward was Master of the Horse to Queen Mary II, Lord Chamberlain to King William III and Queen Anne, Ambassador at The Hague, Ambassador in Paris, Secretary of State for the Southern Department, and one of the Lords Justices of England.
• Katherine Villiers, married (1) Louis James Le Vasseur, Marquis de Puissar (2) William Villiers
• Henry Villiers (died 1707), married ? , had two children
• Mary Villiers (died 1753), married William O’Brien, 3rd Earl of Inchiquin, had four sons and two daughters
• Henrietta Villiers (died 1720) married John Campbell, 2nd Earl of Breadalbane and Holland, had one son and two daughters

In 1660, King Charles II’s brother James, Duke of York, the future King James II, married Anne Hyde. Elizabeth’s mother Frances Villiers was appointed governess to James and Anne’s children. Although they would have eight children, all but two, the future Queen Mary II and the future Queen Anne, died in infancy or early childhood. In 1677, 15-year-old Mary married William III, Prince of Orange, her first cousin, the son of her paternal aunt Mary, Princess Royal. Frances Villiers used her position to secure positions in the future Queen Mary II’s household for her daughters. Elizabeth along with her sisters Anne and Katherine were among the maids of honor who accompanied Mary to The Hague in the Dutch Republic, now in the Netherlands, to serve the new Princess of Orange.

The future Queen Mary II, 1677; Credit – Wikipedia

Elizabeth Villiers was not considered to be a beauty. She moved awkwardly, had a bad complexion, and a squint, perhaps from nearsightedness, but she was witty, intelligent, and an excellent conversationalist. In 1679, when William III, Prince of Orange made his first advances to Elizabeth, she tried to discourage him. However, by 1680, Elizabeth was his mistress, rumors of the affair reached Paris, and Mary was probably aware of her husband’s relationship with Elizabeth.

The future King William III of England, 1680s; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1685, Mary’s father, now King James II of England, hoping to break up his daughter’s marriage with the Prince of Orange, had encouraged others to relay gossip from Mary and William’s household to him. Through the meddling of King James II, Elizabeth and William’s affair became public knowledge and Elizabeth was sent back to England. To stop rumors continuing in England, Elizabeth’s father then begged the Prince and Princess of Orange to allow Elizabeth to return to The Hague. Elizabeth was permitted to return but Mary refused to receive her. Elizabeth then went to live with her sister Katherine who had married and settled in The Hague. William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland, a favorite of the Prince of Orange as well as the husband of Elizabeth’s sister Anne, had forbidden his wife to socialize with her sister Elizabeth. Meanwhile, the affair between Elizabeth and William III, Prince of Orange continued and was to last until 1695, a total of fifteen years.

William and Mary became King William III and Queen Mary II, joint rulers, in 1688, after King James II was deposed in the Glorious Revolution. Elizabeth returned to London and lived for a while with her sister Katherine. Eventually, Elizabeth moved into lodgings close to Kensington Palace where William and Mary had settled and resumed seeing William. As before, the affair was conducted discreetly.

On December 28, 1694, 32-year-old Queen Mary II died from smallpox. The same disease had killed both of William’s parents. William was devastated by Mary’s death and said “from being the happiest” he was “now going to be the miserablest creature on earth.” William continued to reign alone until his death in 1702 when he was succeeded by Mary’s sister and his first cousin Anne.

George Hamilton, !st Earl of Orkney; Credit – Wikipedia

Within a year of Mary’s death, William ended his relationship with Elizabeth Villiers, motivated by the wishes of his wife expressed before her death. He arranged for Elizabeth to marry one of his regimental commanders and thereafter ignored her. On November 25, 1695, Elizabeth married her second cousin George Hamilton, Brigadier General of the Royal Scots, the son of William Douglas-Hamilton, 1st Earl of Selkirk and Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton. George Hamilton was quickly created Earl of Orkney, Viscount Kirkwall, and Lord Dechmont. He was also appointed Governor of Virginia, a lucrative appointment, however, he installed a deputy to attend to business in Virginia and he never needed to go there.

