by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Anna Luise Sophie von der Schulenburg; Credit – www.geni.com

The early kings from the British House of Hanover did not publicize their illegitimate children. King George I had three illegitimate daughters with his long-term mistress Melusine von der Schulenburg before he became King of Great Britain. At the time of Anna Luise Sophie’s birth her father, the future King George I of Great Britain, was the heir of his father Ernst August, Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Prince of Calenberg. George succeeded to those titles when his father died in 1698.

Anna Luise Sophie’s father King George I of Great Britain; Credit – Wikipedia

The British House of Stuart failed to provide a legitimate Protestant heir as required by the Act of Settlement of 1701. When Queen Anne of Great Britain died on August 1, 1714, George, Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Prince of Calenberg was the closest Protestant heir to the British throne. George’s mother was Sophia of the Palatinate, commonly called Electress Sophia of Hanover. Sophia was the daughter of Elizabeth Stuart, the second child and eldest daughter of King James VI of Scotland/King James I of England. Therefore, the Protestant, German-born George, Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Prince of Calenberg became King George I of Great Britain, the first monarch of the British House of Hanover, bypassing dozens of Catholics with a better hereditary claim to the British throne.

Anna Luise Sophie von der Schulenburg was born in January 1692, in Hehlen, then in the Electorate of Hanover, now in the German state of Lower Saxony, the daughter of the future King George I of Great Britain and his mistress Melusine von der Schulenburg. The family of her mother Melusine von der Schulenburg owned Hehlen Castle, so Anna Luise Sophie was probably born there. Anna Sophia’s paternal grandparents were Ernst August, Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Sophia of the Palatinate. Her maternal grandparents were Gustavus Adolphus, Freiherr (Baron) von der Schulenburg (link in German) and his first wife Petronella Ottilie von Schwencken.

Anna Luise Sophie’s mother Melusine von der Schulenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

Anna Luise Sophie’s mother Melusine von der Schulenburg 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. In 1690, Melusine became a maid of honor to Electress Sophia of Hanover, the mother of the future King George I. A year later, Melusine became George’s mistress. In 1694, George annulled his marriage to Sophia Dorothea of Celle after she fell in love with the Swedish Count Philip Christoph von Königsmarck, an officer in the Hanoverian army. Königsmarck disappeared and it was widely believed that George ordered Königsmarck’s death. Sophia Dorothea was banished to the Castle of Ahlden in her father’s territory of the Principality of Celle now in Lower Saxony, Germany. She was not allowed to remarry, would never again see her children, and was kept as a prisoner at the Castle of Ahlden until she died in 1727. George did not marry again and Melusine remained his mistress until he died, also in 1727.

Anna Luise Sophie had two younger full sisters:

• Petronilla Melusina von der Schulenburg (1693 – 1778), married Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, no children
• Margarete Gertrud von der Schulenburg (1701 – 1726), married Albrecht Wolfgang, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe, had two sons

Anna Luise Sophie had two half-siblings from her father’s marriage to Sophia Dorothea of Celle:

• King George II of Great Britain (1683 – 1760), married Caroline of Ansbach, had eight children
• Sophia Dorothea of Hanover (1687 – 1757), married Friedrich Wilhelm, Margrave of Brandenburg (later King Friedrich Wilhelm I in Prussia), had fourteen children

Melusine’s daughters 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.

In 1714, King George I made his state entry into London 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.

Prince House (Fürstenhaus); Credit – By Recherche, Scans, Arbeitsleistung gestiftet von: Bernd Schwabe in Hannover – eigenes “Werk” mit Hilfe einer dankenswerterweise geliehenen Kamera, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14876713

On December 31, 1707, Anna Luise Sophie married Ernst August Philipp von dem Bussche zu Ippenburg but the marriage was unhappy and childless. In 1716, Anna Luise Sophie’s husband caught her in bed with another man and divorced her. However, Anna Luise Sophie’s father remained fond of her. In 1720, King George I built the Prince House (Fürstenhaus), a small palace on the grounds of Herrenhausen Gardens in Hanover, now in Germany, for Anna Luise Sophie. King George II also arranged for Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor to grant Anna Luise Sophie the title Grafin von Delitz (Countess of Delitz) in 1722. Eventually, Anna Luise Sophie sold the Prince House and bought a house in the Paddington section of London. However, the Prince House is still owned by the German Hanover family.

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

On November 2, 1773, 81-year-old Anna Luise Sophie died at her home in London. She requested to be buried with her mother at Grosvenor Chapel in South Audley Street, London, England. Her sister Melusina was buried at Grosvenor Chapel when she died in 1778.

