Category Archives: Royal Relationships

Gabrielle de Polastron, Duchesse de Polignac, Favorite of Queen Marie Antoinette of France

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Gabrielle de Polastron, Duchesse de Polignac was a favorite of Queen Marie Antoinette of France. She is also the ancestress of Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco.

source: Wikipedia

Born in Paris on September 8, 1749, Yolande Martine Gabrielle de Polastron was the second daughter of Jean François Gabriel, Count of Polastron, Seigneur de Noueilles, Venerque and Grépiac and his first wife, Jeanne Charlotte Hérault de Vaucresson. Gabrielle (as she was known) had an elder sister Jeanne. Through her father’s second marriage to Anne-Charlotte de Noé, she also had three younger half-siblings, Denis, Adélaïde and Henriette-Nathalie.

Although her family was part of the aristocracy, they were laden with debt and lived a relatively modest lifestyle. She was initially raised at the family’s Château de Noueilles in southern France, but following her mother’s death when Gabrielle was just three years old, her upbringing was left to an aunt who sent her to a convent to receive her education.

Gabrielle was married on July 7, 1767 to Jules François Armand de Polignac, Marquis de Mancini (later created Duke of Polignac). At the time, Polignac was serving in the French military. The couple had four children:

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Queen Marie Antoinette of France. source: Wikipedia

In 1775, Gabrille and her husband were invited to visit Versailles by her sister-in-law, Diane de Polignac, who was a lady-in-waiting to Princess Elizabeth of France, the younger sister of King Louis XVI. Gabrielle was formally presented to Queen Marie Antoinette who instantly took a liking to her and soon asked her to move permanently to Versailles. Heavily in debt, this was not a move that Gabrielle and her husband could afford. Despite their aristocratic background, there was little money for extravagance. They lived on Jules’s military salary of just 4,000 livres and were heavily in debt. Becoming aware of this, The Queen quickly arranged to settle their debts and find a better position for Jules within the royal household.

From all accounts, Gabrielle was greatly welcomed by the French royal family, however, the feeling was not the same from many other members of the court who questioned her motives and were wary of her very quick accession to the highest level of the Queen’s entourage. Many also resented Marie Antoinette’s immense generosity shown to Gabrielle and her family. Not only were their debts resolved but they began to live a very lavish lifestyle – primarily funded by The Queen. Further adding to the resentment came in 1780 when Gabrielle’s husband was created Duke of Polignac, making Gabrielle a Duchess.

In 1782, Gabrielle was appointed Governess to the children of France, a move which further alienated other members of the Court who felt Gabrielle was not of a sufficient social status for such a prominent position. She took up new apartments within the Palace of Versailles – significantly larger than any of her predecessors – and was given her own small cottage at the Hameau de la Reine – the Queen’s private retreat on the grounds of the Petit Trianon.

Joseph Hyacinthe François de Paule de Rigaud, Count of Vaudreuil. source: Wikipedia

Gabrielle briefly fell out of favor with the Queen in 1785, primarily due to her friendship with the Count of Vaudreuil whom the Queen did not trust. Rumors spread that Gabrielle and the Count were having an affair and that he may have been the father of her youngest son, but this is disrupted by most historians. Sensing the Queen’s displeasure, Gabrielle left Versailles for an extended vacation in England. The two soon mended their relationship and became close once again in the months leading up to the French Revolution. However, the world would quickly change for everyone at Court, following the storming of the Bastille in July 1789. Gabrielle and her family fled France, traveling throughout Europe before eventually settling in Vienna. During this time, she remained in close contact with The Queen for the next several years.

Having developed what is believed to be cancer, her health quickly began to decline. Just two months after the Queen’s execution, Gabrielle, the Duchess of Polignac, died in Vienna on December 3, 1793, at the age of 44.

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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.

George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, Favorite of King Charles II of England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham; Credit – Wikipedia

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

A member of the Villiers family, a prominent aristocratic family during the Stuart dynasty, George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham was born on January 30, 1628, during the reign of King Charles I of England. He was the third of the four children and the second but the eldest surviving of the three sons of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Katherine Manners. George was a half-first cousin once removed of King Charles II’s mistress Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland who was born as Barbara Villiers. Barbara’s father William Villiers, 2nd Viscount Grandison was the son of Sir Edward Villiers, a half-brother of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham.

George (on his mother’s lap) with his parents and his sister Mary; Credit – Wikipedia

George had three siblings:

  • Mary Villiers (1622 – 1685), married (1) Charles Herbert, Lord Herbert, no children (2) James Stewart, 1st Duke of Richmond, 4th Duke of Lennox, had two children (3) Colonel Thomas Howard, no children
  • Charles Villiers, Earl of Coventry (1625 – 1627), died in childhood
  • Lord Francis Villiers (1629 – 1648), unmarried, died in a skirmish at Kingston-Upon-Thames during the Second English Civil War

The elder George Villiers, the 1st Duke of Buckingham, was a courtier and favorite of King James I of England and his son King Charles I until a disgruntled army officer assassinated him on August 23, 1628. His seven-month-old son George inherited his father’s wealth and his long string of titles: Duke of Buckingham, Marquess of Buckingham, Earl of Buckingham, Earl of Coventry, Viscount Villiers, and Baron Whaddon. George’s mother Katherine succeeded to one of her father’s titles Baron de Ros of Helmsley upon his death in 1632, becoming the 18th Baroness de Ros of Helmsley in her own right. She married for a second time to Randal MacDonnell, 1st Marquess of Antrim in 1635, and went to live at Dunluce Castle in County Antrim, Ireland. Katherine survived her first husband by twenty-one years, dying in 1649 in Waterford, Ireland, probably of the plague. Upon his mother’s death, George inherited her title Baron de Ros of Helmsley.

George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Lord Francis Villiers; Credit – Wikipedia

George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and his brother Lord Francis Villiers were brought up in the household of King Charles I with Charles I’s sons, the future King Charles II and the future King James II. King Charles I took responsibility for George and Francis because of his loyalty to their assassinated father and because he did not think their Catholic mother should raise them. The education of the two Villiers boys and the two royal princes was overseen by William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle and Brian Duppa, Bishop of Winchester, and then later by John Earle, Bishop of Salisbury. The philosopher Thomas Hobbes was their mathematics teacher.

George and his brother Francis actively supported and fought with the Royalists during the English Civil War. After the death of his brother in a battle near Kingston upon Thames, George Villiers fled England and took refuge like many other royalists in the Netherlands. The execution of King Charles I on January 30, 1649, made his son Charles the de jure King of England. Because he participated in the Royalist cause, George’s property in England was confiscated but King Charles II in exile made him a Knight of the Garter in 1649 and a member of the Privy Council in 1650.

King Charles II in exile, 1653; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1650, accompanied by George, Charles landed in Scotland and raised an army of 10,000 men. After being crowned King of Scots at Scone on January 1, 1651, Charles marched his army into England but suffered an overwhelming defeat at the Battle of Worcester.  After being a fugitive for six weeks, Charles escaped England and fled to France. Oliver Cromwell was declared Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland. England remained a Commonwealth and then a Protectorate until 1660.

George followed the English royal family into exile. He returned to England in 1657 and married Mary Fairfax, the only child and heir of Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron. When George’s property had been confiscated by the Cromwell government, it was given to Mary’s father Thomas Fairfax. George hoped that the marriage would result in him getting back his property. George and Mary’s marriage was childless. Mary was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Charles II’s wife Catherine of Braganza from 1663 – 1688.

In 1658, George was suspected of organizing a plot against Cromwell’s government. He was placed under house arrest at York House, his home in London, but escaped and when he was captured, he was imprisoned in the Tower of London until his father-in-law negotiated his release in 1659. The conditions of George’s release were a promise not to assist the enemies of the government and a very large security payment from his father-in-law Thomas Fairfax.

On September 3, 1658, Oliver Cromwell died. His son Richard Cromwell ruled only until April 1659 and there was a real possibility for the restoration of the monarchy. On May 1, 1660, Parliament formally invited Charles, as King Charles II, to be the English monarch in what has become known as the Restoration. On May 23, 1660, Charles landed at Dover, England and on his 30th birthday, May 29, 1660, King Charles II entered London in a procession with George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham accompanying the king.

