Prior to the title's first creation in the
Peerage of Great Britain in 1667,
King Charles II of England planned to create the title "Countess of Greenwich" for
Nell Gwyn, one of his low-born mistresses. This was to follow Charles II bestowing the titles of
Duchess of Cleveland,
Countess of Castlemaine, Baroness Limerick, and Baroness Nonsuch upon his other mistress,
Barbara Palmer; the title of Viscountess Shannon upon his first mistress,
Elizabeth Killigrew; and the titles of
Duchess of Portsmouth,
Duchess of Aubigny, Countess of Fareham, and Baroness Petersfield to yet another mistress,
Louise de Kérouaille. However, Charles died on 6 February 1685, having never followed through on his original plans to
ennoble Gwyn. The first official creation came in the
Peerage of Great Britain in 1767, when
Lady Caroline Townshend was made Baroness Greenwich, in the County of Kent, with remainder to the male issue by her second husband,
Charles Townshend. She was the daughter of
Field Marshal John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll, who had been created
Earl of Greenwich in 1715 and
Duke of Greenwich in 1719, titles which became extinct on his death in 1743. As Caroline's two sons by her second husband predeceased her, the title became extinct upon her death in 1794. The second creation came in the
Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1947 when
Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, on the morning of his wedding to
Princess Elizabeth (who became Queen Elizabeth II), was made Baron Greenwich, of
Greenwich in the
County of London. He was made
Duke of Edinburgh and
Earl of Merioneth at the same time. Prince Philip died in 2021, and the title passed to his son
Prince Charles, until it merged with
the Crown when Charles became King in 2022. ==Baronesses Greenwich; First creation (1767)==