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, Peter & Powell, Roger. (2006). Right Royal Bastards – The Fruits of Passion. Burke’s Peerage & Gentry LLC.
• Flantzer, Susan. (2015). King George I of Great Britain. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-george-i-of-great-britain/
• ‌Flantzer, Susan. (2020). Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal, Mistress of King George I of Great Britain. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/melusine-von-der-schulenburg-duchess-of-kendal-mistress-of-king-george-i-of-great-britain/
• Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal. (2024, July 16). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melusine_von_der_Schulenburg
• Weir, Alison. (2008). Britain’s Royal Families – The Complete Genealogy. Vintage Books.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Lady Catherine Darnley – by Robert Grave, after Christian Friedrich Zincke line engraving, early 19th century NPG D31025 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Catherine Darnely (Catherine Sheffield, Duchess of Buckingham and Normanby), born circa 1681 – 1682, was the illegitimate daughter of King James II of England (reigned 1685 – 1688) and his mistress Catherine Sedley, Countess of Dorchester (in her own right). Her surname Darnley is a reference to her father’s great-grandfather Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, the second husband and first cousin of Mary, Queen of Scots. Catherine Darnley’s paternal grandparents were King Charles I of England and Henrietta Maria of France (the daughter of King Henri IV of France and Marie de’ Medici). Her maternal grandparents were Sir Charles Sedley, 5th Baronet and Lady Catherine Savage. By royal warrant, Lady Catherine Darnley was given the status of a duke’s daughter in the order of precedence.

Catherine’s mother Catherine Sedley; Credit – Wikipedia

Catherine Darnley’s maternal grandfather Sir Charles Sedley belonged to the intimate circle around King Charles II and was known for his wit and extravagant lifestyle. Because of his family’s wealth, his daughter Catherine Sedley was considered a marriage prospect for John Churchill, later 1st Duke of Marlborough. However, negotiations were broken off but not before Catherine Sedley had become a frequent visitor to the court of King Charles II at the Palace of Whitehall in London. Catherine Sedley was eventually appointed a maid of honor to Maria Beatrice of Modena, the second 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, his brother James was the heir presumptive to the throne and did succeed his brother in 1685. Catherine Sedley caught the eye of James and became his mistress. In 1686, King James II created his mistress Catherine Sedley Countess of Dorchester in her own right.

Catherine Darnley had two full brothers from King James II’s relationship with her mother Catherine Sedley. Both brothers died in infancy:

• James Darnley (1684 – 1685)
• Charles Darnley, died young

Catherine’s father King James II of England; Credit – Wikipedia

Catherine had eight half-siblings from King James II’s first marriage (before he became king) to Lady Anne Hyde but only two survived childhood and both were reigning Queens of England:

• Charles, Duke of Cambridge (1660 – 1661), died at age six months from smallpox
• Queen Mary II of England (1662 – 1694), married her first cousin William III, Prince of Orange in 1677, ascended to the throne in 1689 as co-ruler with her husband after the deposition of her father, no surviving children
• James, Duke of Cambridge (1663 – 1667), died at age three from smallpox
• Queen Anne of Great Britain (1665 – 1714), married Prince George of Denmark, had 17 pregnancies, five live births, no surviving children
• Charles, Duke of Kendal (1666 – 1667), died at age ten months
• Edgar, Duke of Cambridge (1667 – 1671), died at age three
• Henrietta (born and died 1669), died at age ten months
• Catherine (born and died 1671),  died at age ten months

Catherine had seven half-siblings from King James II’s second marriage to Maria Beatrice of Modena but only the youngest two survived childhood:

• Catherine Laura (1675 – 1676), died at age nine months
• Isabel (1676 – 1681), died at age four
• Charles, Duke of Cambridge (born and died 1677),  died 35 days after his birth
• Elizabeth (born and died 1678), died in infancy
• Charlotte Maria (born and died 1682): died at age two months from convulsions
• James Francis Edward, Prince of Wales “the Old Pretender” (1688 – 1766), married Maria Clementina Sobieski, had two sons
• Louisa Maria Teresa (1692 – 1712), died at age nineteen from smallpox

In 1688, the Glorious Revolution forced seven-year-old Catherine Darnley’s father King James II of England to vacate the throne in favor of his daughter (and Catherine’s half-sister) Queen Mary II and her husband and first cousin (also Catherine’s first cousin) King William III. The former King James II, his second wife Maria Beatrice of Modena, and their son James Edward Francis Stuart, the former Prince of Wales (Catherine’s half-brother) were exiled. They settled in France, where King James II’s first cousin King Louis XIV provided him with the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye in France. Later in her life, Catherine Darnley was a supporter of the rights of her half-brother James Edward Francis Stuart, The Old Pretender, and often visited him in Rome, where he had organized a Jacobite court.

