Joan, 4th Countess of Kent, Princess of Wales

Joan, Countess of Kent, was born on 29 September 1326/1327 and died on 7 August 1385. She was known as the Fair Maid of Kent and was the mother of King Richard II of England, whom she had with her third husband, Edward the Black Prince, the son and heir apparent of King Edward III. Despite Jean Froissart’s description of her as the most beautiful and loving woman in England, the title ‘Fair Maid of Kent’ is not verified to be contemporary. She became the 4th Countess of Kent and the 5th Baroness Wake of Liddell following her brother John’s death in 1352 and was appointed a Lady of the Garter in 1378.

Joan was also known as the Princess of Wales and of Aquitaine due to her marriage to the Black Prince. Her lineage as a member of the Plantagenet family and her marriage alliances bolstered her position within the English nobility, with her children holding various titles and positions of influence.