Fitzherbert, Maria Anne, 1756-1837

The twice widowed and Roman Catholic "Mrs. Fitzherbert", born Maria Anne Smythe ( and married successively to Edward Weld and Thomas Fitzherbert) attracted the affection of the Prince of Wales (later George IV) and was secretly married to him in 1785, a union not recognized under English law. Although they lived together intermittently for some years in dubious quasi-respectability, the Prince had numerous other affairs, and in April 1795 he married officially and for reasons of state his cousin Caroline of Brunswick. The royal couple separated after little more than a year. The Prince attempted sporadic reconciliations with Mrs. Fitzherbet, but they broke down permanently in 1811; she died in 1837.

From the description of Letter from Maria Anne Fitzherbert to W. Jutsham concerning Captain John Willett Payne, 1795, July . (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 768446592

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