00:04My name is Gina Polly, producer of Emma Hamilton. Emma was England's most famous mistress.
00:17Emma was born into extreme poverty in 1765 and without the help of education, money or social
00:25mobility navigated difficult and dangerous waters to achieve her goals. At a time when
00:32women relied on men for their very survival. Propelled by performative talent, artistic
00:39creativity, beauty and a fierce desire to improve herself, she rose from obscurity to
00:45European fame while still in her twenties. Clawing her way through London's underworld
00:52of sex for sale, she became England's first superstar, living the lives of several
00:57different women condensed into one. Talent and beauty brought her to the great
01:02portrait artist George Romney's attention and she became his muse. Emma moved from
01:09household servant, performing artist and fashion icon to live-in mistress and
01:14subsequently wife of British ambassador to Italy, William Hamilton. She then became
01:20confidante to Queen Carolina of Italy, friend of Marie Antoinette of France and
01:26soon thereafter, lover of Trafalgar hero, Lord Horatio Nelson. Nelson was the love of
01:34her life and she his. The story moves between London, Paris and Naples. Emma was the Cape
01:43Moss, the Princess Diana of her time. A woman who both embodied and transcended her age. She
01:50is an important part of history with a story that should be told.
