Illegitimate Offspring of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (1767-1820)

[Anchor425]

Is anyone an expert on the subject, as I am trying to confirm information found on popular sites such as wikitree and findagrave that a family that migrated to Nelson, New Zealand from England on "Clifford", arriving May 1842, included a half-sister of Queen Victoria, Maria Harriet Plumridge, nee Cross (cir 1797-1848). 
According to Wikipedia, Prince Edward had mistresses before his marriage to Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (Marie Louise Victoire) in 1818 and he was in Halifax, Nova Scotia from 1794 to late 1798 (then 31 yrs old) when he returned to England until May 1802 when he went to Gibralta.
Maria may have been a house servant at Windsor and married James Plumridge a gardener, perhaps in 1827. They had a son James who died young and daughters Eliza (1830-1884) and Sarah Ann (1833-19110 who accompanied them to NZ.  There is a photo online, said to be that of Sara Ann, but could be that of her mother, that bears a striking resemblance to Queen Victoria.
My primary interest is in the decendants of Eliza who married Heny McGee in 1849 in NZ.

[maddys52]

I can't help with who her parents were, however the 1841 census says "not" born in county. Many online trees say she was born at Windsor, Berkshire (where she was on the census), so trees appear wrong about that. 
HO107/37/6 pg 19
(James and daughters Eliza and Sarah Ann appear on page 13)

[garden genie]

I don't know if it helps but according to genealogics.org Edward's long term mistress was Julie de St Laurent of whom 'little is known' but 'she was rumoured to have had children by him' (They had been together since at least 1790 and broke up after Princess Charlotte died in 1817 and a new legal heir to the throne was required.)

[heywood]

Maddy, As i read it in 1841, James is not born in county but the girls are. The ‘Y’ is not that well written but is different to the ‘N’.
Maria is not with the group in 1841.

Ignore this, i have found Maria and you mean that she is not born in county. So sorry! I should have read your post more closely.

[maddys52]

Maria is on the last page with "omitted" in the Place column. 

[maddys52]

I can see some newspaper reports about supposedly illegitimate children of the Duke of Kent, however no mention of Maria CROSS/PLUMRIDGE.
eg:
Sunday,  Feb. 5, 1837
Publication: The Age

which mentions Edwardina KENT who was brought up by Caroline, Princess of Wales, Edwardina was supposeely the illegimate daughter of the Duke of Kent and a Mrs CAREY.

[Ruskie]

Have any of the descendants taken DNA tests? I’m not sure if it would tell you if there was a certain link because apart from Prince Philip I don’t think any of the royals have taken DNA tests but you may find matches with distant relatives.

As an aside, I don’t see any resemblance between the woman in the photo and Queen Victoria, apart from the fashions. Lovely photo though. 

[Little Nell]

I think the style of dress and hair style of the lady in the picture are more in keeping with the late 19th century. 

Also photography was in its infancy in 1848 when Maria died and the quality and type of the image suggests that it was taken at much later date.

Nell

[rosie99]

Is this the marriage you mention
Married at St Mary, Lambeth  07 May 1827
James Plumridge
Maria Cross
Both of the Parish