Grace Elliott | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Grace Elliott by Thomas Gainsborough, circa 1778 (in the Frick Collection) | |
| Born | Grace Dalrymple c. 1754 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 16 May 1823 (aged 68–69) Ville d'Avray, France |
| Burial place | Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, courtesan, spy |
| Known for | mistress of the Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans |
| Notable work | Journal of my life during the French Revolution |
| Spouse | Sir John Eliot (divorced) |
| Children | Georgina Seymour |
| Parent(s) | Grisel Craw (mother) Hew Dalrymple (father) |
Grace Dalrymple Elliott (c. 1754 – 16 May 1823) was a Scottish courtesan, writer and spy resident in Paris during the French Revolution. She was an eyewitness to events detailed in her memoirs, Journal of my life during the French Revolution (Ma Vie sous la Révolution) published posthumously in 1859.[1][2] She was mistress, first to the future George IV, by whom she is said to have borne an illegitimate daughter, and then to the Duke of Orléans. Elliott trafficked correspondence and helped condemned Royalists and members of the French nobility escape from the First French Republic during the Reign of Terror. She was arrested several times but managed to avoid the guillotine, and was released following the military coup that ended the Terror and resulted in the execution of Robespierre.
In the acclaimed but widely controversial 2001 film adaptation of her memoirs by French New Wave director Éric Rohmer as The Lady and the Duke, Grace Elliot was played by English actress Lucy Russell.