Elizabeth and George had three daughters:

• Lady Anne Hamilton, 2nd Countess of Orkney in her own right (1696 – 1756), married her cousin William O’Brien, 4th Earl of Inchiquin, had four sons and four daughters
• Lady Frances Hamilton (circa 1700 – 1772), married Thomas Lumley-Saunderson, Earl of Scarbrough, had two sons and three daughters
• Lady Henrietta Hamilton (died 1732), married John Boyle, 5th Earl of Cork, had two sons and one daughter

Both Elizabeth and her husband George went from serving the Stuart monarchs to serving the Hanoverian monarchs. George was a Lord of the Bedchamber to King George I and Governor of Edinburgh Castle in Scotland. He also sat in the House of Lords as a Scottish representative peer and was the first British Army officer to be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal.

Cliveden; Credit – By WyrdLight.com, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4404784

Elizabeth continued to remain at the center of royal activities and kept up her friendship with politicians who continually valued her opinions. George and Elizabeth entertained both King George I and King George II at their country seat of Cliveden in Buckinghamshire, England which had been acquired by Elizabeth’s kinsman George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham in 1666 and was purchased by George Hamilton in 1696.

Taplow Court; Credit – Wikipedia

Elizabeth Hamilton, Countess of Orkney died on April 19, 1733, aged 76, at her London home in Albemarle Street. She was buried at Taplow Court, an Elizabethan manor house owned by her husband, in Taplow, Buckinghamshire, England. Her husband George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney survived her by four years, dying on January 29, 1737, at the age of 70. He was buried with his wife Elizabeth.

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.

Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Edward Villiers (1620–1689). [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Villiers_(1620%E2%80%931689)> [Accessed 26 September 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Elizabeth Hamilton, Countess Of Orkney. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Hamilton,_Countess_of_Orkney> [Accessed 26 September 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. George Hamilton, 1St Earl Of Orkney. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Hamilton,_1st_Earl_of_Orkney> [Accessed 26 September 2020].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2016. King William III Of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-william-iii-of-england/> [Accessed 26 September 2020].
• Genealogics.org. 2020. Elizabeth Villiers. [online] Available at: <https://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00059439&tree=LEO> [Accessed 26 September 2020].
• Van Der Kiste, J., 2003. William And Mary. Thrupp: Sutton Publishing.

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Catherine Sedley, Countess of Dorchester; Credit – Wikipedia

Catherine Sedley was born on December 21, 1657, the only child of Sir Charles Sedley, 5th Baronet of Ailesford and Lady Catherine Savage, daughter of John Savage, 2nd Earl Rivers. Catherine’s father was a Member of Parliament, a poet, and a playwright. During the reign of King Charles II of England, Sir Charles Sedley belonged to the intimate circle around Charles II and was known for his wit and his extravagant lifestyle. When Catherine was around twelve years old, her mother was sent to a convent in Ghent in the Habsburg Netherlands, now in Belgium, because of severe mental illness and remained in the care of the nuns until she died in 1705. Around 1670, Sir Charles began a relationship with Ann Ayscough that lasted the rest of his life. Sir Charles and Ann Ayscough had two sons, Catherine’s half-brothers: William Sedley who died in childhood, and Charles Sedley who was knighted by King William III in 1689 and created 1st Baronet of Southwell in 1702. Because his sons were born out of wedlock Sir Charles Baronet’s title became extinct upon his death in 1701.

James, Duke of York, the future King James II of England; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1677, Catherine Sedley, because of her family’s wealth, was considered a marriage prospect for John Churchill, later 1st Duke of Marlborough, by his parents Sir Winston and Lady Churchill. However, negotiations were broken off but not before Catherine had become a frequent visitor to the court of King Charles II at the Palace of Whitehall. Catherine was eventually appointed a maid of honor to Maria Beatrice of Modena, Duchess of York, the second wife of James, Duke of York. Because King Charles II and his wife Catherine of Braganza had no children, James was the heir presumptive to the throne and did succeed his brother in 1685. Catherine caught the eye of James and became his mistress. Before she was sixteen years old, the diarist Samuel Pepys described Catherine as “none of the most virtuous, but a wit.” Catherine herself could not account for her success: “It cannot be my beauty for he must see I have none, and it cannot be my wit, for he has not enough to know I have any.”

