Cecilia Underwood, 1st Duchess Of Inverness

Cecilia Underwood, Duchess of Inverness (née Gore; formerly Buggin), was born circa 1789. Her parentage includes her father, Arthur Gore, 2nd Earl of Arran, a member of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy known as "the Ascendancy," and her mother, Elizabeth Underwood. She was styled Lady Cecilia Gore at birth, a courtesy title accorded to the daughter of an earl.

Her first marriage took place in May 1815 to Sir George Buggin. This marriage produced no children, and Sir George Buggin died on 12 April 1825. Subsequently, Lady Cecilia married Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, the sixth son of King George III, on 2 May 1831 at Great Cumberland Place, London.

The Duke of Sussex's initial marriage to Lady Augusta Murray in 1793 was annulled in 1794 for contravening the Royal Marriages Act 1772, which mandated royal permission for marital unions involving members of the royal family. The second marriage between the Duke of Sussex and Lady Cecilia also violated the same Act because it was conducted without royal approval, rendering it legally void. Consequently, Lady Cecilia could not be styled as Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex or as a princess.

As her marriage was not legally recognized, Lady Cecilia adopted the surname "Underwood" using a Royal Licence, deriving from her mother’s maiden name, and was known as Lady Cecilia Underwood. The couple resided at the Duke's apartments in Kensington Palace. Due to the marriage's illegality, she was not officially accepted as a full member of the British royal family and was restricted from attending certain royal functions. Standard protocol prevented her from sitting beside her husband at official events.

In 1840, Queen Victoria granted her the title of Duchess of Inverness in her own right, with a remainder to the male heirs lawfully begotten by her. This elevation recognized her husband's subsidiary title of Earl of Inverness. Despite this noble recognition, she was still not considered a royal princess or her husband's legal wife.

The Duke of Sussex died in April 1843 at Kensington Palace and was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery. Cecilia continued to reside at Kensington Palace until her death on 1 August 1873. She was buried beside her second husband. She did not have any children, and upon her death, the dukedom of Inverness became extinct.

Cecilia Underwood is depicted briefly in the 2016 ITV series "Victoria," specifically in Episode 6 titled "The Queen's Husband." In the portrayal, her maiden name is given as "Buggin," and her marriage is depicted as morganatic, limiting her acceptance within the royal court. No additional reference is made to her adopting her mother's surname, Underwood, within the series.

No information is available regarding her personal arms or heraldic bearings.