Elizabeth Hamilton, Countess of Orkney (née Villiers; 1657 – 19 April 1733) was an English courtier from the Villiers family and the reputed mistress of William III, King of England and Scotland, from 1680 until 1695. She was a lady-in-waiting to his wife and co-monarch, Queen Mary II of England.
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Life
Elizabeth Villiers was born to Colonel Sir Edward Villiers of Richmond, Surrey, and Lady Frances Howard, herself the youngest daughter of Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk, and Lady Elizabeth Home.
In 1660, Charles II's brother James (the future James II) married the commoner Anne Hyde, who was already pregnant at the time. Elizabeth's mother, Lady Villiers, was awarded the position of governess to James and Anne's children. Although Anne had four daughters and four sons, only Mary (the future Mary II) born in 1662 and Anne, born in 1665, survived to adulthood.
Lady Villiers used her position to secure for her children both place and influence in the future Queen Mary II's household. Elizabeth's sisters Anne and Katherine were among the maids of honour who accompanied Lady Mary to the Hague, to marry and serve as Princess of Orange; meanwhile, Elizabeth's brother Edward, later created 1st Earl of Jersey, was Master of the Horse.
Elizabeth is reputed to have become William's mistress in 1680. In 1685, Mary's father James II exploited rumours of William's infidelity in an attempt to cause a split between his daughter and the prince. Mary II died on 28 December 1694, and within a year or so, William ended his relationship with Elizabeth Villiers, motivated, it is said, by his wife's expressed wishes before her death.