Seven-year-old Catherine Darnley and her mother Catherine Sedley, Countess of Dorchester, remained in England where the Countess’ 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 Sedley had no qualms about attending the court of her half-sister Queen Mary II. She brazenly told Queen Mary II, Remember, Ma’am, if I broke one Commandment with your father, you have broken another against him.”

In 1696, fifteen-year-old Catherine Darnley got a stepfather when her mother married Sir David Colyear, Lieutenant-General of the Scots Brigade, the three Scottish regiments that had fought in the service of William III, Prince of Orange, now King of England. King William III highly regarded Sir David and his military abilities and created him Earl of Portmore.

Catherine Darnley had two half-brothers from her mother’s marriage to David Colyear, 1st Earl of Portmore:

• David Colyear, Viscount Milsington (1698 – 1728/29), married married Bridget Noel, no children
• Charles Colyear, 2nd Earl of Portmore (1700 – 1785), married Juliana Hele, widow of Peregrine Osborne, 3rd Duke of Leeds, had two daughters and two sons

On October 28, 1699, at Westminster Abbey in London 18-year-old Catherine Darnley married James Annesley, 3rd Earl of Anglesey. The marriage was unsuccessful due to James’ cruelty to Catherine. Catherine and James were separated in 1701 by an Act of Parliament, with Catherine claiming that James had tried to murder her. James died on January 21, 1702, from tuberculosis.

Catherine and James had one daughter:

• Lady Catherine Annesley (1700 – 1736), (1) married William Phipps, had two sons and one daughter

John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby by Edward Francis Finden, after Jonathan Richardson stipple engraving, (1703-1705) NPG D32303 © National Portrait Gallery, London

On March 16, 1706, at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church in London, Catherine became the third wife of John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby, who was thirty-three years older than Catherine. John was an English poet and Tory politician and served as Lord Privy Seal and Lord President of the Council.

Buckingham House, circa 1710; Credit – Wikipedia

Buckingham House, a large townhouse in London was built by Catherine’s husband John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham. The core of today’s Buckingham Palace is Buckingham House. King George III bought Buckingham House in 1761 as a private residence for his wife Queen Charlotte and became known as The Queen’s House. During the 19th century, it was enlarged by architects John Nash and Edward Blore, who constructed three wings around a central courtyard. Buckingham Palace became the official residence of the British monarch during the reign of Queen Victoria.

Catherine and John were married until John died in 1721 and they had three sons but sadly, they all died young.

• John Sheffield, Marquess of Normanby (born and died in 1710), died in infancy
• Robert Sheffield, Marquess of Normanby (1711 – 1715), died at age four
• Edmund Sheffield, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Normanby (1716 – 1735), unmarried, died from tuberculosis at age nineteen

Memorial to JohnSheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and his family at Westminster Abbey; Credit – Wikipedia

Catherine died on March 14, 1743, aged about sixty-two, in London, England, and was buried in a vault with her second husband and their three children in the northeastern chapel of the Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey. The memorial depicts the Duke of Buckingham in Roman armor lying on a sarcophagus beside a figure of his wife Catherine. A figure of Time above them holds portrait medallions of their children.

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, Peter & Powell, Roger. (2006). Right Royal Bastards – The Fruits of Passion. Burke’s Peerage & Gentry LLC.
• Catherine Sheffield, Duchess of Buckingham and Normanby. (2024). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Sheffield,_Duchess_of_Buckingham_and_Normanby
• Flantzer, Susan. (2020). Catherine Sedley, Countess of Dorchester, Mistress of King James II of England. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/catherine-sedley-countess-of-dorchester-mistress-of-king-james-ii-of-england/
• Flantzer, Susan. (2017). King James II of England. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-james-ii-of-england/
• James Annesley. (2023). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Annesley
• John Sheffield. (2021). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sheffield
• John Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham & Family. Westminster Abbey. https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/commemorations/john-sheffield-duke-of-buckingham-family/
• Weir, Alison. (2008). Britain’s Royal Families – The Complete Genealogy. Vintage Books.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Henry’s parents King James II of England and Arabella Churchill; Credit – Wikipedia

Henry FitzJames, 1st Duke of Albemarle was the illegitimate son of King James II of England (reigned 1685 – 1688) and his mistress Arabella Churchill. He was born on August 6, 1673, in a private house in St. James’s Square, Westminster, London, England. His surname FitzJames comes partially from Anglo-Norman Fitz, meaning “son” so FitzJames means “son of James”. Henry’s paternal grandparents were King Charles I of England and Henrietta Maria of France (the daughter of King Henri IV of France and Marie de’ Medici). His maternal grandparents were Sir Winston Churchill and Elizabeth Drake. John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, who gained fame as a military leader and courtier during the reign of Queen Anne, was James’ maternal uncle. King Charles II was his paternal uncle.

