Before their marriage, the Duke had fathered an illegitimate daughter, Charlotte Williams, born from a dalliance with a former milliner, Charlotte Spencer (of no relation to the House of Spencer). [6] This was unknown to the Duchess until years after her marriage to the Duke. After the death of the child's mother, the Duchess was compelled to raise Charlotte herself. [3] Georgiana was "very pleased" with Charlotte, although her own mother Lady Spencer expressed disapproval: "I hope you have not talk'd of her to people". The besotted Georgiana replied, "She is the best humoured little thing you ever saw". [6] In 1782 Lady Elizabeth Foster (1759-1824) and Georgiana began a friendship which would last the rest of Georgiana’s life. Elizabeth, known as Bess, became a companion and support to the Duchess but Bess also had a relationship with Duke. William was very reserved, preoccupied with his dogs and his desire for a male heir, and was not keen to socialise; Georgiana soon grew tired of him and immersed herself in the fashion world.

also elevated the Duke in her eyes. The Spencers were extremely gratified by the interest he showed in their eldest daughter, and it did not escape Georgiana's notice that she was being watched; she knew that her parentsand twenty-six "and a half" pairs of gloves filled another. They bought hats, feathers, and trimmings; morning dresses, walking dresses, riding habits, and ball gowns. There was her wedding dress to be made, her In the first years of her marriage, she accumulated debts surpassing the 4,000 pounds that the Duke provided her annually as pin money. Her own mother disapproved and admonished her, unsuccessfully, to break her habit. After she had first incurred over 3,000 pounds in debt, Georgiana implored her parents to give her a loan as she absolutely would not inform her husband of her debts. Her parents acquiesced and told her to inform the Duke; he nevertheless found out beforehand and repaid them. [6] Armstrong, Sir Walter. Gainsborough & His Place in English Art. London, 1898: 194; popular ed., London, 1904: 263. Artwork representing the Duchess of Devonshire by reputable painters of the Georgian era remain, including a 1787 portrait by the famed Thomas Gainsborough which was once thought lost.

With her instinctive ability to make an impression, Georgiana immediately caused a sensation. She always appeared natural, even when she was called upon to open a ball in front of 800 people. She could engage in friendly chatter with several people simultaneously,Sadly, after that ring slid onto Georgiana’s finger, everything changed for the worse. First, the Duke went to the notorious “pleasure gardens” to drink and debauch himself a mere three days after the wedding. Then, when the couple was supposed to be presented to the Queen, he showed up four hours late. Not a good start, my dude. Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. New York, 1963 (reprinted 1964 in French, German, and Spanish): 319, repro. a b Taylor, Ella (25 September 2008). "Lady Georgiana Spencer, cheated in life and in casting, in The Duchess". Westword . Retrieved 13 June 2016. Another of Georgiana's innovations was the drooping ostrich feather, which she attached in a wide arch across the front of her hair. In April Lord Stormont, the British ambassador in Paris, presented her with one that was four feet long. Overnight a b c Cooper, Michael P. (2005). "The Devonshire Mineral Collection of Chatworth House: An 18th Century Survivor and Its Restoration". Mineralogical Record. v36:3: 239–272. ProQuest 211718664– via ProQuest.

coincided with the flowering of the English press. A growing population, increased wealth, better roads, and an end to official censorship had resulted in a wider readership and more news to report. By the end of the 1770s

From Servants to Staff: The tall tale of Georgiana’s hair

De Beer, Gavin (1948). "Rowley Lascelles". Notes & Queries. 193 (5): 97–99. doi: 10.1093/nq/193.5.97a.