Elizabeth Chudleigh, Duchess of Kingston (1720 - 1788), was a notorious and devious English aristocrat.


Elizabeth Chudleigh, Duchess of Kingston (1720 - 1788), was a notorious and devious English aristocrat. In 1744, she married poor naval officer Augustus Hervey but kept her marriage secret to keep her position at court. When Hervey became Earl of Bristol, however, she suddenly started boasting of her marriage to him. At the same time, Elizabeth became mistress to the Duke of Kingston and married him in 1769. When the Duke died in 1773, Elizabeth inherited all his property - until the Duke's nephew charged her with bigamy. Although found guilty, this "coarse and licentious" woman managed to flee to Europe with his fortune, and lived a life of luxury in Paris and Rome.


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