Life
Arabella was the child of Sir Winston Churchill (an ancestor of the Prime Minister of the same name) and Elizabeth Drake. Her brother was John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. The Churchill's loyalty to the royal household was ardent; and their only feeling about Arabella's seduction by King James II seems to have been a joyful surprise that a so plain girl had attained such high preferment.
She began her relationship with James, then Duke of York, around 1665, while he was still married to Anne Hyde. Arabella became the duchess's lady-in-waiting in that year, and gave birth to two children during Anne's lifetime. Churchill was described as a "tall creature, pale-faced, and nothing but skin and bone." She often displayed the quick wit and lively intelligence which bound James to her through ten years and four children. Some time after 1674, she married Charles Godfrey and had three more children. They lived happily together for 40 years. Godfrey died in 1714, at the age of 67.
Read more about this topic: Arabella Churchill (royal Mistress)
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