Catherine and James had three children:

• Catherine Darnley (c. 1681 – 1743), married (1) James Annesley, 3rd Earl of Anglesey, had one daughter, (2) John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby, had three sons
• James Darnley (1684 – 1685)
• Charles Darnley, died young

Catherine Sedley, circa 1685; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1685, upon the death of his brother King Charles II, who had at least fourteen illegitimate children but no legitimate children, James became King James II of England. Catherine’s yearly pension was doubled to £4,000 and she was created Countess of Dorchester and Baroness of Darlington in her own right for life. However, the birth in 1688 of King James II’s longed-for son and heir was his undoing. The English were willing to put up with one Catholic King but not a Catholic dynasty. King James II’s Protestant daughter Mary from his first marriage and nephew and son-in-law, William III, Prince of Orange were invited by Parliament to replace him and reign jointly as King William III and Queen Mary II of England. James II, with his wife and son, fled to France to spend the rest of his life supported by his first cousin King Louis XIV of France.

Catherine Sedley, Countess of Dorchester, remained in England where her father boasted about his support for the new king and queen: “Well I am even with King James in point of civility, for as he made my daughter a Countess, so I have helped to make his daughter a Queen.” Catherine had no qualms about attending Queen Mary II’s court. Faced with Mary II’s coldness on seeing her father’s ex-mistress, Catherine had a typically brazen reply ready: “Remember, Ma’am, if I broke one Commandment with your father, you have broken another against him.” With the end of King James II’s reign, Catherine’s pension stopped and the grants of Irish land James II had given her were called into question. However, she may have acted as a double agent for William III who gave her a pension.

David Colyear, 1st Earl of Portmore; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 20, 1696, 39-year-old Catherine married Sir David Colyear (1656 – 1730), Lieutenant-General of the Scots Brigade, the three Scottish regiments that had been fighting in the service of William III, Prince of Orange, now King of England. William III highly regarded Sir David and his military abilities and created him Earl of Portmore, Viscount of Milsington, and Lord Colyear in 1703.

The two sons of Catherine and David Colyear; Credit – Wikipedia

Catherine and her husband had two sons:

• David Colyear, Viscount Milsington (1698 – 1728/29)
• Charles Colyear, 2nd Earl of Portmore (1700 – 1785), married Juliana Hele, had two daughters and two sons

In 1714, at the coronation of King George I, Catherine met Charles II’s mistress Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth, and William III’s mistress Elizabeth Hamilton, Countess of Orkney, and exclaimed “God! Who would have thought that we three whores should meet here.”

Catherine Sedley Colyear, Countess of Dorchester, Countess of Portmore died in Bath, England on October 26, 1717, aged 59, and her life peerage became extinct. She was initially buried in Bath, but in 1729, her remains were reinterred in the new Portmore vault at St. James’ Church in Weybridge, Surrey, England, where she had lived with her husband. Her husband David Colyear, 1st Earl of Portmore survived her by thirteen years, dying on January 2, 1730, at the age of 73, and was buried with Catherine.

St. James’ Church in Weybridge, Surrey, England; Credit – www.findagrave.com

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.

Works Cited

• Beauclerk-Dewar, P. and Powell, R., 2006. Right Royal Bastards. Wilmington, DE: Burke’s Peerage & Gentry.
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Catherine Sedley, Countess Of Dorchester. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Sedley,_Countess_of_Dorchester> [Accessed 20 September 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. David Colyear, 1St Earl Of Portmore. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Colyear,_1st_Earl_of_Portmore> [Accessed 20 September 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Sir Charles Sedley, 5Th Baronet. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Charles_Sedley,_5th_Baronet> [Accessed 20 September 2020].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2017. King James II Of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-james-ii-of-england/> [Accessed 18 September 2020].
• Genealogics.org. 2020. Catherine Sedley Countess Of Dorchester. [online] Available at: <https://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00022999&tree=LEO> [Accessed 20 September 2020].

