Maria Anne Fitzherbert
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Fitzherbert_tomb.jpg
Fitzherbert_tomb.jpg
Plaque at Maria Fitzherbert's burial place in Brighton
Maria Anne Fitzherbert (26 July 1756-27 March 1837), née Smythe, married George IV (then the Prince of Wales) in December 1785. The marriage was considered invalid under the Royal Marriages Act 1772 because it had not been approved by the King and the Privy Council. Had permission been asked, it would probably not have been granted, as Mrs. Fitzherbert was a Catholic. Their relationship continued after the Prince's marriage to Princess Caroline of Brunswick, but ended in 1811. Following the death of George in 1830, William IV offered to make her a royal duchess, but she declined.
Her previous husbands were Edward Weld and Thomas Fitzherbert. She had no children.
She is buried in a Catholic church in Kemp Town, Brighton.
References
- Charles Langdale: The Memoirs of Mrs Fitzherbert : with an account of her marriage with H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, afterwards King George IV.. London : Richard Bentley, 1856
- WH Wilkins: Mrs Fitzherbert and George IV. London, New York und Bombay : Longmans, Green, & Co., 1905
- Sir Shane Leslie: Mrs. Fitzherbert : A Life. Chiefly from Unpublished Sources. 2 Bδnde. London : Burns Oates, 193940
- Anita Leslie: Mrs. Fitzherbert. London : Hutchinson & Co. Ltd., 1960
- Geraldine Simpson: Mrs Fitzherbert : The Uncrowned Queen. 1971
- Valerie Irvine: The King's Wife : George IV and Mrs Fitzherbert. London : Hambledon & London, 2005. ISBN 185285443Xde:Maria Fitzherbert