Amelia Cary, Viscountess Falkland

Amelia Cary, Viscountess Falkland (née FitzClarence), was born on 21 March 1807 and died on 2 July 1858. She was a member of the British nobility, the daughter of William IV of the United Kingdom and his mistress, Dorothea Jordan. Her father held the titles Duke of Clarence and St Andrews before becoming king. Amelia was the fifth illegitimate daughter of William IV and Dorothea Jordan, and she had four sisters and five brothers, all bearing the surname FitzClarence.

Amelia’s early life was situated in Teddington, where her family resided at Clarence Lodge and later Bushy House. She was born at Bushy House in 1807. Her mother, Dorothea Jordan, was a renowned actress, and the couple maintained a relationship that lasted about twenty years, despite never formalizing their union through marriage. In 1797, the family moved to Bushy House, and Amelia grew up in what her niece Wilhelmina described as a "happy and beloved home" until her father's marriage to Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen in 1818. The relationship between William IV and Dorothea ended in December 1811 through a deed of separation, with Dorothea granted financial support and custody of their children. She left Bushy House in January 1812. After William's marriage, Dorothea moved to Boulogne, France, where she died in 1816.

Following William IV's accession to the throne in June 1830, his children with Dorothea, including Amelia and her siblings, were elevated in status; their ranks were raised to that of younger children of a marquess. The FitzClarence children enjoyed attendance at court, although their presence caused tension with the Duchess of Kent, who believed they might influence Princess Victoria negatively. William IV was known to be affectionate toward his children and was distressed by their treatment by other courtiers.

On 27 December 1830, Amelia FitzClarence married Lucius Cary, 10th Viscount Falkland, at the Pavilion in Brighton. The marriage produced a single son, Lucius William Charles Frederick Cary, known as Master of Falkland, born on 24 November 1831. He married Sarah Christiana Keighly but died childless on 6 August 1871. Amelia and Lord Falkland resided at Rudby Hall in North Yorkshire.

Amelia Cary died in London on 2 July 1858. Her legacy includes the naming of Falkland Ridge in Nova Scotia, Canada, and authorship of the publication "Chow-Chow: Being Selections from a Journal Kept in India, Egypt, and Syria." In 1841, the composer Henry Russell dedicated the song "The Pilgrim's Address to the Deity" to Lady Falkland.