Many illegitimate children of British monarchs have the surname FitzRoy or Fitzroy, a surname derived from the Anglo-Norman with Fitz, meaning “son of”, and Roy, meaning “king”. The name implied the original bearer of the surname was the child of a king. Similarly, the surname FitzCharles means son of Charles (King Charles II), FitzJames means son of James (King James II) and FitzClarence means son of Clarence (King William IV held the title Duke of Clarence).

This does not purport to be a complete list. It is a list of known illegitimate children of British monarchs who have enough information for a biographical article.

All the links below are to Unofficial Royalty articles. More articles are coming soon.

King Henry I (reigned 1100 – 1135)

King Henry I holds the record for the British monarch with the most illegitimate children, with twenty-five or so illegitimate children. Ironically, his only surviving son William Ætheling died in the sinking of the White Ship leaving Henry with only one legitimate child, his daughter Matilda.

• Matilda FitzRoy, Countess of Perche (circa 1080/1100 – 1120)
• Robert FitzRoy, 1st Earl of Gloucester (circa 1090 – 1147)
• Juliane de Fontevrault (1090 – circa 1136)
• Sybilla of Normandy, Queen of Scots (circa 1092 – 1122)
• Richard of Lincoln (before 1101 – 1120)
• Reginald de Dunstanville, Earl of Cornwall (circa 1110 – 1175) (to be published March 1, 2024)
• Henry FitzRoy (circa 1100–1104, died 1158)

King Stephen (reigned 1135 – 1154)

King Stephen had at least three illegitimate children by his mistress Damette, a woman from Normandy.

• Gervase of Blois, Abbot of Westminster (? – circa 1157)

King Henry II (reigned 1154 – 1189)

Henry II had several long-term mistresses and around twelve illegitimate children.

• Geoffrey, Archbishop of York (circa 1152 – 1212)
• William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury (circa 1167 – 1226)

King John (reigned 1199 – 1216)

John had several long-term mistresses and around twelve illegitimate children.

• Richard FitzRoy (circa 1190 – 1246)
• Joan, Lady of Wales (circa 1191 – 1237)

King Edward II (reigned 1307 – 1327)

• Adam FitzRoy (circa 1307 – 1322)

King Edward III (reigned 1327 – 1377)

Edward III had three children with his mistress Alice Perrers.

• Sir John de Southeray (circa 1364 – 1383)

King Edward IV (reigned 1461 – 1470 and 1471 – 1483)

Edward IV had three acknowledged illegitimate children.

• Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle (born circa 1461/1475 – 1542)

King Richard III (reigned 1483 – 1485)

Richard had two acknowledged illegitimate children and possibly had more.

• John of Gloucester (circa 1468 – circa 1499)
• Katherine Plantagenet (circa 1468 – 1485)

King Henry VIII (reigned 1509 – 1547)

Henry VIII acknowledged only one illegitimate child whose mother was Elizabeth Blount. It is suspected that he had several other illegitimate children by other mistresses.

• Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset (1519 – 1536)

King Charles II (reigned 1660 – 1685)

Despite fathering many illegitimate children with his mistresses, Charles II had no children with his wife Catherine of Braganza. Charles II is an ancestor through his mistresses of many British aristocrats and of several women who married into the British Royal Family. Lucy Walter and Charles II are ancestors of Sarah, Duchess of York and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester. Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland and Charles II are ancestors of Diana, Princess of Wales and Sarah, Duchess of York. Louise Renée de Penancoet de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth and Charles II are ancestors of Diana, Princess of Wales, Queen Camilla, and Sarah, Duchess of York. When Prince William, The Prince of Wales becomes King, King Charles II will become an ancestor of the British royal family.

by Lucy Walter

• James Scott, Duke of Monmouth (1649 – 1685)

by Elizabeth Killigrew

• Charlotte FitzRoy (1650 – 1684)

by Catherine Pegge

• Charles FitzCharles, 1st Earl of Plymouth (1657 – 1680)
• Catherine FitzCharles (born 1658; she either died young or became a nun)

by Barbara Palmer, Duchess of Cleveland (in her own right)

• Lady Anne Fitzroy (1661 – 1722) (may have been the daughter of Roger Palmer, but Charles II accepted her as his child)
• Charles Fitzroy, 2nd Duke of Cleveland, 1st Duke of Southampton (1662 – 1730)
• Henry Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Grafton (1663 – 1690)
• Lady Charlotte Fitzroy (1664 – 1717)
• George Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Northumberland (1665 – 1716)
• Dame Cecilia Fitzroy (circa 1670 – 1759) * often confused with Catherine FitzCharles
• Lady Barbara FitzRoy (1672 – 1737) (her mother claimed that she was Charles II’s daughter but she was probably the child of her mother’s second cousin and lover, John Churchill, later the 1st Duke of Marlborough)

by Nell Gwyn

• Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans (1670 – 1726)
• Lord James Beauclerk (1671 – 1680), died young

by Louise Renée de Penancoet de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth (in her own right)

• Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Duke of Aubigny (1672 – 1723)

by Mary ‘Moll’ Davis

• Lady Mary Tudor (1673 – 1726)

King James II (reigned 1685 – 1688)

James II had four children with his mistress Arabella Churchill and three children (only one survived childhood) with his mistress Catherine Sedley, Countess of Dorchester (in her own right).

• Henrietta FitzJames (1667 – 1730)
• James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, 1st Duke of Liria and Jérica, 1st Duke of Fitz-James (1673 – 1734)
• Henry FitzJames, 1st Duke of Albemarle (1673 – 1702)
• Arabella FitzJames (1673 – 1704)
• Catherine Darnley (circa 1681 – 1743)

King George I (reigned 1714 – 1727)

The early kings from the House of Hanover did not publicize their illegitimate children. George I had three illegitimate daughters with his long-term mistress Melusine von der Schulenburg before he became king but they were never openly acknowledged as his children. Instead, they were officially acknowledged by two of Melusine’s sisters and their husbands. After ridding himself of his wife, George did not marry again and Melusine remained his mistress until he died in 1727. Melusine accompanied George to England when he became king in 1714.

• Anna Luise Sophie von der Schulenburg (1692 – 1773)
• Petronilla Melusina von der Schulenburg (1693 – 1778)
• Margaret Gertrude von der Schulenburg (1701 – 1726)

King George II (reigned 1727 – 1760)

George II had one illegitimate child with his mistress Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth (in her own right).

• Johann Ludwig, Count von Wallmoden (1736 – 1811)

King George IV (reigned 1820 – 1830)

George IV had several mistresses and was rumored to have fathered several illegitimate children.

• Major George Seymour Crole (1799 – 1863)

King William IV (reigned 1830 – 1837)

Before he became king, William IV had a long-term relationship with actress Dorothea Jordan. The ten children below with the surname FitzClarence are the children of Dorothea Jordan. William and Dorothea’s children married into the British aristocracy and their many descendants include notable people including Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife and Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk who were granddaughters of King Edward VII, and former British Prime Minister David Cameron.

• William Henry Courtney (1788 – 1807)
• George FitzClarence, 1st Earl of Munster (1794 – 1842)
• Sophia FitzClarence (1795 – 1837)
• Henry FitzClarence (1797 – 1817)
• Mary FitzClarence (1798 – 1864)
• Lord Frederick FitzClarence (1799 – 1854)
• Elizabeth FitzClarence (1801 – 1856)
• Lord Adolphus FitzClarence (1802 – 1856)
• Augusta FitzClarence (1803 – 1865)
• Lord Augustus FitzClarence (1805 – 1854)
• Amelia FitzClarence (1807 – 1858)