In 1663, during the reign of King Charles II of England, James’s fifteen-year-old future mother Arabella Churchill was sent to court to be a Maid of Honor to the Duchess of York. The Duchess of York, born Anne Hyde, was the first 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, Duke of York 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.”

Henry’s brother James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, 1st Duke of Liria and Jérica, 1st Duke of Fitz-James

Henry had three full siblings from her mother’s relationship with King James II:

• 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
• Arabella FitzJames (1674 – 1704), became a nun in Pontoise, France taking the name Sister Ignatia

Henry had eight half-siblings from King James II’s first marriage (before he became king) to Lady Anne Hyde but only two survived childhood and both were reigning Queens of England:

• Charles, Duke of Cambridge (1660 – 1661), died at age six months from smallpox
• Queen Mary II of England (1662 – 1694), married her first cousin William III, Prince of Orange in 1677, ascended to the throne in 1689 as co-ruler with her husband after the deposition of her father, no surviving children
• James, Duke of Cambridge (1663 – 1667), died at age three from smallpox
• Queen Anne of Great Britain (1665 – 1714), married Prince George of Denmark, had 17 pregnancies, five live births, no surviving children
• Charles, Duke of Kendal (1666 – 1667), died at age ten months
• Edgar, Duke of Cambridge (1667 – 1671), died at age three
• Henrietta (born and died 1669), died at age ten months
• Catherine (born and died 1671),  died at age ten months

Henry had seven half-siblings from King James II’s second marriage to Maria Beatrice of Modena but only the youngest two survived childhood:

• Catherine Laura (1675 – 1676), died at age nine months
• Isabel (1676 – 1681), died at age four
• Charles, Duke of Cambridge (born and died 1677),  died 35 days after his birth
• Elizabeth (born and died 1678), died in infancy
• Charlotte Maria (born and died 1682): died at age two months from convulsions
• James Francis Edward, Prince of Wales “the Old Pretender” (1688 – 1766), married Maria Clementina Sobieski, had two sons
• Louisa Maria Teresa (1692 – 1712), died at age nineteen from smallpox

Henry had three half-siblings from her mother’s marriage to Charles Godfrey:

• Elizabeth Godfrey (1677 – 1719), married Edmund Dunch, had four children
• Francis Godfrey (1681 – 1712), unmarried
• Charlotte Godfrey (circa 1682 – 1754), married Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount Falmouth, had nine children

Like his full brother James FitzJames, Henry was raised in France and educated at the College of Juilly, a private Catholic school still in existence, the Collège du Plessis, a college of the University of Paris, and the Jesuit College of La Flèche which was in existence from 1604 – 1762. In 1687, thirteen-year-old Henry was sent to sea to gain military experience on the HMS Sedgemoor under the command of David Lloyd, a British Royal Navy captain and later a Jacobite agent who followed King James II to France (see next paragraph).

In 1688, the Glorious Revolution forced James’ father King James II of England to vacate the throne in favor of his daughter (and James’ half-sister) Queen Mary II and her husband and first cousin (also James’ first cousin) King William III. The former King James II, his second wife Maria Beatrice of Modena, and their son James Edward Francis Stuart, the former Prince of Wales (James’ half-brother) were exiled. They settled in France, where King James II’s first cousin King Louis XIV provided him with the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye in France. Henry accompanied his father to France. In 1690, Henry served in the Williamite War in Ireland in which the Jacobite supporters of the exiled King James II unsuccessfully fought to restore the House of Stuart to the English throne.

Unlike his full brother James, Henry was not created a duke while his father was still King of England. In 1696, Henry was created Duke of Albemarle, with the subsidiary titles of Earl of Rochford and Baron Romney but the title was only recognized by Jacobites. Shortly afterward, he was appointed commander of the French fleet stationed in Toulon, France, given over to the former King James II to invade England. However, the invasion never happened.

On July 20, 1700, Henry married Marie Gabrielle d’Audibert de Lussan, from a French noble family, the only child and heir of Jean d’Audibert, Comte de Lussan and Marie Françoise Raimond. The couple had one daughter who died five months after Henry’s death, Lady Christine Marie Jacqueline Henriette FitzJames, who became a nun. On December 16, 1702, in Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France, 29-year-old Henry suddenly died. His burial site is unknown.

