Anne of York, Duchess of Exeter Anne of York, Duchess of Exeter Anne of York, Duchess of Exeter aka Anne Plantagenet (10 August 1439 – 14 January 1476) was the first child of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville. She was thus the eldest sister of kings Edward IV (1461–1483) and Richard III (1483–1485); and of Edmund, Earl of Rutland, Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk, Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy and of George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence. Anne married twice and divorced her first husband: In 1447 aged eight years old, Anne was married to Henry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter (1430–1475).
Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough Walpole, the First Lord of the Treasury (effectively the same as today's Prime Minister) vetoed the plan. Walpole, although a Whig, had alienated Sarah by supporting peace in Europe; she was also suspicious of his financial probity; and Walpole, in turn, mistrusted Sarah. Despite this, good relations with the royal family continued, and Sarah was occasionally invited to court by Queen Caroline, who attempted to cultivate her friendship. The Duchess of Marlborough was a capable business manager, unusual in a period when women were excluded from most things outside the management of their household. Her friend Arthur Maynwaring wrote that