Kate's wild cousin from affairs and abortions to kidnap by fraudster husband

03 January 2024 , 14:13

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Kate's wild cousin from affairs and abortions to kidnap by fraudster husband

The Princess of Wales is known for her very normal background - unlike her wild cousin.

It seems Kate's ancestors came from all sections of society and include the likes of miners, road sweepers, mill owners and even a convict. However, one of her relatives appears to have lived a more colourful life than most and overcame incredible circumstances to become a respected pioneer. Mary Eleanor Bowes, who was the Countess of Strathorne and Kinghorn, was a wealthy heiress with a gifted mind who triumphed over adversity and had an eyebrow-raising love life that once saw her have a gun held to her head.

Kate Middleton's very colourful ancestor has been revealed (PA)

According to the Daily Mail, as she descended from Sir Thomas Blakiston Conyers, making Mary not only an ancestor of Kate but also of the late Queen Mother. She was born in 1749 and brought up at Gibside House - an estate in Tyne and Wear, which is now a National Trust property. She was said to be an "intelligent young lady", who encouraged by her father George Bowes MP, could read at the age of four and had a "great interest in botany".

But despite her seemingly content childhood, her early adult years earned her the nickname of the 'Unhappy Countess' due to her drama-filled life. At the age of 18, she married John Lyon, the 9th Earl of Strathmore and they had five children together. However, in 1776, he died at sea, leaving Mary a widow at just 27.

Mary Eleanor Bowes, the former Countess of Strathearn and Kinghorn (Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne)

Mary is buried in Westminster Abbey (Alamy Stock Photo)

At the time of her husband's death, she was believed to be pregnant with another man's child. According to the Daily Mail, she had fallen for a lover called George Gray, who had made a fortune with the East India Company before squandering it.

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But, she didn't want to marry him as she would lose her Countess title, so apparently induced an abortion, something she allegedly did after becoming pregnant a further two times as the affair continued. But that wasn't the end of her drama-filled love life. She eventually married Andrew Robinson Stoney, a fraudster, who according to The Bowes Museum website, subjected her to "enduring years of both mental and physical abuse".

In 1785, she plucked up the courage to file for divorce, which saw Stoney kidnap her and hold a gun to her head before he was arrested and jailed. The divorce was eventually granted and she also was able to keep her land.

However, after the drama of her formative years, she eventually managed to find peace by reconciling with her family, and becoming a keen amateur botanist. She died in April 1800 and is buried in the famous Poets Corner of Westminster Abbey.

Jennifer Newton