Katherine Stuart

Katherine Stuart
Portrait by Van Dyck, circa 1638
Portrait by Van Dyck, circa 1638. National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
Died1650
Other namesKatherine Howard
Katherine, Lady Aubigny
Katherine Livingston, Viscountess Newburgh
Occupation(s)English noblewoman and Royalist supporter
Spouse(s)George Stewart, 9th Seigneur d'Aubigny (1638–1642)
James Livingston, Viscount Newburgh (1648–1650)
Children1) Charles Stewart, 3rd Duke of Richmond
2) Katherine Stewart, Baroness Clifton
3) Elizabeth Livingstone
Parent(s)Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk
Lady Elizabeth Home

Katherine Stuart (after 1612 – 1650) was an English noblewoman and Royalist supporter during the English Civil War. She had married, in secret, her first husband, George Stewart, 9th Seigneur d'Aubigny, against the wishes of both King Charles I and her parents. George commanded a regiment for the king in the opening stages of the war and was killed at the Battle of Edgehill on 23 October 1642.

Katherine used a visit to London, ostensibly to deal with her husband's estate, to clandestinely pass messages to Royalists in the city. After her discovery she was imprisoned in the Tower of London before being released by the intervention of the French ambassador.

Widowed since 1642, Katherine married James Livingston in 1648. The pair unsuccessfully attempted to release the king from parliament's captivity during his journey to trial. After the king's execution, the couple fled to the Netherlands where Katherine died in 1650.