Maria, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh
Maria Walpole (* 1736 in Windsor, Berkshire, † August 22 1807 in London) was by marriage a member of the British royal family.
Life
Mary was the daughter of Edward Walpole and his partner Dorothy Clements. Her grandfather, Robert Walpole (1676-1745), was formally the first Prime Minister of Great Britain. She grew up Frogmore House, a palace, a half-mile southwest of Windsor Castle located on. The fact that her parents were not married, impaired their social status.
On May 15, 1759 married Mary James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave († April 28, 1763 ), son of James Waldegrave, 1st Earl Waldegrave and Mary Webbe. The marriage produced three daughters were born:
- Laura Elizabeth (1760-1816) ∞ 1782 George Waldegrave, 4th Earl Waldegrave
- Charlotte Mary (1761-1808) ∞ 1784 George FitzRoy, 4th Duke of Grafton
- Anna Horatia (1762-1801) ∞ 1785 Admiral Lord Hugh Seymour - Conway
On September 6, 1766 Mary remarried William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh ( 1743-1805 ), the third son of the Prince of Wales, Friedrich Ludwig and Princess Augusta of Saxe- Gotha -Altenburg, a brother of the British king George III .. the marriage was conducted in secret, as the British royal family of the marriage between the bridegroom and of a widow of royal blood not denied their consent. Maria was never received at court. The couple lived on St. Leonard 's Hill in Clewer near Windsor Castle. The marriage produced three children:
- Sophia Matilda (1773-1844), unmarried
- Caroline Auguste (1774-1775)
- Wilhelm Friedrich (1776-1834) ∞ Princess Mary of Great Britain, Ireland and Hanover (1776-1857)
Law on royal weddings ( Royal Marriages Act ) of 1772
A severe strain was. Georg III 1772 enforced in Parliament Royal Marriage Act ( Royal Marriages Act ), which provided that none of his descendants could marry before the age of 25 without the consent of the king, and then only princes and princesses Protestant faith. Therefore, most of his children studied in secret marriages and forbidden love affairs one way or remained unmarried.
Queen Sophie Charlotte's farm was called in later years, as a nunnery.