The widowed Maria Fitzherbert had entered into a clandestine marriage with George, Prince of Wales in 1785. Although technically illegal due to the Royal Marriages Act, the couple lived together as husband and wife.[3] The issue of this secret earlier marriage became a potentially controversial issue when George entered a dynastic marriage with his cousin Caroline of Brunswick in 1796. Despite this and his numerous affairs, George remained emotionally attached to his earlier marriage and was buried with a miniature of Maria Fitzherbert in 1830.[4]
