Georgiana Somerset, Marchioness Of Worcester

Georgiana Somerset, Marchioness of Worcester (née FitzRoy), was born on 3 October 1792 and died on 11 May 1821. She was originally named Georgiana Frederica FitzRoy and was the daughter of the Hon. Henry FitzRoy, a son of Lord Southampton, and Lady Anne Wellesley, sister of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. Following the death of her father, her mother married Charles Culling Smith and had additional children, including a daughter and a son.

Georgiana FitzRoy was known to have been a friend of Princess Charlotte of Wales, the daughter of the Prince of Wales (later King George IV). Her engagement to Henry Somerset, who later became the 7th Duke of Beaufort, was announced during a ball hosted by the prince at Carlton House. The marriage took place on 25 July 1814; at that time, Henry Somerset held the courtesy title of Marquess of Worcester. The wedding was officiated by her uncle, the Duke of Wellington, who also gave Georgiana away. Her husband's uncle, Lord FitzRoy Somerset, married Lady Emily Harriet Wellesley-Pole, another of Wellington's nieces, shortly after.

During her marriage, Georgiana and Henry Somerset were the parents of three daughters: Lady Charlotte Augusta Frederica Somerset (1816–1850), who married Austrian diplomat Baron Philipp von Neumann; Lady Georgiana Charlotte Anne Somerset (1817–1884), who married Christopher Bethell-Codrington, MP; and Lady Anne Harriet Charlotte Somerset (1819–1877), who married Colonel Philip James of Dorset.

Georgiana died at Apsley House, the residence of the Duke of Wellington, due to an "internal inflammation" only a week after attending a ball. At the time of her death, she was 28 years old. The diarist Charles Greville commented on her death, noting her virtues, her improving mind, and her natural qualities that made her well-liked. Harriet Arbuthnot’s journal described her as one of the most handsome women in England, admired and flattered by many.

Her death was met with profound grief among her friends. Her last words reportedly were, "I never thought death could hurt so much." She was affected by the financial difficulties of her family, and if not for the support of the Duke of Wellington, she might have lacked a place to reside. Her death marked the end of her brief but notable life.

In June 1822, approximately a year after Georgiana’s death, her widower, Henry Somerset, married her younger half-sister, Emily Frances Smith. Due to the close familial relationship, this marriage was legally questionable under church law and later contributed to legislative changes with the Marriage Act of 1836. The marriage caused tensions between the Duke of Wellington and his sister Anne Wellesley, Emily and Georgiana’s mother, resulting in a lifelong estrangement.

Throughout her life, Georgiana held titles including Marchioness of Worcester and was associated with notable figures of British society and nobility during the early 19th century.