Maria Fitzherbert Collection
Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: GTM-150617
Collection of letters by and about Maria Fitzherbert (b.1756-1837). Includes miscellaneous documents including copies of wills (1830, 1832).
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Maria Fitzherbert (1756-1837) was the secret wife of the Prince of Wales who became King George IV of Britain. From an old Roman Catholic family in England, Maria studied at a convent in France. In 1775, she married Edward Weld who died after their marriage. In 1778, Maria married Thomas Fitzherbert, who also died soon after their marraige. She met the Prince of Wales, but the two could not marry because, by law in England, a prince marrying a Roman Catholic would forfeit succession to the throne. The two were married secretly on December 15, 1778; the marriage was considered invalid because it had not been approved by George's father. In 1794, the prince ended the relationship, and went on to marry Princess Caroline.
Maria Fitzherbert died in 1837 at Brighton, Sussex, England.
[Source: Encyclopedia Britannica Online].
0.2 Cubic Feet (1 box)
English
Purchased from John Hart.
Folded letters may need opening and flattening.
Part of the Georgetown University Manuscripts Repository