King Charles II's Mistresses 

Get PayPal Honey for FREE today ▸ joinhoney.com/teatime Honey finds coupons with one click. Thanks to Honey for sponsoring!

"You are mistaken. I am the PROTESTANT whore!" 😂🤣 Iconic.

An affair with your own wet nurse is WILD

Poor Queen Catherine. I feel bad for her the most. Charles was kind to her by not divorcing her and sending her home in Shame for being unable to give him children, but it had to be devastating to watch other women have his children and his love, attention and affection. Especially with a disrespectful, petty mistress like Barbara 🙄

My favorite has to be Louise de Kérouaille. Louise, always treated Queen Catherine of Braganza with respect; in return, Catherine defended Louise during the anti-Catholic hysteria of the so-called “Popish Plot” of 1678. She was the epitome of everything a proper mistress should be.

Some could argue that Queen Catherine of Braganza had the last laugh. Despite the misery she suffered with all the affairs her husband had, it was he asked to see at his deathbed. He apparently asked his brother James to look after Nell Gwynn once he was gone, but he wanted to see Catherine specifically. Catherine couldn’t come, so she asked for his forgiveness for not being there. Charles showed sadness at this, he said “Alas poor woman! she asks for my pardon? I beg hers with all my heart; take her back that answer." He might not have regretted his affairs, but he wanted to apologise. He did love his wife. When Catherine was sick and nearly died, he was in great despair and even comforted her, saying she’d given birth to 3 children, 2 sons and a daughter, when in fact she miscarried 3 children. Catherine wasn’t unattractive, she wasn’t as pretty as his mistresses but not unattractive. And when Charles was given opportunities to divorce her, he refused.

Didn't Prince Philip call Queen Elizabeth "cabbage" in private? I had no idea that this was used as a pet name back in the day! I always thought, that it was something like a private joke between them 😅

Actually 'duck' is still very popular in the East Midlands of the UK. I went to university in Nottingham and I was called a duck all the time.

Nell is one of my favorite historical figures and definitely my favorite historical mistress. She was a survivor and a funny one, too! One slight addition is that she worked at her mother's brothel in her preteens by her teens she already had her own "patron," who was a man of 30 who put her up above a shop. Her life really was a challenging one as her mother was also a horrible drunk who died on the streets sadly.

The first story is absolutely wild. I do think that by today's standards, she would be a predator. But I get why at the time, it would have just been considered a little rebellious. At least he was a legal adult with his next mistress.

King Edward VII: Finally, a worthy opponent!

I always get asked what mistresses means by people who aren’t history buffs like me. I jokingly say it’s a fancy and old way to say side Hoe.

My name is, my name is, My name is, Charles the Second! I love the people And the people love me So much that they restored The English monarchy! I’m part Scottish, French, Italian A little bit Dane But one hundred percent party animal Champagne? Spaniels I adored Named after me too Like me, they were fun With a nutty hairdo! Is today my birthday? I can’t recall Let’s have a party anyway Because I love a masked ball! All hail, the king! Of Bling! Let’s sing! Bells ring! Ding ding! I’m the king who brought back partying!! King Charles, my daddy Lost his throne and kings were banned They chopped off his head Then Ollie Cromwell ruled the land! Old Ollie wasn’t jolly He was glum, and he was proud Would be miserable as sin Only sinning’s not allowed! When Ollie died, the people said ‘Charlie, me hearty! Get rid of his dull laws Come back, we’d rather party!‘ This action’s what they called The monarchy restoration Which naturally was followed By a huge celebration! The King of Eng! (Land say!) No sin! To sing! (Okay!) Or anything! All say, I’m the king who brought back partying! Great London Fire was a whopper! In my reign, London city came a-cropper! So this king did what was right and proper Fought the fire, proved I’m more than a bopper I’m a fire stopper! Married Catherine Braganza She was a love so true There would never be another Well... Maybe one or two! Lucy Walter, Nell Gwynne Moll Davies, Barbara Villiers You think that’s bad But her name’s not as silly as... Hortense Mancini! As king, I must admit I broke the wedding rules But who cares when I brought back the crown jewels? I reinstated Christmas, makeup, sports and even plays I was the merry monarch, they were good old days! When said and done King Charles (That's me!) Did run England for fun! I was the king loved by everyone My song is done. Party anyone?