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

• Arabella Churchill (royal mistress). (2023). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabella_Churchill_(royal_mistress)
• Beauclerk-Dewar, Peter & Powell, Roger. (2006). Right Royal Bastards – The Fruits of Passion. Burke’s Peerage & Gentry LLC.
• Flantzer, Susan. (2017). King James II of England. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-james-ii-of-england/
• Henry FitzJames. (2024). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_FitzJames
• Henry FitzJames. (2024). Wikipedia. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_FitzJames
• Weir, Alison. (2008). Britain’s Royal Families – The Complete Genealogy. Vintage Books.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, 1st Duke of Liria and Jérica, 1st Duke of Fitz-James; Credit – Wikipedia

A great military leader who was killed on the battlefield, James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, 1st Duke of Liria and Jérica, and 1st Duke of Fitz-James, was born on August 21, 1670, in Moulins, Bourbonnais, France. He was the illegitimate son of King James II of England (reigned 1685 – 1688) and his mistress Arabella Churchill. James’s surname FitzJames comes partially from Anglo-Norman Fitz, meaning “son”, so FitzJames means “son of James”. James’ paternal grandparents were King Charles I of England and Henrietta Maria of France (the daughter of King Henri IV of France and Marie de’ Medici). His maternal grandparents were Sir Winston Churchill and Elizabeth Drake. John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, who gained fame as a military leader and courtier during the reign of Queen Anne, was James’ maternal uncle. King Charles II was his paternal uncle.

James’ parents King James II of England and Arabella Churchill; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1663, during the reign of King Charles II of England, James’s fifteen-year-old future mother, Arabella Churchill, was sent to court to be a Maid of Honor to the Duchess of York. The Duchess of York, born Anne Hyde, was the first 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, Duke of York was the heir presumptive to the throne and succeeded his brother in 1685. Arabella captured James’s 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 had three full siblings from her mother’s relationship with King James II:

• 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
• 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

James had eight half-siblings from King James II’s first marriage (before he became king) to Lady Anne Hyde, but only two survived childhood, and both were reigning Queens of England:

• Charles, Duke of Cambridge (1660 – 1661), died at age six months from smallpox
• Queen Mary II of England (1662 – 1694), married her first cousin William III, Prince of Orange in 1677, ascended to the throne in 1689 as co-ruler with her husband after the deposition of her father, no surviving children
• James, Duke of Cambridge (1663 – 1667), died at age three from smallpox
• Queen Anne of Great Britain (1665 – 1714), married Prince George of Denmark, had 17 pregnancies, five live births, no surviving children
• Charles, Duke of Kendal (1666 – 1667), died at age ten months
• Edgar, Duke of Cambridge (1667 – 1671), died at age three
• Henrietta (born and died 1669), died at age ten months
• Catherine (born and died 1671),  died at age ten months

James had seven half-siblings from King James II’s second marriage to Maria Beatrice of Modena, but only the youngest two survived childhood:

• Catherine Laura (1675 – 1676), died at age nine months
• Isabel (1676 – 1681), died at age four
• Charles, Duke of Cambridge (born and died 1677),  died 35 days after his birth
• Elizabeth (born and died 1678), died in infancy
• Charlotte Maria (born and died 1682): died at age two months from convulsions
• James Francis Edward, Prince of Wales “the Old Pretender” (1688 – 1766), married Maria Clementina Sobieski, had two sons
• Louisa Maria Teresa (1692 – 1712), died at age nineteen from smallpox

James had three half-siblings from his mother’s marriage to Charles Godfrey:

• Elizabeth Godfrey (1677 – 1719), married Edmund Dunch, had four children
• Francis Godfrey (1681 – 1712), unmarried
• Charlotte Godfrey (circa 1682 – 1754), married Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount Falmouth, had nine children

James was raised in France and was educated at the College of Juilly, a private Catholic school still in existence, the Collège du Plessis, a college of the University of Paris, and the Jesuit College of La Flèche, which was in existence from 1604 – 1762. At the age of sixteen, he received military training while serving with Charles V, Duke of Lorraine, the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire.

James returned to England a year later. His father, King James II, appointed him Governor of Portsmouth and Colonel of the Blues, and created him a Knight of the Order of the Garter. In 1688, the Glorious Revolution forced James’ father King James II of England to vacate the throne in favor of his daughter (and James’ half-sister) Queen Mary II and her husband and first cousin (also James’ first cousin) King William III. The former King James II, his second wife Maria Beatrice of Modena, and their son James Edward Francis Stuart, the former Prince of Wales (James’s half-brother) were exiled. They settled in France, where King James II’s first cousin King Louis XIV provided him with the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. James’ English peerage and its subsidiary titles were considered forfeited after the forced exile of his father in 1688.

