Background
Her father was Arthur Gore, 2nd Earl of Arran. Her mother, Elizabeth née Underwood. She was styled Lady Cecilia Gore at birth, the courtesy title of a daughter of an earl.
Her father was Arthur Gore, 2nd Earl of Arran. Her mother, Elizabeth née Underwood. She was styled Lady Cecilia Gore at birth, the courtesy title of a daughter of an earl.
She was created, in her own right, by Queen Victoria, on 10 April 1840. Cecilia"s exact date of birth is not known, although it is around 1785. As the marriage was not considered legal in the United Kingdom, Lady Cecilia could not take the style and title Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex.
Instead she assumed the name "Underwood", her mother"s maiden name, by Royal Licence and was known as Lady Cecilia Underwood.
The couple resided at the Duke"s apartments in Kensington Palace. To compensate for this, in 1840 Queen Victoria created her, in her own right, with remainder to the heirs male of her body lawfully begotten.
This recognised her husband"s subsidiary title of Earl of Inverness. The Duke of Sussex died in April 1843 at Kensington Palace and was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery.
The continued to reside at Kensington Palace until her death in August 1873.
She was buried next to her second husband. Titles c. c.
The Duke of Sussex had already married Lady Augusta Murray in 1793, but that marriage was annulled in 1794 as it contravened the Royal Acting 1772, which required that all members of the British Royal Family seek permission of the sovereign before marriage. However, Lady Cecilia was not accepted as a full member of the British Royal Family.