Caroline Campbell, Duchess of Argyll

Caroline Campbell, Duchess of Argyll (born Lady Caroline Elizabeth Villiers; 16 December 1774 – 16 June 1835), previously Lady Paget, was the wife of Henry Paget, Lord Paget (later 1st Marquess of Anglesey), until their divorce in 1810, and subsequently the wife of George Campbell, 6th Duke of Argyll, a friend of her first husband.

Early life She was the third daughter of George Villiers, 4th Earl of Jersey, a former MP who became a courtier to King George III after he inherited the earldom, and Frances Twysden. Her mother was one of the mistresses of King George IV.

Her paternal grandparents were William Villiers, 3rd Earl of Jersey, and the former Anne Russell, Duchess of Bedford (who was born Lady Anne Egerton, and was the widow of Wriothesley Russell, 3rd Duke of Bedford, before she married Lord Jersey in 1733).

Personal life Her eldest daughter. Lady Caroline, later Duchess of Richmond. by Thomas Lawrence. On 25 July 1795 at the home of her father in Grosvenor Square, Mayfair, London, Lady Caroline was married to Henry, styled Lord Paget, who at that time was MP for Carnarvon. He was the eldest son of Henry Bayley-Paget, 1st Earl of Uxbridge, and the former Jane Champagné (a daughter of the Very Revd Arthur Champagné, Dean of Clonmacnoise, Ireland). Together, they had eight children:

Lady Caroline Paget (1796–1874), who married Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond, son of the 4th Duke of Richmond and Lady Charlotte Gordon (eldest child of the 4th Duke of Gordon)

In 1810, prior to Paget's elevation to the peerage, the couple were divorced as a result of his affair with Lady Charlotte Wellesley, whose husband, Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley, was the brother of the Duke of Wellington. Charlotte's brother Henry Cadogan challenged Paget to a duel, but neither was hurt.

Caroline then sued her husband for divorce in the Scottish courts. A divorce was granted in November 1810.

Second marriage Her second marriage, to George Campbell, 6th Duke of Argyll, took place at Canongate, Edinburgh, only three weeks later. It was the duke's only marriage, and there were no children. The duchess is supposed to have told Paget's brother that she had never previously known "the superlative degree of bliss which she was now enjoying".

The duchess died in Dumbarton, Scotland, aged 60, and was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery, London.

Descendants Through her eldest daughter Caroline, she is a direct ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales, and of her sons, William, Prince of Wales, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.