4. Maria Fitzherbert married the younger Prince of Wales in secret, but he dumped her in order to ascend to the throne of England
Maria Anne Fitzherbert was already a widow when she caught the attention of George, the Prince of Wales and heir to the English throne, in the spring of 1784. She was six years his senior, and a lot more worldly-wise. After all, she had already been wed to a man 16 years older than her, while he had led a sheltered and pampered life. Nevertheless, the Prince of Wales was smitten. He pursued the older woman relentlessly and before long had proposed marriage. But the age difference was just one obstacle standing in the way of a happy ending.
As heir, George needed the approval of his father, King George III, and of the Privy Council, before he could marry. He had neither. What’s more, Maria Fitzherbert was a Catholic, which meant if they were to be wed, the young man would be barred from taking the crown. Regardless, the couple married in secret in December 1785. Just nine years later, however, the union was over. George ended it by letter, choosing to marry his cousin for practical rather than romantic reasons. He disowned his older first wife, who was left to live in exile by the sea for the rest of her life.