Kings & queens, princes & princesses. They're made of blood and bones like the rest of us, but they're told they can do whatever they damn well please. Sometimes, this causes problems.

Royal Pains

Royalty

The show Versailles includes&nbsp;no shortage of scandals, but the most shocking thing about it is many, if not most, of the salacious details it portrays about daily <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/extreme-versailles-moments-that-sound-fake-but-are-truekw-c/jim-rowley" target="_blank">life in the court of Louis XIV</a> are true. The Sun King led a sensuous and unorthodox life&nbsp;filled with mistresses, drama, and intrigue.

When it comes to the life of Louis XIV, the facts are almost stranger than fiction. From a <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/who-was-the-black-nun-of-moret/nicky-benson" target="_blank">baby of African descent being born at Versailles</a> to a wild carriage race between the queen and the king&#39;s mistress, life for the French royals was never boring. And why should it have been? The court was filled with beautiful and ambitious women, and men who had won their place in history as <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/louis-xiv-war-miniatures/cleo-egnal" target="_blank">war heroes</a>. With so many beautiful and striving people in one place, things were bound to get scandalous under the reign of Louis XIV.

The Biggest Scandals From The Court Of Louis XIV

General

Rachel Souerbry

All about Diana Spencer, the beloved Princess of Wales, who married and divorced a future king and tragically died in 1997 at age 36.

The People's Princess

British Monarchy

Dark fairy tale, heartbreaking tragedy - the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-crown-diana-and-charles-relationship-small-details/setareh-janda?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Diana and Charles</a> relationship is often portrayed as the most toxic royal marriage in recent memory. But what&#39;s the real story behind the headlines?&nbsp;

Prince Charles - heir to Queen Elizabeth II - married Lady Diana Spencer on July 29, 1981, in a televised ceremony broadcast around the world. Royal-watchers heralded the event as a fairy tale come true, one in which a pretty, young woman found her happy ending with a handsome, dashing prince. But Charles and Diana&#39;s marriage was just getting started, and it wouldn&#39;t have a happy ending. Distrust, jealousy, and infidelity rocked their marriage, and the couple drifted further and further apart. They separated and ultimately divorced in 1996. Diana passed the next year when she was involved in a horrific car crash in Paris.

While it&#39;s true that the couple experienced plenty of pain and heartbreak, their relationship was multi-layered and complex. <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-crown-diana-and-charles-relationship-small-details/setareh-janda" target="_blank">Small moments</a>&nbsp;like Charles and Diana dancing together, or bonding over their love of their sons, showed that the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/relationship-between-charles-and-diana/veronica-walsingham" target="_blank">Prince Charles and Diana relationship</a> had highs and lows&nbsp;just like any other.

What Charles And Diana’s Relationship Was Actually Like

Setareh Janda

Lists about some of the most extraordinary women who made history, forever changing the world and how we see it.

Well-Behaved Women

Exploring the real people, historical events, and behind the scenes of Netflix's series that follows the life of Queen Elizabeth II and her family.

The Crown

Entertainment

Of all the scandalous women in history, Wallis Simpson is probably one of the most vilified, the most fascinating, and the most misunderstood. Since she first made a splash on the international stage in the 1930s, interest in her has only grown, thanks in no small part to the success of films and television shows in recent years like The King's Speech and Netflix's The Crown. People have imagined Simpson as everything from a victim&nbsp;to a romantic heroine and fashion icon, and she has even been accused of being a seductress and a Nazi spy.This American socialite became notorious for her affair with Prince Edward. Edward was not just any old prince: he was the eldest son and heir of his father, King George V, and was thus next in line to the throne of the United Kingdom. His obsession with Simpson did not lessen when he become King Edward VIII in 1936 - he was so besotted with her that he actually went through the trouble of abdicating the throne so that he could marry her. Known as the Duke and&nbsp;Duchess of Windsor after Edward's abdication, the couple captured the public's imagination. The public saw their love affair as a storybook fantasy, and the couple became the poster children of romance winning out over duty and defying the contempt of the government.There is no consensus about Wallis Simpson's motivations or even some details about her private life. But there are enough tantalizing, fascinating facts about this woman to keep historians intrigued.

