Olivia Serres gained notoriety by claiming to be the daughter of Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn, a younger brother of King George III of the United Kingdom.
In 1844 "Princess Lavinia" tried to take Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington to court for having "overlooked", as George III's executor, a bequest of £15,000 to Olivia.
In 1866, aged sixty-nine, Princess Lavinia asked the Court of Probate to declare her the legitimate granddaughter of the Duke of Cumberland and award her the £15,000 bequest "left" by George III.
In the process of the 1866 trial, Lavinia produced several remarkable documents attesting to her claims, and a handwriting expert testified to the authenticity of George III's and James Wilmot's signatures.
The court found that Lavinia was the legitimate daughter of John and Olivia Serres and was not the granddaughter of the Duke of Cumberland.