Elizabeth Hay, Countess Of Erroll

Elizabeth Hay, Countess of Erroll (née FitzClarence), was born on 17 January 1801 and died on 16 January 1856. She was the illegitimate daughter of King William IV of the United Kingdom and Dorothea Jordan. Her date of marriage was 4 December 1820, when she became Countess of Erroll at the age of 19 after marrying William Hay, 18th Earl of Erroll. The wedding took place at St George's, Hanover Square.

Her father, William IV, was a monarch of the United Kingdom, and due to her paternity, William Hay, her husband, acquired the position of Lord Steward of the Household. Elizabeth Hay is depicted in a FitzClarence family portrait housed in the House of Dun. She preserved mementos connected to her father, including a stone thrown at William IV and gloves he wore during the opening of his first Parliament.

In 1856, Elizabeth was traveling from Scotland to visit her dying brother, Adolphus, when her health deteriorated. Despite her illness, she was summoned to see her brother. Her condition worsened en route, leading to her death in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Elizabeth and William Hay had four children:

1. Lady Ida Harriet Augusta Hay, born 18 October 1821 and deceased 22 October 1867. She served as a bridesmaid at Queen Victoria's wedding. Lady Ida married Charles Noel, 2nd Earl of Gainsborough, and they had five children.

2. William Hay, 19th Earl of Erroll, born 3 May 1823 and died 3 December 1891. He married Eliza Amelia Gore on 20 September 1848.

3. Lady Agnes Georgiana Elizabeth Hay, born 12 May 1829 and died 18 December 1869. She was married to James Duff on 16 March 1846 and was the mother of Alexander Duff. Her son married Princess Louise, daughter of King Edward VII.

4. Lady Alice Mary Emily Hay, born 7 July 1835 and died 7 June 1881.

Regarding her ancestry, Elizabeth Hay was linked to the royal lineage through her father, King William IV, and her mother, Dorothea Jordan. Her familial background is documented in sources such as Edward Walford's "Hardwicke's Annual Biography" (1857) and the work "Right Royal Bastards: The Fruits of Passion" by Peter de Vere Beauclerk-Dewar and Roger S. Powell (2007).