Diana Beauclerk, Duchess Of St Albans
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Diana Beauclerk, Duchess of St Albans (born Lady Diana de Vere; – 15 January 1742) was a British courtier. She was
Mistress of the Robes The mistress of the robes was the senior lady in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, who would, by appointment, attend on the Queen (whether queen regnant or a queen consort). Queens dowager retained their own mistresses of the robes. In ...
to Caroline, Princess of Wales from 1714 to 1717. She was also one of the
Hampton Court Beauties The Hampton Court Beauties are a series of eight portraits by Sir Godfrey Kneller, commissioned by Queen Mary II, depicting the most glamorous ladies from her court. They adorn the state rooms of King William III of England, William III at Hampt ...
of
Mary II Mary II (30 April 1662 – 28 December 1694) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England, List of Scottish monarchs, Scotland, and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland with her husband, King William III and II, from 1689 until her death in 1694. Sh ...
.


Life

Diana was the eldest daughter of
Aubrey de Vere, 20th Earl of Oxford Aubrey de Vere, 20th Earl of Oxford, Order of the Garter, KG, Privy Council of England, PC (28 February 1627 – 12 March 1703) was an English army officer and magistrate who fought on the Cavalier, Royalist side during the English Civil War. ...
, and his second wife Diana Kirke. She also had two sisters, Mary and Henrietta and through her father's relationship with
Hester Davenport Hester Davenport (23 March 1642 – 16 November 1717) was a leading actress with the Duke's Company under the management of Sir William Davenant. Among the earliest English actresses, she was best known as "that faire & famous Comoedian call'd ...
she also had an illegitimate half-brother named Aubrey de Vere. Since her father was a
Gentleman of the Bedchamber Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the Royal Household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Households of the United Kingdo ...
and later a Privy Councillor, the family lived at
Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London, England. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It ...
. Diana's mother, the countess of Oxford had a reputation for taking lovers and was said to have been intimately involved with
Prince Rupert Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, (17 December 1619 ( O.S.) 7 December 1619 (N.S.)– 29 November 1682 (O.S.) December 1682 (N.S) was an English-German army officer, admiral, scientist, and colonial governor. He first rose to ...
and the 1st Earl of St Albans


Marriage

On 17 April 1694 she married
Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St. Albans, KG (8 May 167010 May 1726) was an illegitimate son of King Charles II of England by his mistress Nell Gwyn. Biography His surname, Beauclerk ( Anglo-Norman for "fine scholar"), had been an epithet of ...
, an illegitimate son of King Charles II and his mistress
Nell Gwyn Eleanor Gwyn (also spelled Gwynn, Gwynne; 2 February 1650 – 14 November 1687) was an English people, English stage actress and celebrity figure of the Stuart Restoration, Restoration period. Praised by Samuel Pepys for her comic performances ...
, whereupon Diana became Duchess of St Albans. Although she was the heiress of the last
Earl of Oxford Earl of Oxford is a dormant title in the Peerage of England, first created for Aubrey de Vere, 1st Earl of Oxford, Aubrey de Vere by the Empress Matilda in 1141. De Vere family, His family was to hold the title for more than five and a half cen ...
, Diana did not inherit much in monetary means from her father and is thought to have brought a very small dowry or no dowry to the marriage. The marriage appears to have been a successful one and Beauclerk and Diana would go on to have 12 children together. Beauclerk was however not always a faithful husband and kept as his mistress the courtesan Sally Salisbury.


