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Mary Robinson15 November 2004
Image: Mrs Mary Robinson by Thomas Gainsborough, 1781, reproduced by kind permission of the Trustees of the Wallace Collection.
Celebrity mistress turned feminist

Mrs Mary Robinson was a true eighteenth century celebrity. She was mistress to the Prince of Wales, painted by Gainsborough and more famous than Wordsworth for her poetry.

Jenni asks Paula Byrne, author of a new biography, why such a renowned figure was forgotten for so many years.

Perdita: The Life of Mary Robinson
Paula Byrne
Published by Harper Collins



BBC Making History: the Prince Regent's first mistress
Poetry online: Mary Robinson


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