Lindsay, you never fail to amuse me with your flawless intros into your ads 😂

Henry IV of France must be proud of both of his grandsons (Charles II of England & Scotland through his daughter Henrietta Maria & Louis XIV of France through his son Louis XIII) outnumbering him in the number of mistresses & illegitimate children.

The King who brought back Partying!

HORTENSE!! I read about her and her sister, Marie, in Rejected Princesses. What an amazing pair they were!!

"He purchased her body from her creditors"???? Who does that? Even for the 1600's, that's weird. Thank you for focusing on these lesser known stories of history.

The merry monarch certainly knew how to have a good time 😉😉😉😉

I was waiting for this one. Despite Nell & Louise's competition for Charles II attention and affection they got along well playing cards and having tea. Nell was fun and had a great sense of humor. Louise was sophisticated, elegant but prudish. Louise had the greater hold on Charles II. Though she treated Queen Catherine kindly there were times Louise did abuse her position and the queen warned Charles II about it. Louise facilitated Charles conversation to Catholicism before he died. She knew him very well.

"Married Catherine Braganza, She was a love so true. There would never be another... Well… maybe one or two... Lucy Walter, Nell Gwynne, Moll Davies, Barbara Villiers. You think that’s bad, but her name’s not as silly as… Hortense Mancini!" 😂😅 -Charles II (Horrible Histories)

My Ancestor Sir John Hinton MD was physician in ordinary to Queen Henrietta Marie and also appointed physician to Charles 2nd Prince of Wales in 1643. His father was lifelong friends with Henry Pierrepont, Marquess of Dorchester.

Charles II was a very good looking man. Add power to the mix and I can see why women fell for him. You just know he had hundreds more : chambermaids, actresses, lady’s in waiting etc all were his for the taking.

Can I just tell you how obsessed I am with your channel? I think I’ve seen and heard (podcast) every episode of royals like 3 times each by now! Thank you so much for all the research and the time you take to do these, I love them so.

21:14 Now… I have to respect that. That is one hell of a line 😂

Interestingly some of Charles II's mistresses living till their 90s considering the life expectancy during that time is really amazing

That first one with him and his former wet nurse. I was like, what in the Aaron Taylor-Johnson is going on here?

The king never wanted to divorce his wife he literally said it

You know its nice that, despite all of the affairs, charles and his queen still loved each other.

According to my family tree, I’m descended from Mary Davis and Charles II. Mary Davis had a daughter named Mary Tudor, and she married James Rooke and had daughter named Margaret Frances Rooke. Margaret married William Sheldon and had a daughter named Margaret Frances Sheldon (who apparently was rumored to be a mistress of George III and secretly had John Stuart Talbot by George III. But those are mostly rumors and there isn’t much proof), who married Francis Jerome Talbot, who then had a son originally named George Talbot but George changed his name to John Stuart Talbot (Stuart to honor his ancestor Lady Arabella Stuart who was part of the Royal House of Stuart). My grandmothers maiden name was also Talbot, as in the Earls of Shrewsbury and Baron Talbot. My branch of the family is descended from John Stuart Talbot, who apparently randomly moved from London to Cape Town, South Africa. And then Mormon missionaries went to Cape Town and found one of his sons and they converted to LDS/ Mormon and moved to Idaho/Utah area. Supposedly there was a notice out from Parliament in the 1800’s looking for the next heir for the Talbot family’s titles and lands. Allegedly, they found my ancestor in Idaho and wanted to extend all of it to them but my ancestor didn’t want to move to London and convert from LDS to Protestant (which apparently was a requirement? Lol) so they refused it and it went to the current Earl of Shrewsbury’s branch of the family; The Chetwynd-Talbot branch. There’s documentation to support it, but I find all of it completely fascinating! If you ever wanted to do videos on different peerages or titles of English aristocratic families and the history behind them and how they passed from family to family, I would absolutely love that! And I love ALL your videos! 😊

