Page 82 - All About History - Issue 29-15

The secret life of Victoria

Royal romances? German painter Franz
Xaver Winterhalter
captured this revealing
portrait of Victoria’s
Therehavebeenafairfew‘perfect’royalmarriages family, giving equal
in history, but were they all that they seemed? prominence to Albert
William the Conqueror
and Matilda of Flanders
Although the couple, who married in 1053,
had been excommunicated by the pope, they
remained together until Matilda died in 1083.
Her death caused William to become deeply
depressed, but they had at least four sons and
five daughters and their marriage was said to
be happy. There were rumours that she had
been in love with the English ambassador to
Flanders, though.
True love? Yes
Edward IV and
Elizabeth Woodville
Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville were a
mismatch from the beginning: a royal and
a minor noble. But the king is said to have
instantly fallen in love with her. He married
her without haste, albeit in secret. This
caused great upset and Elizabeth gained a
reputation (whether justified or not) for using
her position as queen to further the cause of
her relatives.
True love? Perhaps
John Brown would take
George II and Caroline of the queen out riding, but
Brandenburg-Ansbach was rumoured to be more
than just a servant
It may have been a diplomatic marriage,
but George II and Caroline very quickly fell
in love. He respected her opinion and she
exercised influence over him. She also proved
to be strong and was able to keep the king’s
mistresses in check. Indeed, their main
problem was their debt-laden playboy son,
Frederick, Prince of Wales. When Caroline
died, George was devastated.
True love? Yes
King Edward VIII and
Wallis Simpson
Edward VIII loved American divorcee Wallis
Simpson so much that he gave up his throne
to be with her. But some historians believe
Wallis was seduced by the royal association.
Her intimate notes to ex-husband Ernest
discussed her uncertainty and revealed that
the king had threatened to kill himself if she
left. Simpson had a four-year affair with a man
19 years her junior.
True love? No
Charles I and
Henrietta Maria
Charles sparked outrage when he wed his
French Roman Catholic bride, and the first
three years of marriage were rocky, marked
by petty rows. The Duke of Buckingham’s
influence over the king was keenly felt, but
when he was assassinated, the couple’s love
grew strong. During the civil war, Henrietta
had to flee to France, never to see her
husband again.
True love? Eventually

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