English and British royal mistress younger brother William IV on 26 June 1830. William had cohabited with his mistress Dorothy Jordan from the late 1780s to 1811. He only married his wife Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen on 11 July 1818. They were reputed to have a happy marriage until his death on 20 June 1837 and evidence of any other mistress is absent. Queen Victoria married her husband Albert while very young, and enjoyed a devoted marriage until his death in 1861. In grief-stricken widowhood she largely closed herself away from the world. However, in the latter part of her reign, there was contemporary gossip around
Dorothea Jordan of money. This situation forced Dorothea to work to help her siblings. Her mother, an actress by profession, saw potential in Dorothea and put her on the stage. Dora became a famous actress and was said to have the most beautiful legs ever seen on the stage. The historical record of Dora's first stage appearance is not clear. Some sources claim that Dora made her debut in 1777 in Dublin, as Phoebe in "As You Like It," whilst others that suggest she premiered as Lucy in the Interlude "The Virgin Unmask'd," on the 3rd November 1779. The knowledge of Dorothea's