Alice Neville Alice was the third daughter of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury "jure uxoris" and Lady Alice Montacute, 5th Countess of Salisbury "suo jure". By her father she was a descendant of King Edward III through the legitimised children of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster and his mistress, later wife, Katherine Roët. Her mother was the only child and sole heiress of Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury by his first wife Lady Eleanor Holland. Lady Alice was the sister of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, the wealthiest and most powerful English peer of his age. Warwick
Alice Perrers these defects with the seductiveness of her voice. Blind fortune elevated this woman to such heights and promoted her to a greater intimacy with the king than was proper, since she had been the maidservant and mistress of a man of Lombardy. And while the queen was still alive, the king loved this woman more than he loved the queen. However, this account has been questioned by historians for its validity, as Walsingham was a prominent critic of the royal court, and he despised its many ‘indulgences’. Sometime before 1366, Alice arrived at court and served as a lady-in-waiting to