James’ military training with the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire proved invaluable. From 1689 – 1691, he served in the Williamite War in Ireland, in which the Jacobite supporters of the exiled King James II unsuccessfully fought to restore the House of Stuart to the English throne. After the 1691 Treaty of Limerick, James withdrew permanently to France. He served in the French Army in twenty-nine campaigns, commanding fifteen of the campaigns against his maternal uncle, the great English military leader John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough.

King Felipe V of Spain creating James Duke of Liria and Jérica; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1706, King Louis XIV rewarded James for his service by creating him a Marshal of France, a French military honor awarded to generals for exceptional achievements, and by creating him Duke of FitzJames in the peerage of France in 1710. After James participated in the War of the Spanish Succession, King Felipe V of Spain rewarded his military capabilities by creating him Duke of Liria and Jérica in 1707 in the Spanish nobility.

James’s first wife, Honora Burke; Credit – Wikipedia

On March 26, 1695, at the chapel of the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye in France, James married Lady Honora Burke, the widow of Patrick Sarsfield, 1st Earl of Lucan, who had died in battle in 1693.

James and Honora’s son James Fitz-James Stuart, 2nd Duke of Berwick, 2nd Duke of Liria and Xérica; Credit – Wikipedia

James and Honora had one son who served in the Spanish Army and founded a Spanish dynasty, the Dukes of Liria and Jérica, and later the Dukes of Alba.

• James Fitz-James Stuart, 2nd Duke of Berwick, 2nd Duke of Liria and Xérica (1696 – 1738), married Catalina Ventura de Portugal-Columbus, 9th Duquesa de Veragua y de La Vega, had six children, but only four survived childhood

James’ wife Honora, aged about twenty-three, died on January 16, 1698, in Pézenas, Languedoc, France, from tuberculosis, leaving a two-year-old son and a grieving husband. She was buried at the Convent of English Benedictines in Pontoise, France.

Two years after his first wife’s death, James married Anne Bulkeley on April 18, 1700, in Paris, France. Anne was the daughter of Henry Bulkeley, who served as Master of the Household to King Charles II and King James II.

James and Anne had thirteen children, the nine listed below survived childhood. Their descendants are the French Ducs de Fitz-James.

• Henry James FitzJames, 2nd Duke of FitzJames (1702 – 1721), died at age nineteen, married Victoire-Félicité de Duras de Durfort, no children
• Henriette de FitzJames (1705 – 1739), married Jean-Baptiste-Louis, Count of Clermont d’Amboise, Marquis of Reynel, had four children
• François de Fitz-James, 3rd Duke of FitzJames (1709 – 1764), became a priest, served as Bishop of Soissons, and as a chaplain to King Louis XV of France
• Laure-Anne de Fitz-James (1710 – 1766), married Joachim-Louis de Montagu, Marquis of Bouzols, no children
• Henry de FitzJames (1711 – 1731), colonel of the Berwick Regiment of Irish Infantry
• Charles de FitzJames, 4th Duke of FitzJames (1712 – 1787), Marshal of France, Lieutenant General during the Seven Years’ War, Governor of Limousin in 1734, married Louise Victoire Goyon, had four children
• Marie Emilie de FitzJames (1715 – 1770), married François-Marie de Pérusse, Marquis d’Escars, had four children
• Edouard de FitzJames (1716 – 1758), field marshal in 1734 and lieutenant general in 1748, unmarried
• Anne Sophie de FitzJames (1718 – 1763), became a nun

In 1733, the nearly 63-year-old James was chosen to command the French troops in the War of the Polish Succession. He led his French troops to victory at the Siege of Kehl in the Margraviate of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on October 29, 1733. After the Siege of Kehl, the French army went into winter quarters. During the spring of 1734, James planned to lead 100,000 troops to siege the city of Philippsburg in the Margraviate of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

The death by decapitation of James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, 1st Duke of Liria and Jérica, 1st Duke of Fitz-James at the Siege of Philippsburg; Credit – Wikipedia

Although the French were victorious at the Siege of Philippsburg, on June 12, 1734, the nearly 64-year-old James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, 1st Duke of Liria and Jérica, 1st Duke of Fitz-James was killed when a cannonball decapitated him while he was inspecting the work on trenches.

