William FitzClarence, 2nd Earl of Munster William FitzClarence, 2nd Earl of Munster William FitzClarence, 2nd Earl of Munster, (19 May 1824 – 30 April 1901), styled Viscount FitzClarence from 1831 to 1842, was a British peer, and the grandson of King William IV, whom he was named after, and who died in 1837, aged almost 72, when the younger William was just 13. FitzClarence's father, George FitzClarence, 1st Earl of Munster, was an illegitimate son of King William IV by his long-time mistress Dorothea Jordan. Therefore, the second Earl of Munster was the great-grandson of King George III and first cousin once-removed of Queen Victoria. His
Royal mistress marriages were alleged. Hence the Monmouth Rebellion when James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth claimed the thrones of England and Scotland on the grounds that his mother had been the wife, rather than a mistress, of Charles II. Royal mistress A royal mistress is the historical position of a mistress to a monarch or an heir apparent. Some mistresses have had considerable power; such mistresses have sometimes been referred to as the "power behind the throne". The prevalence of the institution can be attributed to the fact that royal marriages were until recent times conducted solely on the basis of