As a person who's been obsessed with history & European Royal Houses, King Charles II, The Merry Monarch, is one of my all time favorites!! I adore him. I think he loved Nell Gwynn the most! It's a shame Catherine of Braganza could not have his children. She is the sole reason the English started drinking tea. She brought some from home, and the courtiers started drinking it, and it took to the English people. They still revere tea time to this day! She loved the King so much, and I think he eventually grew to love her too. Albeit, a different kind of love than it should or could have been due to these women. Still, I love good old King Charles very much. He is so like his cousin, The very French and very (OPENLY) Catholic King Louis XIV of France. Whom is my favorite historical figure of all time, ever. ⚜️ "Poor Nellie, look after poor Nellie", is one of the last things King Charles II is said to have pleaded with his privy gentleman as he died. On another note, why do all of the "12 Windsor Beauties", and so many other royal involved women of the time, namely the Kings Brothers wife, Anne Hyde, look exactly the same?? Strange. Edit to add: I'd love to see a video on the Mancini sisters and their uncle, Cardinal Mazarin! ⚜️✨

By far King Charles II was one of my favourite monarchs.

14:25 Bravo 👏 at that ad segue. I literally LOL’ed! Btw I always had an interest at Charles II and his philandering ways but I never knew about that first mistress, being his wet nurse! That one even threw me for a loop 🤣

You can't tell me that the Windsor Beauties isn't a dozen portraits of one woman 17:43

Future video ideas: Analyzing powerful noble families that endured through generations, their notable members, how high in status they got, and titles they collected, such as the Howard’s, Neville’s, Seymour’s, Beauforts, French Guise family, Percy’s, Greys, etc.

Thank you as always! Please do more queen's lovers

would you consider making a video about jaquetta woodville’s children and the marriages they made after elizabeth’s marriage to edward?

IVE BEEN WAITING SO LONG FOR THIS ONE OMG

I was waiting for this one. Thank you for talking about my girls. I've always been fond of this era.

I haven't watched this Channel since the night before the coronation. Happy to find this video.

One of my favorite royal history videos, are on mistresses! So interesting.

If I would wanna be anyone I would wanna be Cristabella. She ended up in a pretty good place considering her and the kings relationship was strongly disliked by courtiers. And the ol girl survived 90 years in a time of disease and early death!!

Fascinating stories! Thanks you so much 💖

Another interesting amazing video Lindsay. Well done!! X

Nell sounds like she was a riot! 🤣

that was such a good segue into an ad i didn't even realize it.

Thank you! 👍🏻🙏🤗

Nice ad segue 😉! I do save a lot of money and time with Honey. So many gorgeous women! It sounds like both Barbara Villiers and Hortense Mancini need their own videos. Thanks for another awesome glimpse into history ☺

Wow and we thought here inthe usa it was a bit mucked up. Thank you so much 💓 for all the info

Wow! Imagine being so buck-wild, Charles II puts you in check? Even old 'tea' is good tea!

Really delightful history telling with a lovely American voice. Love from England.

I was just slightly disappointed this wasn't about Charles of Spain, I can't imagine he had many mistresses, but I got excited thinking he had

You should do a video about hatshepsut next, im surprised u haven't made any videos abt her. She is the greatest female pharaoh of egypt.

Thanks!

Barbara Villiers father was the half brother to George Villiers who was the lover of King James 1 , Charles 2nds grandfather.