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Alice Keppel was the mistress of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom from 1898 until his death in 1910. Through her daughter Sonia, she is the great-grandmother of the wife of KIng Charles III of the United Kingdom, Queen Camilla.

Alice Keppel.source: Wikipedia

Alice Frederica “Freddie” Edmonstone was born in Woolwich, Kent on April 29, 1868, the youngest child of Sir William Edmonstone, 4th Baronet and Mary Elizabeth Parsons. She had 10 siblings:

• Mary Emma Edmonstone – died in childhood
• Archibald Edmonstone – died in infancy
• Jessie Edmonstone – married Major Edward Winnington-Ingram, no issue
• Louisa Ann Edmonstone – married Major General Henry Pipon, no issue
• Charlotte Henrietta Edmonstone – married Rev. John Kitson, had issue
• Frances Euphemia Edmonstone – married Alexander Duncan, no issue
• Sophia Edmonstone – married James Hope, had issue
• Susanna Emily Edmonstone – married Jonathan Bucknill, had issue
• Mary Clementina Edmonstone – married Andrew Murray, 1st Viscount Dunedin, had issue
• Sir Archibald Edmonstone, 5th Baronet – married Ida Forbes, had issue

On June 1, 1891, Alice married The Honorable George Keppel, a younger son of William Keppel, 7th Earl of Albemarle and Sophia Mary MacNab. The couple had two daughters:

• Violet Keppel (1894) – married Denys Trefusis, no issue
• Sonia Keppel (1900) – married Roland Calvert Cubitt, 3rd Baron Ashcombe, had issue

As a younger son and a serviceman, George Keppel did not have much in the way of financial resources. As a result, Alice had several affairs with rich men to help maintain their lifestyle and standing within London society. These lovers included Ernest Beckett, 2nd Baron Grimthorpe, and Humphrey Sturt, 2nd Baron Alington. As was often the case at the time, her husband took no issue with her affairs and discreetly took several lovers himself. Through her connections, Alice became one of the leading hostesses in London society. It was through her connections that she met The Prince of Wales and began a relationship that would last through his succession as King Edward VII and until he died in 1910.

King Edward VII. source: Wikipedia

The Prince of Wales, notorious for his womanizing, quickly set his sights on Alice after the two met in 1898, and the two soon began an affair. Despite a significant 26-year age difference, Alice quickly proved to be a calming and steadying force in the aging Prince’s life. Alice even gained the favor – albeit minimally – of The Princess of Wales who had long ago accepted her husband’s indiscretions, and appreciated Alice’s discretion.

Alice benefited greatly from her relationship with the Prince. Through his generosity, she gained a significant fortune with the help and advice of his bankers and financial advisors, including Sir Ernest Cassel whose granddaughter Edwina would later marry Edward VII’s great-nephew, The Earl Mountbatten of Burma. One gift alone from the Prince – some shares in a rubber company – would later provide her with £50,000 (around $ 8 million today).

Perhaps the greatest benefit was to Edward himself. Alice proved to be one of the few people in his circle who could calm his fiery temper and was often approached by his ministers to present things to the King, hoping to change his mind on issues or at least see them from a different perspective. Throughout the King’s reign, Alice remained one of his closest and most valued companions and advisors – and maintained the utmost level of discretion and privacy. Even when traveling together to Biarritz each year (while both of their spouses conveniently remained in England), Alice ensured that her presence went mostly unknown, insisting upon staying separately from the King and maintaining as much anonymity as possible. It was on one of these trips to Biarritz in 1910 that the King became ill. He returned to London in April, but his health continued to deteriorate. Alice – having a letter from the King which instructed that she should be permitted to his bedside – quickly rushed to Buckingham Palace to be with him in his final hours.

Villa dell’ Ombrellino. photo: Di Sailko – Opera propria, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41839507

King Edward VII died on May 6, 1910, and Alice’s position with the Royal court quickly ended. Alice and her family left the United Kingdom later that year, traveling throughout the Far East for two years before returning to London in 1912. Later, Alice and her husband moved to Italy in 1925, where they purchased the Villa dell’ Ombrellino in Bellosguardo, near Florence. There, they established their own social set, hosting events and gatherings, and hosting guests such as Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Returning to London in 1940 due to World War II, Alice and her husband finally returned to Bellosguardo in 1946 where they would remain until their deaths.

