Lady Flora Hastings

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Flora Elizabeth Rawdon-Hastings (11 February 1806- 5 July 1839), known as Lady Flora Hastings, was an English aristocrat of the Regency and Early Victorian periods. She achieved notoriety in the months immediately preceding her death, due to her involvement in a scandal which showed Queen Victoria's mother The Duchess of Kent in a negative light.

Lady Flora's father was Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings (1754-1826), and her mother was Flora Mure-Campbell, 6th Countess of Loudoun (1780-1840). The then Earl of Moira married the Countess of Loudon on 12 July 1804. The children of their union, apart from Flora, were-

• George Augustus Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 2nd Marquess of Hastings (4 February 1808–13 January 1844)
• Sophia Frederica Christina Rawdon-Hastings (1 February 1809–28 December 1859), married John Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of Bute and had issue.
• Selina Constance Rawdon-Hastings (1810–8 November 1867), married Charles Henry and had issue.
• Adelaide Augusta Lavinia Rawdon-Hastings (25 February 1812–6 December 1860), married Sir William Keith Murray, 7th Baronet of Octertyre.

Flora was adored by her siblings .

Scandal

Lady Flora was known to be in cahoots with John Conroy, who may have been the Duchess of Kent's lover, and whom The Queen detested passionately. Lady Flora was also disapproving of Baroness Louise Lehzen, the Queen's adored friend and mentor . She was also opposed to the Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne . At some stage of 1839, she began to grow large, and experienced pain. She visited Sir James Clark, the royal physician. He diagnosed the swelling as pregnancy. From 10 January to 16 February 1839, Clark met Flora twice a week . His verdict was hushed up. However, the Marchioness of Tavistock (better known as the inventor of afternoon tea) talked to Melbourne about her fears. On 2nd February The Queen voiced her concerns in her journal that Conroy was the father . This cannot have displeased her as she loathed him intensely.

Lady Flora died in London on 5th July . An autopsy revealed that she had actually died of a liver tumour . Conroy and her brother, Lord Hastings, stirred up a press campaign against The Queen and Clark. Nevertheless, he was royal doctor at the Duchess of Kent's deathbed.

Funeral

Lady Flora was buried at her family home, Loudon Castle. She was thirty-three.

Sources

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Last updated on Thursday March 13, 2008 at 09:52:12 PDT (GMT -0700)
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