On June 14, 1734, the coffin of James Fitz-James was transported in a grand military style to Strasbourg Cathedral in Strasbourg, France, and placed in the crypt there. James had expressed the desire to be buried next to his son at the Church of the English Benedictines on Rue Saint-Jacques in Paris, France. However, he was interred at the Scots College in Paris, France. His tomb was destroyed during the French Revolution, and his remains were lost.

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

• Arabella Churchill (royal mistress). (2023). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabella_Churchill_(royal_mistress)
• Beauclerk-Dewar, Peter & Powell, Roger. (2006). Right Royal Bastards – The Fruits of Passion. Burke’s Peerage & Gentry LLC.
• Flantzer, Susan. (2017). King James II of England. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-james-ii-of-england/
• Jacques Fitz-James. (2024). Wikipedia. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Fitz-James
• James FitzJames (1670-1734) – Find a Grave… (n.d.). Www.findagrave.com.Retrieved from https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/208830666/james-fitzjames
• James FitzJames. (2018). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_FitzJames
• Weir, Alison. (2008). Britain’s Royal Families – The Complete Genealogy. Vintage Books.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

The parents of Lady Henrietta FitzJames, the future King James II of England and Arabella Churchill; Credit – Wikipedia

An ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales and her children Prince William and Prince Harry, Lady Henrietta FitzJames was born in 1667 at a home in St. James Square in London, England. She was the eldest of the four illegitimate children of the future King James II of England (reigned 1685 – 1688) and his mistress Arabella Churchill. Henrietta’s surname FitzJames comes partially from Anglo-Norman Fitz, meaning “son” so FitzJames means “son of James”.

Henrietta’s paternal grandparents were King Charles I of England and Henrietta Maria of France (the daughter of King Henri IV of France and Marie de’ Medici). Her maternal grandparents were Sir Winston Churchill and Elizabeth Drake. John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, who gained fame as a military leader and courtier during the reign of Queen Anne, was Henrietta’s maternal uncle. King Charles II was her paternal uncle.

In 1663, during the reign of King Charles II of England, Henrietta’s fifteen-year-old future mother Arabella Churchill was sent to court to be a Maid of Honor to the Duchess of York. The Duchess of York, born Anne Hyde, was the first 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, Duke of York was the heir presumptive to the throne and did succeed his brother in 1685. Arabella captured James’ attention, 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.”

Henrietta had three younger full siblings from her mother’s relationship with King James II:

• 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

Henrietta had eight half-siblings from King James II’s first marriage (before he became king) to Lady Anne Hyde, but only two survived childhood, and both were reigning Queens of England:

• Charles, Duke of Cambridge (1660 – 1661), died at age six months from smallpox
• Queen Mary II of England (1662 – 1694), married her first cousin William III, Prince of Orange in 1677, ascended to the throne in 1689 as co-ruler with her husband after the deposition of her father, no surviving children
• James, Duke of Cambridge (1663 – 1667), died at age three from smallpox
• Queen Anne of Great Britain (1665 – 1714), married Prince George of Denmark, had 17 pregnancies, five live births, no surviving children
• Charles, Duke of Kendal (1666 – 1667), died at age ten months
• Edgar, Duke of Cambridge (1667 – 1671), died at age three
• Henrietta (born and died 1669), died at age ten months
• Catherine (born and died 1671),  died at age ten months

Henrietta had seven half-siblings from King James II’s second marriage to Maria Beatrice of Modena, but only the youngest two survived childhood:

• Catherine Laura (1675 – 1676), died at age nine months
• Isabel (1676 – 1681), died at age four
• Charles, Duke of Cambridge (born and died 1677),  died 35 days after his birth
• Elizabeth (born and died 1678), died in infancy
• Charlotte Maria (born and died 1682): died at age two months from convulsions
• James Francis Edward, Prince of Wales “the Old Pretender” (1688 – 1766), married Maria Clementina Sobieski, had two sons
• Louisa Maria Teresa (1692 – 1712), died at age nineteen from smallpox

Henrietta had three half-siblings from her mother’s marriage to Charles Godfrey:

• Elizabeth Godfrey (1677 – 1719), married Edmund Dunch, had four children
• Francis Godfrey (1681 – 1712), unmarried
• Charlotte Godfrey (circa 1682 – 1754), married Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount Falmouth, had nine children

Henrietta’s son James Waldegrave, 1st Earl Waldegrave; Credit – Wikipedia

Henrietta was raised in the Roman Catholic religion, and both her husbands were Roman Catholic. On November 29, 1683, she married Henry Waldegrave, 1st Baron Waldegrave. Henrietta and Henry had three children. Through their elder son James, they are ancestors of Diana, Princess of Wales and her sons Prince William and Prince Harry.

