Quick Facts
Biography
Elizabeth Herbert, Countess of Pembroke and Montgomery (January/March 1737 – 30 April 1831) was the daughter of Charles Spencer and Elizabeth Trevor.
Biography
Born Elizabeth Spencer to Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough and Elizabeth Trevor.
Her siblings were George, Charles, and Diana.
At nineteen she married Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke.
She was admired by George III in the early 1760s, becoming a Lady of the Bedchamber to his wife, Queen Charlotte. The King and Queen stayed for two nights with Henry and Elizabeth at Wilton House in 1778.
"Husbands are dreadfull and powerful Animals" wrote the long-suffering Elizabeth after taking her husband back in 1762, though she did manage to prevent his illegitimate son from that affair from keeping the surname Herbert. She and Henry ended up living in separate quarters at Wilton (he downstairs, she upstairs), with her eventually leaving for Pembroke Lodge in Richmond Park in 1788, which the king had put at her disposal. However, the King – who had been attracted to Elizabeth all his life – suffered his first bout of insanity that same year, and she had to endure the embarrassment of his sporadic and unwanted attentions until his recovery later that year.
Issue
Despite Henry's frequent affairs, they had the following issue:
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Augustus Herbert, 11th Earl of Pembroke, 8th Earl of Montgomery | 10 September 1759 | 26 October 1827 | married firstly in 1787, Elizabeth Beauclerk and had issue; married secondly in 1808, Countess Catherine Vorontsova and had issue |
| Charlotte Herbert | 14 July 1773 | 21 April 1784 | died from consumption at age 10. |
In fiction
- She features in the movie The Madness of King George (1994) played by Amanda Donohoe.
- It is set in 1788, and so she was actually much older than portrayed.
- Its mention of a mother-in-law who "lost her wits" is an invention, since her mother-in-law Mary Fitzwilliam died in 1769.
- the King introduces her: "Now, that's Lady Pembroke. Handsome woman, what? Daughter of the Duke of Marlborough. Stuff of generals. Blood of Blenheim. Husband an utter rascal. Eloped in a packet-boat.",
- the movie shows the mad King harassing her, but she (and the Queen) remaining loyal to him.