After the restoration of King Charles II, George held several positions including Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Minister of State, and Master of the Horse. His endeavor to influence English politics was stymied by the Lord Chancellor Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon and in 1667, George took an active part in the overthrow of Hyde. He then played an important role in the group of five royal advisors that called itself the CABAL, formed from the letters of its members’ names:

C (Sir Thomas Clifford)
A (Anthony Ashley-Cooper, Baron Ashley)
B (George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham)
A (Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington)
L (John Maitland, 2nd Earl of Lauderdale)

George’s mistress Anna Maria Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury; Credit – Wikipedia

George was one of the Restoration rakes which included John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, Sir Charles Sedley, and Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset. Following the example of King Charles II, they distinguished themselves in drinking, sex, and witty conversation. In 1667, George began an affair with Anna Maria Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury, the wife of Francis Talbot, 11th Earl of Shrewsbury. The Earl challenged George to a duel and was mortally wounded by George, dying two months later of his injury. After the death of the 11th Earl of Shrewsbury, his widow Anna Maria went to live with George which necessitated George’s wife Mary living in the home of her birth family until the affair ended in 1674.

The Life of Buckingham by Augustus Leopold Egg – George is the central figure with King Charles II standing behind him; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1674, the House of Commons and the House of Lords brought charges against George. He was accused of embezzling public funds, having secret negotiations with France, and condemned for his affair with Anna Maria Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury. Due to a petition from the House of Commons, George was removed from office by Charles II and resigned from the royal advisory group. However, as a peer, he was still a member of the House of Lords and participated in the business of the House of Lords. Personally, George reformed his ways, reconciled with his wife Mary, and began to pay his debts.

After the death of King Charles II in 1685, George retired to his estate in Helmsley, North Yorkshire, England. He died there on April 16, 1687, aged 59, from complications of a cold he caught while participating in a fox hunt. Originally buried in Yorkshire, on June 7, 1687, George’s remains were moved to the Buckingham Vault in the Chapel of St. Nicholas in Westminster Abbey in London, England. While his father has a lavish tomb with an effigy in the Chapel of St. Nicholas, George has no monument or marker. Because George had no legitimate male heir, his titles became extinct except for Baron de Ros of Helmsley from his mother’s family which fell into abeyance until 1790. George’s wife Mary survived him by seventeen years, dying on October 30, 1704, aged 67. She was buried with her husband in the Buckingham Vault in Westminster Abbey.

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The Chapel of St. Nicholas at Westminster Abbey where George and his wife Mary are buried in the Buckingham Vault

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. George Villiers, 2Nd Duke Of Buckingham. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Villiers,_2nd_Duke_of_Buckingham> [Accessed 31 December 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2016. King Charles II Of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-charles-ii-of-england/> [Accessed 31 December 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2020. George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, Favorite of King James I of England and King Charles I of England. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/george-villiers-1st-duke-of-buckingham-favorite-of-king-james-i-of-england-and-king-charles-i-of-england/> [Accessed 31 December 2020].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. George Villiers (2E Duc De Buckingham). [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Villiers_(2e_duc_de_Buckingham)> [Accessed 31 December 2020].
  • Nl.wikipedia.org. 2020. George Villiers (1628-1687). [online] Available at: <https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Villiers_(1628-1687)> [Accessed 31 December 2020].
  • Westminster Abbey. 2020. Villiers Family | Westminster Abbey. [online] Available at: <https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/commemorations/villiers-family> [Accessed 31 December 2020].

Anne Tennant, Baroness Glenconner, Lady-in-Waiting and Confidante of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Anne as a debutante – Credit – Anne Veronica (née Coke), Baroness Glenconner by Navana Vandyk, whole-plate film negative, 8 May 1950, NPG x97522 © National Portrait Gallery, London

In 1971, Anne Tennant, Baroness Glenconner became a lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, the sister of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, and remained a lady-in-waiting until Princess Margaret’s death in 2002. In 2020, Anne Tennant’s memoir Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown was published. Her reason for writing the memoir was because she “was so fed up with people writing such horrible things about Princess Margaret.”

Anne Tennant, Baroness Glenconner was born Anne Veronica Coke (pronounced “Cook”) on July 16, 1932, in London, England, the eldest of the three daughters of Thomas Coke, the future 5th Earl of Leicester (1908 – 1976) and Lady Elizabeth Mary Yorke (1912 – 1985), daughter of Charles Yorke, 8th Earl of Hardwicke. Anne’s father, who became the 5th Earl of Leicester in 1949, served as Equerry to the Duke of York (the future King George VI) from 1934-1937. When the Duke of York became King George VI, he became Extra Equerry to the king from 1937-1952, and then continued as Extra Equerry to Queen Elizabeth II. Anne’s mother served as Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II from 1953 – 1973.

Anne had two younger siblings:

  • Lady Carey Elizabeth Coke (1934 – 2018), married Bryan Ronald Basset, had three sons
  • Lady Sarah Marion Coke (born 1944), married Major David Finlayson Wylie-Hill Walter, had two sons

Holkham Hall, Anne’s childhood home; Credit – By Holkham.j.lewis – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77267021

Anne spent her childhood at Holkham Hall, the 18th century Coke family country estate in Holkham, Norfolk, England. Sandringham House, the British monarch’s personally-owned country estate, was only 18 miles from Holkham Hall, and so Anne was a regular playmate of Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth were friends with Anne’s parents. They saw each other socially and the Coke family always attended the annual Christmas party at Buckingham Palace.

During World War II, Anne and her sister Carey stayed with their paternal great-aunt the Countess of Airlie, born Lady Bridget Coke and her husband David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie, and the six Ogilvy children. Their playmates were the three youngest Ogilvy children: David Ogilvy, the future 13th Earl of Airlie, The Honorable Angus Ogilvy who married Princess Alexandra of Kent, the first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret, and The Honorable James Ogilvy.

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Queen Elizabeth II with her maids of honor: (left to right) Lady Moyra Hamilton, Lady Anne Coke, Lady Rosemary Spencer-Churchill, Lady Mary Baillie-Hamilton, Lady Jane Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, Lady Jane Vane-Tempest-Stewart

In 1950, at the age of 18, Anne was formally presented at court and was named “debutante of the year” by Tatler which then was “an illustrated journal of society”. In 1953, Anne was selected to be one of the six maids of honor at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey.

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Colin Tennant and Lady Anne Coke pictured as they announce their engagement

In the summer of 1955, Anne met Colin Tennant, the son and heir of Christopher Tennant, 2nd Baron Glenconner at a debutante party at the Ritz Hotel in London. Their engagement was announced on December 16, 1955. On April 21, 1956, at St. Withburga’s Church in Holkham, Norfolk, England, Anne married Colin Tennant, the future 3rd Baron Glenconner. The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret attended the wedding. Antony Armstrong-Jones, Princess Margaret’s future husband, was the wedding photographer.

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Anne and Colin with their first child Charles

Anne and her husband had three sons and twin daughters:

  • The Honorable Charles Tennant (1957 – 1996), married Sheilagh Scott, had one son, Cody Tennant who became the 4th Baron Glenconner upon the death of his grandfather in 2010
  • The Honorable Henry Tennant (1960 – 1990), married Teresa Cormack (died 2018), had one son
  • The Honorable Christopher Tennant (born 1968), married (1) Anastasia Papadakos, had two daughters, divorced (2) Johanna Lissack Hurn
  • The Honorable May Tennant (born 1970), married Anton Creasy, had one daughter
  • The Honorable Amy Tennant (born 1970), unmarried
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Anne and Colin’s twin daughters with their nanny Barbara Barnes who later became Prince William’s nanny

Sadly, all three sons had major medical issues. The eldest son Charles died in 1996 from Hepatitis C due to his long-term heroin use. Henry, the second son, died from AIDS in 1990. Henry and his wife Tessa had a son Euan shortly before Henry told Tessa that he was gay. The couple separated but remained close. Their son Euan Tennant manages The Glen, the Tennant family estate in Traquair, Scotland. The youngest son Christopher suffered severe brain damage in a motorcycle accident in 1987 in Belize. He was found by a passing motorist and taken to the hospital, where he spent the next three months in a coma.

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Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh are greeted by Princess Margaret, Anne, and Colin as they arrive on Mustique during their 1977 Silver Jubilee Tour

Two years after Anne and Colin married, Colin bought the Caribbean island of Mustique £45,000. He built a new village for its inhabitants, planted coconut palms, vegetables, and fruit, and developed the fisheries. In 1960, Princess Margaret and her new husband Antony Armstrong-Jones visited Mustique while on their honeymoon cruise to accept a wedding gift from Colin, a plot of land on which Princess Margaret built a villa called Les Jolies Eaux, French for “the pretty waters.” Due to financial issues, by 1987, Colin had sold, by 1987, all of his financial interest in Mustique. After that Anne and Colin lived in England and in the Caribbean island country of St. Lucia.

In early 1971, shortly after the christening of Anne’s twin daughters, at which Princess Margaret was May’s godmother, the princess asked Anne to become one of her ladies-in-waiting. Anne accompanied Princess Margaret on many engagements and tours and she once stood in for Princess Margaret on a trip to the Philippines to meet with Imelda Marcos when Margaret became ill. For her service to the royal family, Anne received the Royal Victorian Order on June 14, 1991.

The Glen, the Tennant family country estate; Credit – By Jim Barton, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13581551

Prior to a dinner party during the summer of 1973 at The Glen, the Tennant family home, where Princess Margaret would be a guest, another guest canceled at the last minute. At the suggestion of Colin’s aunt, Anne called Roddy Llewellyn, the younger son of Sir Harry Llewellyn, 3rd Baronet, an Olympic gold medallist in show jumping. At that dinner party, the 43-year-old still-married Princess Margaret first met 25-year-old Roddy Llewellyn. Their much-publicized eight-year relationship was a factor in the end of Princess Margaret’s marriage. After Princess Margaret’s funeral in 2002, the Queen Mother discussed Roddy Llewellyn with Anne and thanked her for having introduced her daughter to Roddy, because “he made her really happy.”

In 1994, Princess Margaret, Anne, and Colin attended a dinner at mutual friends’ home in Mustique. During that dinner, Princess Margaret suffered her first stroke. Over the following year, Anne noticed Margaret becoming gradually slower and moments where she would suddenly lose her place. In 1999, while in Mustique, Margaret scalded her feet in the bath. Although Anne was not in Mustique, she rushed there to be with Margaret. When Margaret refused to go home to England for treatment, Anne called Queen Elizabeth who persuaded her sister to come home. After that, Princess Margaret was wheelchair-bound. She had two more strokes and her eyesight began to fail. When Anne was not on duty, she visited Margaret as much as possible. Margaret spent Christmas 2001 at Sandringham with her family but Anne, who was also in Norfolk, had to be called in because Margaret refused to eat and seemed to have given up on life. Anne managed to get Margaret to eat a jam tart, watch her favorite television programs, and settle down.

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Princess Margaret making one of her rare public appearances shortly after she scalded her feet, accompanied by her lady-in-waiting Anne Tennant, March 20, 2000

After the Christmas holidays, Princess Margaret returned to her London home at Kensington Palace. Anne visited her, read to her, and listened to the radio with her. On the evening of February 8, 2002, Anne received a phone call from Princess Margaret’s Private Secretary saying that Margaret had suffered another stroke and that the prognosis was not good. Princess Margaret died early the next morning. After Princess Margaret’s funeral service, Queen Elizabeth thanked Anne for all that she had done for Margaret. She acknowledged Roddy Llewllyn’s positive impact on her sister and was glad that her home on Mustique had made Margaret happy.

In 2009, Anne’s husband Colin was diagnosed with prostate cancer but was determined that no one should find out. He died on August 27, 2010, from a heart attack, at the age of 83, and was buried in the Traquair Kirkyard, near The Glen, the Tennant family home. Colin’s grandson Cody Tennant, the only child of Colin’s eldest son Charles succeeded as the 4th Baron Glenconner and received all property and funds connected to the Baron of Glenconnner title.

However, Colin left his family an unpleasant surprise. Colin had made a new will seven months before his death and had left everything not connected to the Baron of Glenconner title to Kent Adonai, a St. Lucia citizen, and his valet for 26 years who was with him when he had his fatal heart attack. The Tennant family contested the will and after an eight-year legal battle, the estate was divided more or less equally between Kent Adonai and Cody Tennant, 4th Baron Glenconner.

Anne Tennant, Baroness Glenconner; Credit – https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/client/anne-glenconner

The family remains bitter over what Colin did but as Anne wrote in her memoir, “Obsessing about this would have driven me mad so, instead, I made a decision to move on.” Anne moved on with her life, living in the farmhouse in Norfolk, England that she had bought for herself years before, surrounded by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

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. 2021. Anne Tennant, Baroness Glenconner. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Tennant,_Baroness_Glenconner> [Accessed 18 February 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Colin Tennant, 3rd Baron Glenconner. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Tennant,_3rd_Baron_Glenconner> [Accessed 18 February 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Thomas Coke, 5th Earl of Leicester. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Coke,_5th_Earl_of_Leicester> [Accessed 18 February 2021].
  • Glenconner, Anne, 2020. Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown. New York: Hachette Book Group, Inc.
  • Thefreelibrary.com. 2000. FAITH HEALER SAVED MY THIRD SON FROM DEATH; Tennant matriarch finds peace in India. – Free Online Library. [online] Available at: <https://www.thefreelibrary.com/FAITH+HEALER+SAVED+MY+THIRD+SON+FROM+DEATH%3B+Tennant+matriarch+finds…-a060956241> [Accessed 18 February 2021].

Lucy Hay, Countess of Carlisle, Favorite of Henrietta Maria of France, Queen of England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Lucy Hay, Countess of Carlisle; Credit – Wikipedia

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

Probably the inspiration for the character of Milady de Winter in The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, Lady Lucy Percy was born in 1599, the second of the four children and the younger of the two daughters of Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland and Lady Dorothy Devereux. Lucy’s mother was the sister of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, the favorite of Queen Elizabeth I of England who was executed for his part in an unsuccessful rebellion against Elizabeth. Lucy’s father spent sixteen years in the Tower of London, albeit in a comfortable situation due to his wealth, due to the suspicion that he was complicit in the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605 to assassinate King James I.

Lucy had three siblings:

Lucy’s husband John Hay, 1st Earl of Carlisle; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1617, Lucy married James Hay (circa 1580 – 1636), who was created 1st Earl of Carlisle in 1622. James was a Scotsman who had come to England with James VI, King of Scots when he succeeded Queen Elizabeth I of England as King James I of England in 1603. James Hay was an important courtier of King James I and King Charles I and represented the English Crown in many diplomatic missions abroad including the negotiations in 1624 for the wedding Charles, Prince of Wales, the future King Charles I, and Henrietta Maria of France. Lucy and James Hay had no children. Upon his death in 1636, he was succeeded by his son from his first marriage, James Hay, 2nd Earl of Carlisle.

Queen Henrietta Maria; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1626, Lucy was appointed Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I, who had succeeded to the throne the previous year. Lucy soon became a favorite of the queen, was a popular figure at the court, and started to engage in court intrigues. She was the subject of Sir John Suckling‘s risqué poem Upon My Lady Carlisle’s Walking in Hampton Court Garden.

George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham; Credit – Wikipedia

Lucy may have been the inspiration for the character of Milady de Winter in The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. She had an affair with George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, a favorite of both King James I and King Charles I. The 17th-century French diarist François de La Rochefoucauld mentioned in his memoirs that Lucy stole diamond studs that King Louis XIII of France (the brother of Queen Henrietta Maria of England) had given his wife Anne of Austria, Queen of France. Supposedly, Queen Anne had given the diamond studs to her admirer George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Lucy stole them in a vengeful act because she was jealous of Buckingham’s love for Queen Anne. King Louis XIII wanted to see the studs and Queen Anne was able to recover them. Alexandre Dumas later used this entire story, and therefore he probably based Milady de Winter on Lucy Carlisle in The Three Musketeers.