Lady of the Bedchamber

Diana had been a
lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...
and a
favourite A favourite was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In Post-classical Europe, post-classical and Early modern Europe, early-modern Europe, among other times and places, the term was used of individuals delegated signifi ...
of Mary II, who included her among the portrait series known as "The Hampton Court Beauties" During the reign of Queen Anne neither Diana nor her husband were much favoured as Anne, Beauclerk's cousin, did not care much for the illegitimate children of her uncle and regarded the sons with suspicion and as potential usurpers. Furthermore, Beauclerk's Whig views prevented he and his wife’s advancement, but they were restored to favour at the accession of King George I in 1714. Subsequently Diana became the first lady of the bedchamber and
Groom of the Stool The Groom of the Stool (formally styled: "Groom of the King's Close Stool") was the most intimate of an English monarch's courtiers, initially responsible for assisting the king in excretion and hygiene. The physical intimacy of the role natur ...
to George I's daughter-in-law
Caroline of Ansbach Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach (Wilhelmina Charlotte Caroline; 1 March 1683 – 20 November 1737) was List of British royal consorts, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland and List of Hanoverian royal consorts, Electress of Hanover from 11 J ...
. In 1714 Diana tried to have her maternal grandmother Mary Kirke considered for the position of "bedchamber woman" but nothing came of it perhaps due to her bad reputation. Even if her grandmother's behavior was considered questionable, Diana herself seems to have been considered blameless as she stood as godmother for the royal couple's son, the short- lived George William. She was chosen by King
George I George I or 1 may refer to: People * Patriarch George I of Alexandria (fl. 621–631) * George I of Constantinople (d. 686) * George of Beltan (d. 790) * George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9) * George I of Georgia (d. 1027) * Yuri Dolgoruk ...
over the parents' wishes. She resigned from the position of Lady of the bedchamber in 1717, that same year. This owed to the quarrel between George I and his son; the king made it clear that the members of the court could either choose to be loyal to him or to his son. Diana, whose husband was in service to the king, therefore had to resign so her husband could keep his position. She was succeeded by the Duchess of Dorset. It seems, however, that Diana tried to regain her position in 1720 after the reconciliation of the king and his son. Diana's husband died in 1723 and thereafter she was styled as the Dowager Duchess of St. Albans. In 1725 her sister Mary also died and left her what remained of the de Vere inheritance. She attended the funeral of Caroline of Ansbach in 1737 at Westminster Abbey and carried the train of Princess Amelia alongside the Duchess of Montagu.


Issue

* Charles Beauclerk, 2nd Duke of St Albans (6 April 1696 – 27 July 1751) * Lady Diana Beauclerk (born - 1743) * Lord William Beauclerk (22 May 1698 – 23 February 1732/33) * Admiral
Vere Beauclerk, 1st Baron Vere Admiral Vere Beauclerk, 1st Baron Vere (14 July 1699 – 21 October 1781), known as Lord Vere Beauclerk until 1750, was a Royal Navy officer, British peer and politician who sat in the House of Commons for 24 years from 1726 to 1750. After s ...
of Hanworth (14 July 1699 – 21 October 1781) * Colonel Lord Henry Beauclerk (11 August 1701 – 5 January 1761) * Lord Sidney Beauclerk (27 February 1703 – 23 November 1744) * Lieutenant-General
Lord George Beauclerk Lieutenant-General Lord George Beauclerk (26 December 1704 – 11 May 1768) was a British Army officer, the sixth son of Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans by his wife Diana, daughter of Aubrey de Vere, 20th Earl of Oxford. Military car ...
(26 December 1704 – 11 May 1768) * Lord Seymour Beauclerk (born 24 June 1708) * Rt. Revd.
Lord James Beauclerk Lord James Beauclerk ( – 20 October 1787) was an Anglican clergyman who served as the Bishop of Hereford from 1746 to 1787. Education He was the eighth son of Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans and Lady Diana de Vere. He was educated ...
( - 20 October 1787),
Bishop of Hereford The Bishop of Hereford is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Hereford in the Province of Canterbury. Until 1534, the Diocese of Hereford was in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church and two of its bishop ...
* Lord Aubrey Beauclerk (1711 - 24 February 1740) * Lady Mary Beauclerk (born ) * Lady Anne Beauclerk (born )


Death

Towards the end of her life Diana suffered from illness which kept her housebound. Diana died on the 15th of January 1742 at Burford House


Depictions in culture

Diana is the protagonist of the novel "A Pledge of Better Times" (2015) by Margaret Porter.


References


External links

*
"Diana Beauclerk (née de Vere), Duchess of St Albans"
''National Portrait Gallery'' {{DEFAULTSORT:St Albans, Diana Beauclerk, Duchess of 1670s births 1742 deaths
Diana Diana most commonly refers to: * Diana (name), given name (including a list of people with the name) * Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon * Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997), ...
English duchesses by marriage Daughters of British earls Ladies of the Bedchamber Mistresses of the Robes
Diana Diana most commonly refers to: * Diana (name), given name (including a list of people with the name) * Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon * Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997), ...
First Ladies of the Bedchamber
Diana Diana most commonly refers to: * Diana (name), given name (including a list of people with the name) * Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon * Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997), ...
Household of Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach