Amalie Von Wallmoden, Countess Of Yarmouth

Amalie Sophie Marianne von Wallmoden-Gimborn, Countess of Yarmouth, was born Amalie von Wendt on April 1, 1704. She was the daughter of Johann Franz Dietrich von Wendt, a general in Hanover, and Friderike Charlotte von dem Bussche-Ippenburg. Her family was prominent within the Electorate of Hanover. Her aunt was Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal.

In 1727, she married Count Gottlieb Adam von Wallmoden-Gimborn, son of Count Ludwig Achaz von Wallmoden-Gimborn and Anna Elisabeth von Heimburg. The marriage produced one son, Count Franz Ernst von Wallmoden, born in 1728. Details from a letter dated June 22, 1738, describe her physical appearance as having black eyes and brown hair, with an agreeable demeanor.

Her relationship with King George II of Great Britain began around 1735 during his visits to Hanover, where she resided with her husband. She became his principal mistress during the mid-1730s and remained so until his death in 1760. On April 22, 1736, she gave birth to a son named Johann Ludwig Graf von Wallmoden-Gimborn. It is believed that the king was the biological father of this child, who was an illegitimate son.

Following the death of Queen Caroline of Ansbach in November 1737, King George II ceased his visits to Hanover but invited her to England. She was naturalized as a British subject in 1740 and was granted a peerage for life under the title Countess of Yarmouth, making her the last royal mistress to receive such an honor.

In England, she was officially known as Amalie Sophie von Wallmoden, a designation intended to mask her former marital status. She was involved in political and social affairs, and records suggest she played a role in the creation of peerages, including a barony for Stephen Fox-Strangways in 1741 and the title of Viscount Folkestone for Jacob des Bouverie in 1747. Robert Walpole, the de facto First Lord of the Treasury, reportedly indicated that her primary interest was in pleasing the king.

Her relationship with King George II ended with his death on October 25, 1760. She then returned to Hanover, where she lived until her death on October 19 or 20, 1765. She died of breast cancer at the age of 61.