Lucy was the mistress of political opponents Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford and then John Pym, serving them both as a secret informant. In 1642, Lucy informed her cousin Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex of King Charles I’s intention to arrest five members of the Long Parliament which enabled Essex and the others to escape. During the Second English Civil War between the Parliamentarians (Roundheads) and the Royalists (Cavaliers), Lucy sided with the Royalists. She helped fund the Royalist Army by selling her pearl necklace for £1500. Lucy maintained communication with Charles, Prince of Wales (the future King Charles II) during his blockade of the Thames, and served as an intermediary between the scattered bands of royalists and Queen Henrietta Maria. Less than two months after the beheading of King Charles I on January 30, 1649, Lucy was arrested due to her actions and imprisoned in the Tower of London. While in the Tower, she communicated in code with the new king in exile, Charles II, through her brother Algernon and was threatened with torture on the rack to gain information. Lucy was released on bail on September 25, 1650.

Lucy never regained her influence in royal circles. She died of a stroke at Little Salisbury House in London, England on November 5, 1660, at the age of 61, soon after the monarchy was restored. Lucy was buried in the Percy family vault at St. Mary the Virgin Churchyard in Petworth, Chichester District, West Sussex, England.

The statue above the Percy vault at St. Mary the Virgin Churchyard in Petworth; 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

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Henry Percy, 9Th Earl Of Northumberland. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Percy,_9th_Earl_of_Northumberland> [Accessed 25 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. James Hay, 1St Earl Of Carlisle. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hay,_1st_Earl_of_Carlisle> [Accessed 25 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Lucy Hay, Countess Of Carlisle. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_Hay,_Countess_of_Carlisle> [Accessed 25 December 2020].
  • Englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com. 2017. The Infamous Countess Of Carlisle. [online] Available at: <https://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-infamous-countess-of-carlisle.html> [Accessed 25 December 2020].
  • Find a Grave. 2020. Lucy “Countess Of Carlisle” Percy Hay (1599-1660)…. [online] Findagrave.com. Available at: <https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55392135/lucy-hay> [Accessed 25 December 2020].

Margaret “Bobo” MacDonald, Nanny, Dresser, and Confidante of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Margaret MacDonald served Queen Elizabeth II for sixty-seven years, first as a nursemaid beginning in Elizabeth’s infancy and then as her dresser who looked after her clothes and jewelry and helped style her appearance. A constant presence in Elizabeth’s life from an early age, Margaret was also Elizabeth’s confidante and friend. Born in 1904, Margaret MacDonald was the Scots-born daughter of a railway worker. She grew up in a three-room railway company cottage in Black Isle, a peninsula north of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. Margaret first worked as an apprentice chambermaid in a modest hotel. In 1926, when Princess Elizabeth (the future Queen Elizabeth II) was born, she joined the household of the Duke and Duchess of York (the future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, later The Queen Mother) as a nursemaid.

Baby Elizabeth’s staff also included Clara Cooper Knight known as Allah, a traditional English nanny. Margaret, as nursemaid, would often play hide and seek with the toddler Elizabeth in the gardens calling, “Boo!” Elizabeth would clap her hands and answer “Boo! Boo!” and that is how Margaret got the name Bobo. She was called Bobo for the rest of her life and she was the only person outside the immediate royal family permitted to call Elizabeth by her childhood name Lilibet.

When Princess Margaret was born in 1930, Allah and Bobo’s younger sister Ruby MacDonald, who later became Princess Margaret’s dresser, took care of the new princess. Bobo took charge of Elizabeth and moved into her room to give her a stronger sense of security. Elizabeth would share a room with Bobo until she was thirteen-years-old and Bobo developed a devotion to Elizabeth that would last until she died in 1993. From 1930 onward, Bobo was closer to Elizabeth than anyone outside her family.

When Princess Elizabeth got older, Bobo was, officially, her dresser. She looked after Elizabeth’s clothes and jewelry and dealt with the royal dressmakers Norman Hartnell, Hardy Amies, and Ian Thomas. Unofficially, Bobo looked after Elizabeth. For sixty-seven years, Bobo loved, protected, and respected Elizabeth. She accompanied Elizabeth on her honeymoon and all her tours and lived in style at Buckingham Palace. Into her 80s, Bobo would still wake Elizabeth with a cup of tea, run her bath, and lay out her clothes for the day. In 1986, Queen Elizabeth II made Bobo a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order.

In her later years, Bobo held a unique position in Buckingham Palace. She had her own suite, no duties, and enjoyed a closer personal friendship with Queen Elizabeth II than nearly anyone else, including some of the members of the royal family.

On September 22, 1993, Margaret MacDonald, Queen Elizabeth’s dear Bobo, died in her suite at Buckingham Palace at the age of 89. Bobo, who never married, was survived by her sister Ruby, who had been a member of the royal household since 1930. Bobo’s funeral was held on September 30, 1993, at The Queen’s Chapel at St. James’ Palace in London, England, on Marlborough Road, across from St. James’ Palace. The Queen’s Chapel was originally built as a Roman Catholic chapel for Queen Henrietta Maria, the French Catholic wife of King Charles I.

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Queen Elizabeth II after the funeral service for Margaret (Bobo) MacDonald

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

  • Brandreth, Gyles, 2004. Philip and Elizabeth: Portrait of a Royal Marriage. New York: W.W. Norton and Company.
  • Brough, James, 1978. Margaret – The Tragic Princess. New York: Avon Books.
  • Edwards, Anne, 1990. Royal Sisters. New York: Jove Books.
  • Lacey, Robert, 1977. Majesty. New York: Avon Books.
  • Lacey, Robert, 2002. Monarch. New York: Free Press.
  • MacLeod, John, 1993. Margaret MacDonald – Obituary. [online] Scottish Daily Mail. Available at: <https://www.pressreader.com/uk/scottish-daily-mail/20180915/282389810384190> [Accessed 17 February 2021].
  • Nytimes.com. 1993. Margaret MacDonald, Queen’s Servant, 89. [online] Available at: <https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/25/obituaries/margaret-macdonald-queen-s-servant-89.html?ref=oembed> [Accessed 17 February 2021].

George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, Favorite of King James I of England and King Charles I of England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham; Credit – Wikipedia

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

George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, a courtier and favorite of King James I of England and his son King Charles I until a disgruntled army officer assassinated him, was born on August 28, 1592, in Brooksby, Leicestershire, England. George was the second of the three sons and the second of the four children of Sir George Villiers (circa 1544 – 1606) and his second wife Mary Beaumont (circa 1570 – 1632).

George had three siblings:

George had five half-siblings from his father’s first marriage to Audrey Saunders who died in 1588:

  • Sir William Villiers, 1st Baronet (circa 1575 – 1629), married (1) Anne Griffin, no children (2) Anne Fiennes, had one child (3) Rebecca Roper, had three children
  • Sir Edward Villiers (circa 1585 – 1626) married Barbara St. John, had ten children, grandparents of Barbara Villiers,1st Duchess of Cleveland, mistress of King Charles II
  • Elizabeth Villiers (died 1654), married John Boteler, 1st Baron Boteler of Brantfield, had eight children
  • Frances Villiers, unmarried
  • Anne Villiers (born 1588), married Sir William Washington (elder brother of Lawrence Washington, the great-great-grandfather of George Washington), had two children

Sir George Villiers, George’s father, was a well-to-do sheep farmer. He was High Sheriff of Leicestershire in 1591, knighted in 1593, and a Member of Parliament from 1604 until his death in 1606. George’s mother Mary Beaumont was a penniless cousin of her husband but she had ambitions for her second son George. She recognized that he had potential and found the funds to send George to the French court where he learned courtly skills and improved his French. When George returned from France, Mary provided him with a suitable wardrobe and sent him to the English court in 1614 where he quickly became the new favorite of King James I. As George rose, his mother, his siblings, and his half-siblings rose along with him. In 1618, King James I retorted that he lived to no other end but to advance the Villiers family.

King James I of England; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1615, George was knighted and became a Gentleman of the Bedchamber. He became Master of the Horse in 1616, was raised to the peerage as Baron Whaddon, Viscount Villiers, and was also made a Knight of the Garter. In 1619, George was made Lord High Admiral of England. In 1617, George was created Earl of Buckingham and climbed the steps of peerage when he was created Marquess of Buckingham in 1618, and Duke of Buckingham in 1623.

George’s mother Mary chose Katherine Manners, the only surviving child of Francis Manners, 6th Earl of Rutland, and the richest woman in England, to marry George. However, because Katherine was Catholic, King James I refused to allow the marriage, and Katherine’s father refused to accept the demands for an extremely lucrative dowry. Katherine did convert to the Church of England which greatly upset her father. Apparently, George’s mother Mary entrapped Katherine into the marriage by arranging for her to spend the night under the same roof as George, ruining her reputation, and leaving her family with no choice but to allow her to marry George. George and Katherine married on May 16, 1620.

George and Katherine with their daughter Mary and son George; Credit – Wikipedia

George and Katherine had four children:

Whether the personal relationship between King James I and his male favorites was a sexual one is still debated by historians. Some historians think that James I’s need for a close male favorite came from a lack of family while growing up in Scotland where he became King of Scots when he was one-year-old. James I did not know his parents Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley and Mary, Queen of Scots and he had no siblings. His maternal grandparents died before he was born. His paternal grandfather died while James was still a boy and his paternal grandmother lived in England. James I compared his love for George to Jesus’ love of his apostle John when he spoke to his Privy Council about rumors in 1617: “You may be sure that I love the Earl of Buckingham more than anyone else, and more than you who are here assembled. I wish to speak in my own behalf and not to have it thought to be a defect, for Jesus Christ did the same, and therefore I cannot be blamed. Christ had John, and I have George.”

King Charles I of England; Credit – Wikipedia

George was King James I’s constant companion and closest advisor until the king died. George had a great influence on James I’s son and successor, the future Charles I, while he was Prince of Wales. By 1624, an increasingly ill James I was finding it difficult to control Parliament. By the time of his death in March 1625, Charles and George had already assumed de facto control of England. At the end of King James I’s reign and the beginning of King Charles I’s reign, George had a number of diplomatic and military failures that caused Parliament to refuse to fund any more of his endeavors. Parliament then attempted to impeach George twice but King Charles I rescued him by dissolving Parliament both times. George was widely considered a public enemy by the English people. George’s physician Dr. Lambe, popularly supposed to have an evil influence on him, was killed by a mob in the street. A pamphlet published after Dr. Lambe’s death said:

Let Charles and George do what they can
The Duke shall die like Doctor Lambe

 John Felton (1595 – 1628) had been an army officer and had submitted petitions to the Privy Council over two matters, back-pay he believed he was owed, and his promotion to captain, which he believed he had been unfairly denied. He was not successful in resolving these matters and believed George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham was responsible. Felton further believed that his grievances against George were part of George’s treacherous and wicked influence on the English government. He decided to kill George and traveled to Portsmouth where he knew George was staying.

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Assassination of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham

On August 23, 1628, George was staying at the Greyhound Inn in Portsmouth, England while planning another military campaign. After having breakfast, George left the inn. John Felton made his way through the crowd that surrounded George and stabbed the 35-year-old Duke of Buckingham in the chest with a dagger, killing him. Felton could have escaped in the resulting chaos but instead, expecting to be well received, he confessed to the gathering crowd. He was immediately arrested, taken before a judge who then sent him to London for interrogation. Because of the unpopularity of the Duke of Buckingham, Felton’s deed received widespread approval and was celebrated in poems and pamphlets. After being tried and found guilty, John Felton was hanged on November 29, 1628, at Tyburn, the principal place for execution in London.

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The Chapel of St. Nicholas at Westminster Abbey where George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham is buried

King Charles I ordered George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham to be buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England in the Chapel of St. Nicholas which had previously been reserved for those only of royal descent.  A lavish tomb of black and white marble and bronze was constructed by his widow in 1634 with an effigy of George and his wife Katherine although she is not buried there. Katherine succeeded to one of her father’s titles Baron de Ros of Helmsley upon his death in 1632, becoming the18th Baroness de Ros of Helmsley in her own right. She married for a second time to Randal MacDonnell, 1st Marquess of Antrim in 1635, and went to live at Dunluce Castle in County Antrim, Ireland. Katherine survived her first husband by twenty-one years, dying in Waterford, Ireland, probably of the plague. She was buried in Waterford but there is a memorial to her in Westminster Abbey.

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. George Villiers (Died 1606). [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Villiers_(died_1606)> [Accessed 10 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. George Villiers, 1St Duke Of Buckingham. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Villiers,_1st_Duke_of_Buckingham> [Accessed 10 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. John Felton (Assassin). [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Felton_(assassin)> [Accessed 10 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Katherine Villiers, Duchess Of Buckingham. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Villiers,_Duchess_of_Buckingham> [Accessed 10 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Mary Villiers, Countess Of Buckingham. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Villiers,_Countess_of_Buckingham> [Accessed 10 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Personal Relationships Of James VI And I. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_relationships_of_James_VI_and_I#George_Villiers.2C_1st_Duke_of_Buckingham> [Accessed 10 December 2020].

Arnold van Keppel, 1st Earl of Albemarle, Favorite of King William III of England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Arnold van Keppel, 1st Earl of Albemarle; Credit – Wikipedia

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

An ancestor of Queen Camilla, Arnold van Keppel, 1st Earl of Albemarle was born in Zutphen, Dutch Republic, now in the Netherlands. He was christened on January 30, 1670, so it can be assumed he was probably born shortly before his christening. His parents were Osewolt van Keppel, Lord of Voorst (1630 – 1685) and Reinira Anna Geertruida van Lintelo (1638 – 1700). The van Keppel family is of old Gelderland nobility.

Arnold had at least one brother:

  • Jan Rabo van Keppel (circa 1665-1733), married Cornelia Mechteld Van Lynden, had at least one son

King William III of England, also Willem III, Prince of Orange, 1680s; Credit – Wikipedia

Sometime in his teens, possibly as early as 1685, Arnold became a page of honor to Willem III, Prince of Orange. Willem III was the only child of Willem II, Prince of Orange and Mary, Princess Royal, who was the eldest daughter of King Charles I of England. In 1677, Willem III married his first cousin the future Queen Mary II of England, the elder of the two surviving children, both daughters, of the future King James II of England and his first wife Anne Hyde. Being the grandson of King Charles I of England, Willem III was also in the line of succession to the English throne and eventually co-reigned as King William III of England with his wife and first cousin Queen Mary II of England. William and Mary came to power in England during the Glorious Revolution of 1688, following the birth of a Catholic heir James Francis Edward Stuart to Maria Beatrice of Modena, the second wife of King James II of England, Mary’s father and Willem III’s uncle. When the new King William III of England, with his name anglicized as William, came to England, Arnold accompanied him as a member of his household. King William III remained Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic.

Arnold rose in royal favor and he became a Gentleman of the Bedchamber (1690 – 1695) in William III’s household. He copied William’s letters and spent many hours with the king, resulting in jealousy among some courtiers, particularly William’s long-time friend and favorite, and a fellow Dutchman, William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland.  William found Arnold to be better company because Bentinck, who had governmental duties, was always preoccupied with affairs of state. In 1691, William returned to the Dutch Republic where a military meeting with his allies was planned in The Hague and Arnold accompanied him. During a hunting holiday with some of the meeting participants at Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn, Dutch Republic, now in the Netherlands, Arnold was thrown from his horse and broke his leg. William was impressed that Arnold never complained about his pain and often visited him during his recovery.

Arnold began to receive favors and honors, both English and Dutch. In 1692, Arnold received from William, in his capacity as Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, the titles of Knight of Zutphen, Knight of Holland and West Friesland, and Lord van der Voorst. From 1695 – 1701, he served as William III’s Master of the Robes. Arnold was created an English peer by William in 1697 receiving the titles Earl of Albemarle, Viscount Bury, and Baron Ashford. He served as Captain and Colonel of His Majesty’s Own Troop of Horse Guards from 1699 – 1710 and in 1700, he was created a Knight of the Order of the Garter.

William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland, who was Groom of the Stole, Keeper of the Privy Purse, and a Privy Councilor, continued to be jealous of Arnold, and because of this, in 1700, he resigned all his offices in the royal household. However, he never lost the esteem of King William III who continued to trust him and use him as an advisor, and it was in the arms of Bentinck that William III took his last breath in 1702.