Graves of Alice Keppel and her husband. photo: By Elisa.rolle – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57790238

Alice Keppel died at Villa dell’ Ombrellino on September 11, 1947, of cirrhosis of the liver. She and her husband – who died just 10 weeks later – are buried at the Cimitero Evangelico degli Allori in Florence.

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.

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Arabella Churchill in the 1660s; Credit – Wikipedia

Arabella Churchill was probably born at Ash, the family home of Arabella’s mother in Musbury, Devonshire, England on February 23, 1648, the eldest of the eleven children of Sir Winston Churchill and Elizabeth Drake. She was christened at St. Michael’s Church in Musbury on March 16, 1649. Arabella’s father was a Royalist supporter during the English Civil War. Sir Winston was a Member of Parliament, a historian who wrote a history of the English kings, and an ancestor of the 20th-century British prime minister Sir Winston Churchill. Arabella’s mother was the daughter of Sir John Drake and Eleanor Boteler, daughter of John Boteler, 1st Baron Boteler of Brantfield, and a maternal niece of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, a Stuart court favorite.

Arabella with her brother Winston; Credit – Wikipedia

Arabella had ten siblings but only six survived childhood. John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough is her most renowned sibling. He gained fame as a military leader and courtier during the reign of Queen Anne. His wife Sarah was Queen Anne’s Mistress of the Robes and confidante. There is information on only eight of Arabella’s siblings.

• John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (1650 – 1722), married Sarah Jennings, had seven children
• Winston Churchill (1652 – 1672), unmarried, died at the Battle of Solebay
• George Churchill (1653 – 1710), unmarried, Admiral in the Royal Navy
• Charles Churchill (1656 – 1714), General in the British Army, married Mary Gould, had one son
• Henry Churchill, died in childhood
• Jasper Churchill (? -1678), unmarried, attended Queen’s College at Oxford, died shortly after joining the Duke of York’s Regiment
• Theobald Churchill (1662 – 1685), unmarried, attended Queen’s College at Oxford, became an Anglican priest, commissioned Chaplain in the King’s Own Royal Regiment of Dragoons commanded by his brother John
• Mountjoy Churchill, died in infancy

James, Duke of York, the future King James II of England; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1663, during the reign of King Charles II of England, fifteen-year-old Arabella was sent to court to be a Maid of Honor to the Duchess of York. The Duchess of York, born Anne Hyde, was the wife of King Charles II’s brother James, Duke of York, the future King James II. Because King Charles II and his wife Catherine of Braganza had no children, James was the heir presumptive to the throne and did succeed his brother in 1685. Arabella captured James’ eye and by 1665, she was his mistress. The Churchill family was firmly loyal to the royal household, and their only feeling about Arabella’s position as a royal mistress seems to have been “a joyful surprise that so plain a girl had attained such high preferment.”

James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick; Credit – Wikipedia

Arabella and James had four children who were given the surname FitzJames, “son of James”. From their children, Arabella and James are the ancestors of the Earls Spencer and Diana, Princess of Wales as well as of the Dukes of Berwick, the later Dukes of Alba and Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba (1926 – 2014), the person who held the most noble titles in the world.  James’ children by Arabella were raised Catholic and accompanied him into exile in France after he was deposed during the Glorious Revolution in 1688.

