Later Life
Charlotte was legitimatized in 1783, and joined her ailing father, Charles, in Florence as his caretaker in 1784. Her three children by Rohan were left behind in Clementina's care. Charlotte died at age 36 (17 November 1789) of liver cancer at the Palazzo Vizzani Sanguinetti in Bologna. In her will, written just three days before her death, Charlotte left Clementina, a sum of 50,000 livres and an annuity of a further 15,000. However, it was two years before Cardinal Henry Stuart, her uncle and executor, and now considered by Jacobites to be King Henry IX, would release the money. Indeed, he only agreed to do this when Clementina signed a "quittance" renouncing, on behalf of herself and her descendants, any further claim on the estate.
Occasionally, it has been suggested that Prince Charles married Clementina Walkinshaw, and thus that Charlotte was legitimate and could legally claim to be her father's successor. However, there are no records to substantiate this claim, and the sworn affidavit signed by Clementina on 9 March 1767 explicitly disavows the idea. Further, Charles's initial disavowal of Charlotte speaks against her legitimacy.
Read more about this topic: Clementina Walkinshaw
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