Gertrude van Keppel, Countess of Albemarle; Credit – www.thepeerage.com

On July 10, 1701, Arnold married Geertruida van der Duyn (1674 – 1741) in The Hague, Dutch Republic, now in the Netherlands. Her father Adam van der Duyn, Lord of ‘s-Gravenmoer (1639 – 1693) was a Major-General in the Dutch Army and Master of the Buckhounds to King William III. King William III gave the couple his blessing and provided the bride with a dowry and jewels.

Arnold and his wife, whose name was anglicized to Gertrude, had two children:

On February 20, 1702, King William III went riding at Hampton Court Palace. The horse stumbled on a molehill and fell. William tried to pull the horse up by the reins, but the horse’s movements caused William to fall on his right shoulder. His collarbone was broken and was set by a surgeon, but instead of resting, William insisted on returning to Kensington Palace that evening by coach. A week after the fall, the fracture was not healing well and William’s right hand and arm were puffy and did not look right which probably meant an infection developed. His condition continued to worsen and by March 3, William had a high fever and had difficulty breathing. By March 7, the doctors knew that William was dying and he began to say goodbye to his friends and advisors. In early February 1702, William III had sent Arnold to the Dutch Republic to plan for the upcoming military campaign, and he only returned in time to receive William’s farewell. William gave Arnold the keys to his cabinet and private drawers, and said, “You know what to do with them.” On March 8, 1702, William III died. William bequeathed to Arnold the huge sum of 200,000 guilders and the Dutch Lordship of Breevorst.

After William’s death, Arnold returned to the Dutch Republic and took his seat as a member of the nobility in the States-General, the legislature of the Dutch Republic. He was one of the two commanders of the Dutch forces in the Grand Alliance’s campaigns during the War of Spanish Succession (1701–1714). John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, the Grand Alliance commander, who had been on good terms with Arnold, expressed pleasure at his rejoining the allied army. In 1705, Arnold visited England and attended Queen Anne on a visit to Cambridge University, where he received the honorary degree of doctor of laws. On the death of Queen Anne in 1714, Arnold was sent to the Electorate of Hanover by the States-General to congratulate the new King George I on his accession to the British throne. Both Queen Anne and King George I held Arnold in high esteem.

Arnold van Keppel, 1st Earl of Albemarle, aged 48, died on May 30, 1718, in The Hague, Dutch Republic, now in the Netherlands, and was buried in The Hague.

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. 2021. Arnold van Keppel, 1st Earl of Albemarle. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_van_Keppel,_1st_Earl_of_Albemarle> [Accessed 1 February 2021].
  • En.wikisource.org. 2021. Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Keppel, Arnold Joost van – Wikisource, the free online library. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/Keppel,_Arnold_Joost_van> [Accessed 1 February 2021].
  • Genealogics.org. 2021. Arnold Joost van Keppel, 1st Earl of Albemarle : Genealogics. [online] Available at: <https://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00005350&tree=LEO> [Accessed 1 February 2021].
  • Nl.wikipedia.org. 2021. Arnold Joost van Keppel. [online] Available at: <https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Joost_van_Keppel> [Accessed 1 February 2021].
  • Thepeerage.com. 2021. Person Page – Arnold van Keppel, 1st Earl of Albemarle. [online] Available at: <https://www.thepeerage.com/p1684.htm#i16835> [Accessed 1 February 2021].
  • Van Der Kiste, John, 2003. William and Mary. Phoenix Hill: Sutton Publishing.

Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset, Favorite of King James I of England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Credit – Wikipedia

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

Born circa 1587, in Wrington, Somerset, England, Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset was a favorite of King James I of England and held government positions until his supposed involvement in a murder led to his downfall. Robert was the youngest of the four children and the youngest of the three sons of Thomas Kerr of Ferniehirst, a Scottish landowner, a Roman Catholic and supporter of Mary, Queen of Scots, and his second wife Janet Scott of Buccleuch, daughter of Sir William Scott of Kirkurd, Younger of Buccleuch. Mary, Queen of Scots was a godparent to one of their sons.

Robert had three elder siblings:

Robert had five half-siblings from his father’s first marriage to Janet Kirkcaldy:

  • Andrew Kerr, 1st Lord Jedburgh (died 1633) married (1) Anna Stewart, had four children (2) Katherine McCulloch, no children
  • William Kirkcaldy of Grange (died circa 1589), married Elizabeth Lyon, daughter of John Lyon, 8th Lord Glamis, had one son
  • Mary Kerr, married James Douglas, son of William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton
  • Juliane Kerr (died 1 647), married (1) Patrick Hume of Polwarth, had four children (2) Thomas Hamilton, 1st Earl of Haddington, had one son
  • Margaret Kerr (died 1594), married Robert Melville, 2nd Lord Melville of Monymaill, no children

Robert Carr’s friend Thomas Overbury; Credit – Wikipedia

Around 1601 while he was the page of a Scottish nobleman, George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar, Robert met the poet and essayist Thomas Overbury, who was six years older, in Edinburgh. The two became friends and traveled to London together shortly after James VI, King of Scots succeeded to the English throne as James I, King of England upon the death of Elizabeth I, Queen of England in 1603. It appears that Thomas Overbury first obtained a position at court. In 1607, probably thanks to the influence of Thomas Overton, Robert participated in a tournament attended by King James I and attracted the king’s attention by breaking his leg.

King James I from the period 1603–1609; Credit – Wikipedia

King James I immediately took a liking to nineteen-year-old Robert, got him some medical treatment, and decided to improve his education. Robert did not have great intellectual gifts, however, he was good-looking, had a good temperament, and good character and this must have been enough for King James who knighted him and kept him under his wing.

Whether the personal relationship between King James I and his male favorites was a sexual one is still debated by historians. Some historians think that James I’s need for a close male favorite came from a lack of family while growing up in Scotland where he became King of Scots when he was one-year-old. James I did not know his parents Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley and Mary, Queen of Scots and he had no siblings. His maternal grandparents died before he was born. His paternal grandfather died while James was still a boy and his paternal grandmother lived in England.

The ruins of the old Sherbourne Castle, Robert Carr’s home; Credit – By Steinsky at the English language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4628974

In 1603, Sir Walter Raleigh, among others, was tried and imprisoned in the Tower of London for their part in the Main Plot, an alleged conspiracy by English courtiers to remove King James I from the English throne and to replace him with his cousin Lady Arbella Stuart. Through his attainder, Sir Walter Raleigh had forfeited his ownership in the manor of Sherborne in Dorset, England, now known as Sherborne Castle, and King James gave the manor to Robert. Robert’s influence over King James I had grown so much that in 1610, he was instrumental in persuading James I to dissolve Parliament, which had shown signs of attacking the king’s Scottish favorites. In 1611, Robert was created Viscount Rochester and named a Privy Councillor.

In 1612, when Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, Secretary of State died, King James I had the idea of ​​governing by being his own Secretary of State and giving Robert many of the positions that had been Cecil’s. However, neither King James I nor Robert had the expertise or experience. Soon, the Howard faction, led by Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton and Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk, took control of much of the government. Robert struggled with the government positions assigned to him and had to ask his friend Thomas Overbury, for assistance.

Frances Howard, Robert’s mistress and then his wife; Credit – Wikipedia

Before this time, Robert began an affair with Frances Howard, daughter of Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk. Frances was married to Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, the son and heir of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex who was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I and been executed for his part in an unsuccessful rebellion against Elizabeth. Robert Carr and Frances wanted to marry but Robert’s friend Thomas Overbury mistrusted the Howards and tried to prevent the marriage.

The Howard faction wanted to get rid of Thomas Overbury because of his influence, and so they first manipulated Overbury into seeming to be disrespectful to Queen Anne, King James I’s wife. Next, the Howards persuaded King James I to offer Overbury the assignment as ambassador to Russia, aware that if Overbury refused, it would be insulting and nearly equivalent to treason. Overbury did decline the position and on April 22, 1613, Overbury was sent to the Tower of London, dying there five months later “of natural causes.”

On September 25, 1613, with the support of King James I, Frances’ marriage to Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex was annulled. Robert Carr was created Earl of Somerset on November 3, 1613, and then appointed Treasurer of Scotland on December 23, 1613. He had been named Secretary of State in 1612, and then Lord Chamberlain and Lord Privy Seal in 1614.

