Anne Hyde (12 March 1637 – 31 March 1671) was Duchess of York and Albany as the first wife of James, Duke of York (later King James II). Anne was the daughter of a commoner – Edward Hyde (later created Earl of Clarendon) – and met her future husband when they were both living in exile in the Netherlands. She married James in 1660 and two months later gave birth to the couple's first child, who had been conceived out of wedlock. Some observers disapproved of the marriage, but James's brother, King Charles II of England, wanted the marriage to take place. Another cause of disapproval was the public affection James showed toward Anne, such as kissing and leaning against each other, which was considered improper behaviour from man to wife during the seventeenth century. James and Anne had eigh