Maria, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh
| Maria Walpole | |
|---|---|
| Countess Waldegrave Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh |
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Portrait by Joshua Reynolds (1771-1774)
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| Born |
10 July 1736 St. James', Westminster, Middlesex (now London) |
| Died | 22 August 1807 (aged 71) Oxford Lodge, Brompton, Middlesex (now London) |
| Spouse |
James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh |
| Issue |
Elizabeth Waldegrave, Countess Waldegrave Charlotte FitzRoy, Duchess of Grafton Anna, Lady Hugh Seymour Princess Sophia of Gloucester Princess Caroline of Gloucester Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh |
| House | Hanover (by marriage) |
| Father | Edward Walpole |
| Mother | Dorothy Clement |
Maria Walpole (10 July 1736 – 22 August 1807), the Countess Waldegrave and Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh, was a member of the British Royal Family, the wife of Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh.
Maria Walpole was the daughter of Edward Walpole and Dorothy Clement. Her grandfather was Robert Walpole, considered to be the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1721–41). She grew up at Frogmore House in Windsor, but her parents were not married, and her illegitimate status hindered her social standing despite her family connections.
On 15 May 1759, she married James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave. The Earl Waldegrave died on 28 April 1763. They had three children:
There is a portrait of Maria in 1764–65, shortly after she was widowed, painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds, in the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. She also commissioned him in 1780 to paint The Ladies Waldegrave, a group portrait of her and Waldegrave's three daughters.
On 6 September 1766 she married Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh, at her home in Pall Mall, London. The Duke was a brother of King George III. The marriage was conducted in secret as the British Royal Family would not have approved of a marriage between a prince and a widow of non-royal rank and illegitimate birth. They lived at St Leonard's Hill in Clewer, near Windsor, and had three children.
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