Robert and Frances’ only child, circa 1638; Credit – Wikipedia

Robert and Frances were married on December 26, 1613, and they had one daughter:

Seemingly the plotting of the Howard faction worked as they had wanted until rumors of foul play in Thomas Overbury’s death began circulating. In September 1615, just as King James I was in the process of replacing Robert Carr with a new favorite George Villiers, later 1st Duke of Buckingham, the king received a letter from the Governor of the Tower of London. The letter stated that one of the warders had been bringing Thomas Overbury poisoned food and medicine. King James was not inclined to start an investigation however, when the rumor began hinting at the king’s possible involvement, he was forced to order an investigation. Edward Coke, considered to be the greatest jurist during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I, and Sir Francis Bacon, Attorney General of England and Wales, were in charge of the investigation and then presided over the trial.

Six defendants – Robert Carr, his wife Frances, and Richard Weston, Anne Turner, Sir Gervaise Helwys, and Simon Franklin – were tried for the murder of Thomas Overbury in late 1615 and early 1616. It appeared very likely that Thomas Overbury was the victim of a plot contrived by Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton and Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk, with Robert Carr’s knowledge, to keep Overbury out of the way during the annulment of the marriage of Frances Howard and Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex.

It was not known at the time, and it is not certain even now, how much Robert participated in any crime or if he was ignorant of what was happening. However, Frances Howard was determined that Thomas Overbury “should return no more to this stage.” She arranged for Sir William Wade, Lord Lieutenant of the Tower to be replaced with a new Lieutenant of the Tower, Sir Gervaise Helwys. Richard Weston, a jailer who was “well acquainted with the power of drugs,” was to attend Overbury while imprisoned. Weston, aided by Anne Turner, the widow of a physician, and by an apothecary Simon Franklin, gave Thomas Overbury copper vitriol, today better-known as copper sulfate, an insecticide and fungicide.

Frances Howard admitted that she had a part in Overbury’s murder but Robert Carr maintained his innocence. Fearing what Robert might say about him in court, King James I repeatedly sent messages to the Tower of London pleading with him to admit his guilt in return for a pardon. In May 1616, Robert Carr and his wife Frances were found guilty and sentenced to death for their part in the conspiracy. However, they were not executed but remained prisoners in the Tower of London until they were pardoned and released, Frances in 1622 and Robert in 1624. The other four defendants – Richard Weston, Anne Turner, Sir Gervaise Helwys, and Simon Franklin – were found guilty in 1615 and, lacking powerful connections, were all hanged.

After their release, Robert and Frances lived in seclusion, apart from each other, and were not allowed to return to court. Frances lived out her life at the Howard family mansion Audley End House in Saffron Walden, Essex, England. She died at the age of 42, on August 27, 1632, and was buried in the Howard vault at Walden Abbey in Saffron Walden, Essex, England. Robert Carr resided in Dorset at Sherborne Castle and died there on July 17, 1645, at around the age of 58. He was buried at St. Paul’s Churchyard, Covent Garden, in London, England.

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

Works Cited

  • https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Carr,_1._Earl_of_Somerset
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Frances Carr, Countess Of Somerset. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Carr,_Countess_of_Somerset> [Accessed 25 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Robert Carr, 1St Earl Of Somerset. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Carr,_1st_Earl_of_Somerset> [Accessed 25 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Thomas Overbury. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Overbury> [Accessed 25 December 2020].
  • Genealogics.org. 2020. Leo’s Genealogics. [online] Available at: <https://www.genealogics.org/> [Accessed 25 December 2020].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2020. Robert Carr, I Conte Di Somerset. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Carr,_I_conte_di_Somerset> [Accessed 25 December 2020].
  • Thepeerage.com. 2020. The Peerage. [online] Available at: <https://www.thepeerage.com/> [Accessed 25 December 2020].

William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland, Favorite of King William III of England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland; Credit – Wikipedia

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

William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland was born Hans Willem Bentinck on July 20, 1649, in Diepenheim, Overijssel, Dutch Republic, now in the Netherlands. He was the fourth of the eight children and the third of the three sons of Berent Bentinck, 6th Baron Bentinck (1597 – 1668) and Anna van Bloemendale (1622 – 1685). The Bentinck family is an old Dutch noble family whose noble rank can be traced to the 14th century.

Bentinck had seven siblings:

  • Hendrik Bentinck, 7th Baron Bentinck (1640 – 1691), married Ida Magdalena van Ittersum, had three daughters
  • Eusebius Bentinck, 8th Baron Bentinck (1643 – 1710), married (1) Elizabeth de Brakell, had two sons and one daughter (2) Hendrina Schimmelpenninck van der Oye, no children, died two months after her wedding
  • Eleonore Bentinck (1644 – 1710), married Robert van Ittersum, Baron Nijenhuis, no children?
  • Isabelle Bentinck (1651 – 1687), married Alexander Schimmelpenninck van der Oye, Baron van De Engelenburg, no children, died five months after her wedding
  • Anna Bentinck (1652 – 1721), married Dirk Borre van Amerongen, had two daughters
  • Agnes Bentinck (1654 – 1722), unmarried?
  • Johanna Bentinck (1597 – 1668), unmarried?

Willem III, Prince of Orange, 1661; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1664, fifteen-year-old Hans Willem Bentinck came to the court of fourteen-year-old Willem III, Prince of Orange, as a page. Willem III was the only child of Willem II, Prince of Orange and Mary, Princess Royal, who was the eldest daughter of King Charles I of England. Willem III’s father died at age 24 of smallpox eight days before Willem III’s birth, so from his birth on November 14, 1650, Willem III succeeded to his father’s titles. Being the grandson of King Charles I of England, Willem III was also in the line of succession to the English throne and eventually co-reigned as King William III of England with his wife and first cousin Queen Mary II of England.

In 1672, Bentinck became Willem III’s chamberlain. Along with his role at the court where he was an important advisor for Willem III, Bentinck also had a military career. When Willem III became ill with smallpox in 1675, Bentinck cared for him for sixteen days. When Willem III recovered, Bentinck fell ill with smallpox but recovered in time to accompany Willem III on a military campaign that year. Sadly, smallpox caused much personal loss for Willem III. His father Willem II, Prince of Orange, his mother Mary, Princess Royal, Princess of Orange, and his wife Queen Mary II of England all died from smallpox.

The future Queen Mary II of England in 1677, the year she married her cousin Willem III, Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1677, Bentinck was Willem III’s special envoy to England where he sought the support of Willem’s uncle King Charles II of England in the Dutch Republic’s struggle against France. At the same time, Bentinck negotiated a marriage for Willem III with his first cousin Mary, the elder surviving daughter of James, Duke of York, later King James II of England, and his first wife Anne Hyde. 27-year-old Willem and a weepy 15-year-old Mary, prodded on by their uncle King Charles II, were married at St. James’ Palace in London, England on November 4, 1677. Bentinck served as Willem III’s best man.

Bentinck’s first wife Anne Villiers; Credit – Wikipedia

Bentinck’s first wife Anne Villiers (circa 1651 – 1688) was the eldest child of Sir Edward Villiers and his wife Lady Frances Howard, daughter of Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk. Anne’s mother had been the governess to Willem III’s new wife Mary and her younger sister, the future Queen Anne, and she used her position at court to secure positions in Mary’s new household for her daughters. Anne, along with her sisters Elizabeth 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 three Villiers sisters were the first cousins of Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland, born Barbara Villiers, a mistress of King Charles II of England. Their fathers were brothers.

Bentinck and Anne Villiers became acquainted and on February 1, 1678, they were married. They are ancestors of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom through her mother’s family, specifically through her maternal grandmother born Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck. Five months after giving birth to her last child, Anne died on November 30, 1688, in The Hague, Dutch Republic, now in the Netherlands.

Bentinck and Anne had seven children:

Anne’s sister Elizabeth Villiers; Credit – Wikipedia

Anne’s sister Elizabeth Villiers became the mistress of Willem III, and reportedly, she was his only mistress. In 1679, when Willem III 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. In 1685, Mary’s father, now King James II of England, hoping to break up his daughter’s marriage with Willem III, had encouraged others to relay gossip from Mary and Willem III’s household to him. Through the meddling of King James II, Elizabeth and Willem III’s affair became public knowledge and Elizabeth was sent back to England. To stop rumors continuing in England, Elizabeth’s father then begged Willem III and Mary 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. Bentinck had forbidden his wife Anne to socialize with her sister Elizabeth. Meanwhile, the affair between Elizabeth and Willem III continued and was to last until 1695, a total of fifteen years.