• Henrietta FitzJames (1667 – 1730), married  (1) Henry Waldegrave, 1st Baron Waldegrave, had one son and one daughter  (2) Piers Butler, 3rd Viscount Galmoye, no children
• James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, 1st Duke of Liria and Jérica, 1st Duke of Fitz-James (1670 – 1734), married (1) Lady Honora Burke, had one son James Francis (Jacobo Francisco) Fitz-James Stuart, 2nd Duke of Berwick, 2nd Duke of Liria and Xérica whose descendants were the French Ducs de Fitz-James the Spanish Duques de Liria and the Spanish Dukes of Alba (2) Anne Bulkeley, had eight sons and five daughters
• Henry FitzJames, 1st Duke of Albemarle (1673 – 1702), married (1) Marie Gabrielle d’Audibert de Lussan, had one daughter who became a nun
• Arabella FitzJames (1674 – 1704), became a nun in Pontoise, France taking the name Sister Ignatia

Shortly after giving birth to their first child, a daughter named Henrietta after James’ mother Henrietta Maria of France, James gave Arabella a yearly pension and a house in St. James Square, London which Arabella later sold for a handsome price. In 1671, James’ wife Anne died from breast cancer shortly after giving birth to her last child. James and Anne had eight children, but only two survived childhood, and both were Queen Regnants: Queen Mary II and Queen Anne.

Within a couple of years after James’ second marriage to Mary Beatrice of Modena in 1673, Arabella and James’ ten-year affair was over. On June 1, 1680, at Holy Trinity Minories in London, Arabella married Colonel Charles Godfrey, an army officer. The couple had three children:

• Francis Godfrey (died 1712)
• Charlotte Godfrey (circa 1685 – ?), married Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount Falmouth, had children
• Elizabeth Godfrey, married Edmund Dunch, had four daughters

Arabella Godfrey (née Churchill) by William Pengree Sherlock, published by Edward Evans, after Silvester (Sylvester) Harding stipple engraving, early 19th century NPG D31023 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Charles Godfrey was one of the first to join with William III, Prince of Orange, the nephew and son-in-law of King James II and the future King William III, in his efforts to safeguard the Protestant interests in England against his Catholic father-in-law during the 1688 Glorious Revolution. William marched to London, gathering many supporters. James panicked and sent his wife and infant son to France. He tried to flee to France about a month later but was captured. William had no desire to make his uncle a martyr, so he allowed him to escape. James was received in France by his first cousin King Louis XIV, who offered him a palace and a pension. James’ elder daughter Mary who was married to William, joined her husband on the English throne where they reigned jointly as King William III and Queen Mary II. William and Mary were succeeded by Mary’s sister Anne.

During the reigns of the last Stuarts, Arabella and Charles Godfrey’s family were rewarded for their service. Charles was given with his own regiment, Godfrey’s Regiment of Cuirassiers in 1688. He was also appointed Master of the Jewel Office in 1698, and in 1704, he was appointed Clerk of the Green Cloth, a position in the Royal Household that he held for the rest of his life. In addition, Charles was a Member of Parliament from 1689 and 1713. Both daughters of Arabella and Charles served Queen Anne as Maids of Honor.

Arabella and Charles lived happily together for thirty-four years. On February 23, 1714, Charles Godfrey died at the age of 67, while on a visit to Bath, Somerset, England, and was buried in Bath Abbey. Arabella survived him by sixteen years, dying on May 30, 1730, aged 82. She was buried in the grave of her brother Admiral George Churchill in Westminster Abbey in London in the center part of the nave near the choir gate. There is a large monument to George but Arabella has no memorial or gravestone of her own.

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.

Works Cited

• Beauclerk-Dewar, P. and Powell, R., 2006. Right Royal Bastards. Wilmington, DE: Burke’s Peerage & Gentry.
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Arabella Churchill (Royal Mistress). [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabella_Churchill_(royal_mistress)> [Accessed 18 September 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Charles Godfrey (Courtier). [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Godfrey_(courtier)> [Accessed 18 September 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Winston Churchill (Cavalier). [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill_(Cavalier)> [Accessed 18 September 2020].
• Findagrave.com. 2020. Arabella Churchill Godfrey (1648-1730) – Find A…. [online] Available at: <https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/76966312/arabella-godfrey> [Accessed 18 September 2020].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2017. King James II Of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-james-ii-of-england/> [Accessed 18 September 2020].
• Westminster Abbey. 2020. George, John, Arabella And Henrietta Churchill | Westminster Abbey. [online] Available at: <https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/commemorations/george-john-arabella-and-henrietta-churchill> [Accessed 18 September 2020].