Olga Zherebtsova

Olga Zherebtsova was the sister of Prince Platon Zubov, the last favourite of Catherine the Great. After the empress died and was succeeded by her son Paul I (1796), Zubov and his brothers hatched a conspiracy to assassinate the new emperor. The plot was financed by the British ambassador, Sir Charles Whitworth, who was also Olga’s lover. Paul broke off diplomatic relations with Britain and ordered Whitworth to leave the country (1800). Olga followed him to England, only to find that he had already married a rich widow, the Duchess of Dorset (1801). In England, Olga became the mistress of the Prince Regent, the future King George IV. She gave birth to his son, who was named George Nord.