• James Waldegrave, 1st Earl Waldegrave (1684 – 1741), married Mary Webb, had two sons and one daughter
• The Honorable Arabella Waldegrave (1687 – 1740), became a nun
• The Honorable Henry Waldegrave (1688 – circa 1726)

In 1688, the Glorious Revolution forced Henrietta’s father, King James II of England, to vacate the throne in favor of his daughter (and Henrietta’s half-sister) Queen Mary II and her husband and first cousin (also Henrietta’s first cousin) King William III. The former King James II, his second wife Maria Beatrice of Modena, and their son James Edward Francis Stuart, the former Prince of Wales (Henrietta’s half-brother) were exiled. They settled in France, where King James II’s first cousin, King Louis XIV, provided him with the Palace of St. Germain. Henrietta and her first husband Henry accompanied her father to France. In 1687, Henry became Comptroller of the Royal Household and continued in that position at King James II’s court-in-exile at Saint-Germain-en-Laye. In 1688, Henry was appointed as the English Ambassador to France. 28-year-old Henry Waldegrave, 1st Baron Waldegrave died on January 24, 1689, in Saint Germain-en-Laye, France.

22-year-old Henrietta struggled to come to terms with suddenly becoming a widow. In 1695, she angered her father King James II by becoming pregnant. James II ordered Henrietta to spend her pregnancy at the Benedictine Abbey in Pontoise, France. Mark Talbot, the illegitimate son of Richard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell, was rumored to be the father, but Piers Butler, 3rd Viscount Galmoye, whom Henrietta married on April 3, 1695, is also a possible father. The fate of Henrietta’s illegitimate child is unknown.

Henrietta’s second husband Piers Butler, 3rd Viscount Galmoye, an Anglo-Irish nobleman, was fifteen years older than her and had served her father King James II as Privy Councillor of Ireland, Lieutenant of the County of Kilkenny, and Colonel of the 2nd Regiment of Irish Horse. In 1688, during the Glorious Revolution, Piers likely could have held on to his Irish land in Kilkenny and Wexford if he had given his allegiance to King William III of England instead of following King James II into exile in France. In 1697, the English Parliament attainted him and declared his titles forfeit. In 1692, the exiled King James II created Piers Earl of Newcastle in County Limerick in the Jacobite peerage of Ireland. He later served in the French army as a Lieutenant-General.

St Thomas the Apostle Church, Navestock; Credit – By John Winfield, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9135883

Although Henrietta was fifteen years younger, she predeceased her second husband Piers. She died on April 3, 1730, aged 63, in Navestock, Essex, England, and was buried in the St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Navestock. The Waldegrave family manor, the family home of her first husband, which Henrietta’s elder son inherited, was in Navestock. There are various Waldegrave memorials in St. Thomas the Apostle Church. Her second husband Piers Butler survived her by ten years, dying in Paris, France on June 18, 1740, at the age of 88. He was buried at St.Paul’s Church in Paris.

Memorial to Henrietta erected by her elder son at St. Thomas the Apostle Church; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Henrietta’s elder son James erected a memorial to his mother at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Navestock, Essex, England.

The text translated from the Latin: To God the Best and Greatest, here rests the most illustrious Lady Henrietta Waldegrave, beloved wife of Henry Baron Waldegrave, daughter of King James II and the Most Noble Lady Arabella Churchill, sister of the most mighty prince, the Duke of Berwick. She was adorned not so much with splendor of birth, but just as much with all the virtues and qualities of mind and body. She died 3rd April A.D. 1730 aged 63. Her dearest son, James, Earl, Viscount, and Baron Waldegrave, placed this memorial sacred to her happy memory.

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

• Arabella Churchill (royal mistress). (2023). Wikipedia.
• Beauclerk-Dewar, Peter & Powell, Roger. (2006). Right Royal Bastards – The Fruits of Passion. Burke’s Peerage & Gentry LLC.
• Flantzer, Susan. (2017). King James II of England. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-james-ii-of-england/
• Henrietta FitzJames. (2022). Geni_family_tree. https://www.geni.com/people/Henrietta-FitzJames/6000000003615927484
• Henrietta FitzJames. (2024). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrietta_FitzJames
• Henrietta Fitz James Waldegrave (1667-1730) -… (n.d.). www.findagrave.com. Retrieved July 4, 2024, from https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/72003420/henrietta-waldegrave
• Henry Waldegrave, 1st Baron Waldegrave. (2024). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Waldegrave,_1st_Baron_Waldegrave
• Weir, Alison. (2008). Britain’s Royal Families – The Complete Genealogy. Vintage Books.