Mary Anne Thompson Clarke painted by Adam Buck Allow me to present Mrs Mary Anne Clarke mistress to Frederick, Duke of York whose illegal sale of military commission and promotions caused a Parliamentary Enquiry that forced him to leave the army. She is also the great-grandmother of one of my beloved novelist and screenplay writer Daphne du Maurier. She died in Boulogne-sur-Mer in 1852.
The Duchess of York, Artist unknownPrincess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia and Duchess of York and Albany, was wife to Frederick, Duke of York. She was his cousin and a German princess who he married in his twenties. The princess was well received in England but their marriage soon failed and the then duchess a handsome sporting lady retired to Oatlands Park in Weybride, Surrey with her nearly one hundred dogs and artist friends.
Take my love and care when you go,
Simone.
Lovely post, Simone :)
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful to read about all these ladies and nowadays we can figure how was that time and if we had lived at the same time as them ... History makes us fly away ...
xoxoxo
Great post and pictures. History can be so fascinating.
ReplyDeleteYou always have such great posts. I always have a good time here.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Simone. Your visits to GirlWhimsy are so filled with warmth, encouragement, love & sincerity. Your words truly are a gift to the world. I am so honored & thankful that through blogging you have come into my life. Your blog and your posts are such a joy & are so inspiring. I am now a follower of your blog, too. I honestly don't know what took me so long to jump on board. Keep up the awesome work, my dear.
ReplyDeletehttp://girlwhimsy.blogspot.com
Oh I do like to hear about the people in portraits. The first is so sweet.
ReplyDeletexxx
Thanks for your sweet comment on my post today! I love your blog because it's filled with beautiful people!
ReplyDeleteSimone
ReplyDeleteDaphne du Maurier's great-grandmother was quite a beauty, wasn't she?
Love this post.
ReplyDeleteInteresting women. You make me wonder about the lives they lead - couldn't have been easy.
ReplyDeleteAloha Simone,
ReplyDeleteI love visiting you...your blog elevates my thoughts and takes me back in History to a time that transcends Beauty, Romance and sheer elegance.
Mahalo for bringing that into my life...enchanting and lovely as I'm sure you are
Aloha hugs
Brandi
wow, i didnt know that about fredericks marriage. currently i am reading flora frasers 'princesses-the six daughters of george III'... its so sad, that frederick too, would have an unhappy marriage like his older brother the prince regent...
ReplyDeleteI thought the first lady was beautiful, not so much the second.
ReplyDeleteCan you reconcile with your Papa Simone? If so, it is worth doing, but always on only real terms.
Love Renee xoo
Thanks for your comment!! :) I had visited yours before but can't remember why I hadn't clicked the Follow button..! hehe
ReplyDeleteThere are so many nice things to read here,I like history,books and art so much..!
No way, one hundred dogs!...Wow. I love strange info. Thank you Simone
ReplyDeleteMary Anne Thompson Clarke was beautiful! Lovely post and pictures.
ReplyDeletexoxo
I love coming here and learning. :) Mary Anne Thompson Clarke was very beautiful, but I feel sorry for Princess Frederica. I hope she enjoyed her life in Surrey with her dogs and artist friends.
ReplyDeleteYou always find such interesting ladies to post about. The mind boggles at the amount of research you must do!
ReplyDeleteI love Daphne Du Maurier too! How amazing that these 2 women are related.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting post- Simone. I love visiting you!
Best wishes, Natasha.