"The king remarked that he was interested in ladies' bodies, not their souls"

I've been waiting for this topic since you posted about Louis XIV's mistresses last year. Please also make a video about Louis XV's mistresses. Thanks, Lindsay, for a fantastic video as always! Much love from the Philippines. 🇵🇭🫶

HORTENSE IS ICONIC

So Charles III has a great deal of catching up to do...😁

makes me think of that tiktok song "i got hoes in different area codes" 😭

Charles II got around. I read a book about Nell Gwynn once, it was pretty good.

My favorite mistress is probably Nell Gwyn and my second favorite is Hortense Mancini.

NOTHING could have prepared me for the affair with his own wet nurse that is insANE, I thought even by 17th century standards that would be weird.

I would watch this tv series!

Charles had a type. All those ladies look similar. They could be sisters.

I feel like he definitely had a type, they all look very similar 😂

This is a most fascinating report - I was not aware about King Charles II and his many mistresses. He certainly could not keep his crown jewels tucked away ... meanwhile women did not change much, they all want rich men, favors and expensive gifts. Sure, having a kid with the King (even if illegitimate) was certainly a ticket for security for life.

2:03 I always wonder if people on ancient times knew how important colostrum is for a newborn like obviously he grew fine but still

Interesting video! One quibble: the Wikipedia page for Christabella Wyndham's husband, Edmund, is ambiguous about her death, as either 1653 or 1658. But either way, Edmund remarried, and Christabella definitely did not live to 90 as you state here.

🙂🙏Hey Lindsey Holiday Can you make a ghastly tale of Stuart Ghost🙂🙏!?

Would love to see the history of Cleopatra!

Hi can you do a video on the Windsor beauty’s

LOL! When someone of _royal_ blood claims/claimed that thier blood make them superior and therefore must be obeyed, honored, worshiped I remember these Royal Bastard Factories and laugh.

Hey Lindsay, can you do a video on the Jordanian royal family?

Super film

Royal Mistress I read that book so many years ago.

Hear good...that wanting must be protected well... 🌐🇬🇧❤️

My ducky is a term of endearment in newfoundland often used by older ladies lol interchangeable with my dear, or love.

I'm glad my old body weight, was attractive to Charles II. I feel represented

Not gonna lie I've been waiting for King Charles II contact 😂❤

Excellent video except for the omission of the name of Hortense Mancini's uncle: Cardinal Mazarin.

Roger Palmer and Catherine of Braganza should have had a revenge affair to get back at their salacious spouses, imagine the drama it would bring!

Very fantastic and very cool love them all amazing i wanna joining to royal family

Petition to make a video about his iligitimate children

I Supported You Lindsay Holiday for A Ghastly tale of Stuart Ghost can you make a video of ghastly tale of Stuart Ghost

17:43 is it just me or they all look like they are same person with different outfits and lighting? 😅

Prince Philip called Queen Elizabeth “Cabbage” as a term of endearment.

Please do a video on autistic historical figures!

The first one was really really weird

Wow he had to many but I feel sad 😔 for the 👑 queen 😢😢😮😮❤

🌱 THIS IS THE MOST THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED CONTENT ON A RU-vid CHANNEL. What terrific videos. A pleasure. Thank you.

Did Queen Mary of teck attend her son's (George VI) Funeral?

I honestly wouldn’t mind being a ‘royal mistress’ by a king…I may not be able to be queen consort, but knowing the king is sexually attracted to you is honestly a lowkey good thing in life.

This is how men SWEAR that they do not have a "Type"...

It's good to be the King.

I have come to detest this grallious woman.

Interesting detail.: Babara Villiers once dressed up as the Roman goddess Minerva, the Roman version of the Greek Athena. The painting of Babs, so dressed, was the basis for the national symbol Brittannia! So, you handle her image every day, folks. So, Britannia is a royal mistress dressed up as a Romanised version of a Greek goddess of wisdom!

I gotta say, they all look completely identical

The English Louis XIV

King Charles III’s mistresses