1. Maria Anne Fitzherbert was a longtime companion of George, Prince of Wales.
13 Facts About Maria Fitzherbert
1. 2.
Maria Fitzherbert's mother was Mary Ann Errington of Beaufront, Northumberland, maternal half-sister of Charles William Molyneux, 1st Earl of Sefton.
3.
Maria Fitzherbert's widow was left effectively destitute, had little or no financial support from the Weld family, and was obliged to remarry as soon as she was able.
4.
George told his younger brother, the Duke of York, that he and Maria Fitzherbert were "parted, but parted amicably", conveying his intention to marry their first cousin, Duchess Caroline of Brunswick.
5.
Maria Fitzherbert was bored with his mistress, Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey.
6.
Maria Fitzherbert told George IV's brother, King William IV, about their marriage and showed him the document in her possession.
7.
Maria Fitzherbert "begged her to accept the title of Duchess, but she refused, asking only permission to wear widow's weeds and to dress her servants in royal livery".
8.
Maria Fitzherbert lived there from 1804 until she died in 1837.
9.
Maria Fitzherbert was buried at St John the Baptist's Church, Brighton, a church built largely with her funds.
10.
Some scholars have suggested that Maria Fitzherbert had one or two children by her marriage to the future king.
11.
Thomas was supposedly sent to the United States in 1833 by Maria Fitzherbert, who thought her children would be safer there following her death.
12.
Maria Fitzherbert was described as having an aquiline nose and loose teeth.
13.
Maria Fitzherbert had hazel eyes, silky blonde hair, and a flawless complexion.