Augusta Murray

Lady Augusta De Ameland (née Murray) was born on 27 January 1761 in Scotland, possibly at Holyrood Palace. Her father was John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, and her mother was Lady Charlotte Stewart, a younger daughter of Alexander Stewart, 6th Earl of Galloway.

On 4 April 1793, Lady Augusta married Prince Augustus Frederick, the sixth son of King George III, in a Church of England ceremony conducted in her lodgings at Hotel Sarmiento, Rome. This marriage was conducted secretly and without the approval of the royal family, specifically in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act 1772, as Prince Augustus had not obtained his father's permission. A subsequent marriage ceremony was held on 5 December 1793 at St George's, Hanover Square, London, where both parties used their correct names but did not fully disclose their identities. Both marriages were outside the provisions of the Royal Marriages Act 1772 and were annulled in July 1794.

The couple had two children: Augustus Frederick d'Este, born on 13 January 1794 and deceased on 28 December 1848, and Augusta Emma d'Este, later known as Lady Truro, born on 9 August 1801 and died on 21 May 1866. Augusta Emma married Thomas Wilde, 1st Baron Truro of Bowes, on 13 August 1845.

Following the annulment of their marriage, Prince Augustus Frederick sought to have his union with Lady Augusta recognized legally. Despite these efforts, they eventually separated. On 27 November 1801, Prince Augustus was elevated to the titles of Duke of Sussex, Earl of Inverness, and Baron Arklow by royal creation. In 1806, Lady Augusta received a royal license permitting her to adopt the surname De Ameland, replacing Murray.

Lady Augusta resided at 1 Connaught Place in London, a residence built for her in 1807 by her brother-in-law, Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh. She was granted a pension of £4,000 per annum and purchased a house in Ramsgate, where she established a small estate. She died on 4 March 1830 and was interred in the D'Este mausoleum located in the churchyard of St Laurence-in-Thanet in Ramsgate.

Following her death, the Duke of Sussex married Lady Cecilia Underwood.