The Landing of His Royal Highness in England by Bastiaen Stopendael (Stoopendael), or by Daniel Stopendael (Stoopendael) etching, circa 1689 NPG D22617 © National Portrait Gallery, London – The landing of Willem III, Prince of Orange in England was orchestrated by Bentinck

Following his initial visit to England in 1677, Bentinck was sent on many other diplomatic missions to England, resulting in the development of a strong and influential network of contacts within English political circles. As a result, Bentinck was to play a key role in the planning and execution of the Glorious Revolution of 1688, following the birth of a Catholic heir James Francis Edward Stuart to Maria Beatrice of Modena, the second wife of King James II of England, Mary’s father and Willem III’s uncle. Willem III, Prince of Orange landed in England vowing to safeguard the Protestant interest. He marched to London, gathering many supporters. James II panicked and sent his wife and infant son to France. James later fled to France where his first cousin King Louis XIV of France offered him a palace and pension. Parliament refused to depose James II but declared that having fled to France, James had effectively abdicated the throne and that therefore the throne had become vacant. James’s elder daughter Mary was declared Queen Mary II and she was to rule jointly with her husband Willem, whose name would be anglicized to William. He would reign in England as King William III but he was still  Willem III, Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the  Dutch Republic.

Quartered arms of William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland, KG, PC; Credit – By Rs-nourse – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68789077

Having supported King William III throughout his efforts to secure the English throne, and after accompanying him to England, Bentinck was generously rewarded. Parliament passed an act of naturalization so that he and his children would be British subjects. He was created Earl of Portland, Viscount Woodstock, and Baron Cirencester. With these titles came significant estates, including Theobalds House in Hertfordshire, England. Bentinck was appointed Groom of the Stole, Keeper of the Privy Purse, and a Privy Councilor, and he remained William III’s closest advisor. In 1697, William III created Bentinck a Knight of the Order of the Garter.

In late December 1694, when Mary was very ill with smallpox, Bentinck was one of the two people William III would see. On December 28, 1694, Queen Mary II of England, aged only 32, died of smallpox at Kensington Palace. When Mary’s grief-stricken husband collapsed at her death bed, it was Bentinck who carried the nearly insensible William from the room.

Bentinck was responsible for overseeing affairs in Scotland and he played an influential role in English politics. His main achievements were diplomatic. In 1697, Bentinck played a major role in securing the Treaty of Ryswick which ended the Nine Years’ War (1688 – 1697) between France and the Dutch Republic. He was active in addressing the crisis of the Spanish succession through the Treaty of The Hague (1698) and the Treaty of London (1700) and became William III’s ambassador to France.

Bentinck became very jealous of the rising influence of another Dutchman Arnold Joost van Keppel, who had been created Earl of Albemarle by William III and emerged as the second favorite. Because of this, in 1700, Bentinck resigned all his offices in the royal household. However, he never lost the esteem of King William III who continued to trust him and use him as an advisor.

Jane Martha Temple, Bentinck’s second wife; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 12, 1700, 51-year-old Bentinck married again to 28-year-old Jane Martha Temple (1672 – 1751), daughter of Sir John Temple, and widow of John Berkeley, 3rd Baron Berkeley of Stratton. He spent his final years consolidating his estates and adding to his family.

Bentinck and Jane had six children:

On February 20, 1702, King William III went riding at Hampton Court Palace. The horse stumbled on a molehill and fell. William tried to pull the horse up by the reins, but the horse’s movements caused William to fall on his right shoulder. His collarbone was broken and was set by a surgeon, but instead of resting, William insisted on returning to Kensington Palace that evening by coach. Bentinck called on William every day as he recovered. However, a week after the fall, the fracture was not healing well and William’s right hand and arm were puffy and did not look right which probably meant an infection developed. His condition continued to worsen and by March 3, William had a high fever and had difficulty breathing. By March 7, the doctors knew that William was dying and he began to say goodbye to his friends and advisors. By the time Bentinck arrived on March 8, 1702, William had lost his power of speech but with a look, he beckoned Bentinck to his bedside. Bentinck bent down and put his ear to William’s mouth but could only distinguish a few words of William’s incoherent speech. William then took Bentinck’s hand and placed it against his heart. Then William’s head fell back, he closed his eyes, and took two or three breaths, and died.

William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland; Credit – Wikipedia

William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland, aged 60, died on November 23, 1709, at Bulstrode Park, one of his principal residences, in Buckinghamshire, England. He was buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England, in the Ormond Vault at the eastern end of Henry VII’s Chapel. He has no monument but his name and date of death were added to the vault-stone in the late 19th century. The Ormond Vault is now located in the Royal Air Force Chapel at Westminster Abbey and a carpet permanently covers the vault-stone with the names inscribed on it.

Bentinck’s second wife Jane survived him by 42 years, dying on June 26, 1751, in London, England, at the age of 79. She was buried in the cemetery at St. Mary the Virgin Church in Walthamstow, London, England.

Ormond Vault at Westminster Abbey is located under the carpet; Credit – https://www.westminster-abbey.org

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. 2021. William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bentinck,_1st_Earl_of_Portland> [Accessed 30 January 2021].
  • Genealogics.org. 2021. Berent Bentinck, Heer van Diepenheim : Genealogics. [online] Available at: <https://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00003344&tree=LEO> [Accessed 30 January 2021].
  • Nl.wikipedia.org. 2021. Hans Willem Bentinck. [online] Available at: <https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Willem_Bentinck> [Accessed 30 January 2021].
  • Nottingham.ac.uk. 2021. Biography of Hans William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland (1649-1709) – The University of Nottingham. [online] Available at: <https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/manuscriptsandspecialcollections/collectionsindepth/family/portland/biographies/biographyofhanswilliambentinck,1stearlofportland(1649-1709).aspx> [Accessed 30 January 2021].
  • Sir Hans Willem Bentinck, 1. and Diepenheim, N., 2021. Hans Willem Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland. [online] geni_family_tree. Available at: <https://www.geni.com/people/Sir-Hans-Willem-Bentinck-1st-Earl-of-Portland/6000000003265080482> [Accessed 30 January 2021].
  • Thepeerage.com. 2021. Person Page – Hans William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland. [online] Available at: <http://www.thepeerage.com/p965.htm#i9646> [Accessed 30 January 2021].
  • Van Der Kiste, John, 2003. William and Mary. Phoenix Hill: Sutton Publishing.
  • Westminster Abbey. 2021. William & Henry Bentinck | Westminster Abbey. [online] Available at: <https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/commemorations/william-henry-bentinck> [Accessed 30 January 2021].

Ancestors of King Charles III of the United Kingdom

compiled by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

King Charles III of the United Kingdom Credit – Wikipedia

King Charles III is the first British monarch to be descended from two children of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. All monarchs after Queen Victoria have been descendants of her son and heir King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. Through his father, Charles is also a descendant of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, the second daughter and third child of Queen Victoria. Prince Philip’s royal pedigree also brings a good deal more royal heritage into the British royal family because both of Prince Philip’s parents were royal while only one parent of Queen Elizabeth II was royal.

Parents, Grandparents, Great-Grandparents, Great-Great-Grandparents, and Great-Great-Great-Grandparents of King Charles III of the United Kingdom (born November 14, 1948)

The links below are from Unofficial Royalty, Wikipedia, or The Peerage.

Parents

Prince Charles’ parents; Credit – Wikipedia

Grandparents

Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg, paternal grandparents; Credit – Wikipedia

Great-Grand-Parents

King George I of Greece and Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia, great-grandparents; Credit – Wikipedia

Great-Great-Grandparents

Great-great-grandparents Prince Francis of Teck and Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge with the daughter Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, Prince Charles’ great-grandmother; Credit – Wikipedia

Great-Great-Great-Grandparents

King Christian IX of Denmark and Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel; great-great-great-grandparents; Credit – Wikipedia

Sources:

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.