13 Scandalous Facts About Wallis Simpson, the Woman Who Seduced a King

Scandalous Facts About Wallis Simpson, the Royal Mistress Who Almost Brought Down the British Monarchy

The royal family has no shortage of exquisite jewels. Due in part to the reach of the British Empire, monarchs have amassed caches of gemstones from around the world, along with <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/surprising-things-queen-elizabeth-ii-owns/mallory-weiler" target="_blank">other treasures</a>. Some are placed in ceremonial objects like the <a href="https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/history-and-stories/the-crown-jewels/#gs.h3lkhn" target="_blank">Crown Jewels</a>; others are worked into more wearable accessories. Tiaras may not be daily adornments for the princesses and duchesses of the various noble houses of England, but few objects are more intimately associated with <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/weird-rules-royal-family-must-follow/eric-eidelstein" target="_blank">royalty</a>.

From <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/rare-princess-diana-photos/katejacobson" target="_blank">Princess Diana&#39;s</a> family heirloom to a treasured piece worn by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, here are some of the royal family&#39;s most memorable - and beautiful - tiaras.

The Most Beautiful Tiaras Belonging To The British Royal Family

Sarah Hatheway

Get to know the fascinating family headed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and comprised of her four children, eight grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren—some of whom may someday become the King of England.

The Royal Family

As the longest-reigning monarch in British history, Queen Elizabeth II may be one of the most iconic royals of all time. But a look at Queen Elizabeth&#39;s everyday life shows that even though she wears a crown and lives in a palace,&nbsp;she&#39;s still a person. Throughout her life, she&#39;s been a daughter, wife, mother,&nbsp;grandmother, and great-grandmother. And Queen Elizabeth II&#39;s relationships with friends and family have&nbsp;been complicated by her unique position as the ruler of the United Kingdom and head of the Commonwealth.

Queen Elizabeth II was born Princess Elizabeth in 1926 to&nbsp;the future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth I. While she&nbsp;and her younger sister Princess Margaret had a <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/young-queen-elizabeth-ii-pictures/carly-silver" target="_blank">happy childhood</a>, they&nbsp;came of age against the dramatic backdrop of World War II. In 1947, she married Philip of Greece and Denmark, who eventually received the title &quot;Duke of Edinburgh.&quot; Only a few years into their marriage, Elizabeth succeeded her father to the throne after his untimely death in 1952. It made her somewhat private life public&nbsp;as she raised her children - Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward - while ruling the United Kingdom. And her story has even inspired films and&nbsp;TV shows, like the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/real-life-images-that-inspired-the-crown/rachel-souerbry" target="_blank">Netflix series The Crown</a>.

Since 1926, Elizabeth has found love and built relationships - some of which weren&#39;t always strong - with her children and grandchildren. Through it all, she&#39;s proven&nbsp;that public duty doesn&#39;t have to stand in the way of a rich, fascinating private life.

Inside Queen Elizabeth II's Private Life

Inside Queen Elizabeth II's Private Life: Behind The Scenes Stories About The Queen

British

Despite the fact that she was quite tiny, Queen Victoria&nbsp; looms large over most&nbsp;of the 19th century. She was every bit a woman of her time, engaging in the overblown sentimentality and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/odd-victorian-mourning-rituals/amandasedlakhevener" target="_blank">culture of death</a> so pervasive during the age that bears her name. When she died at 81, the queen left secret, detailed instructions on how to handle her body and what items to place in her coffin. There are, indeed, a number of&nbsp;strange Queen Victoria&nbsp;death&nbsp;facts worth exploring.

Victorians had something of an obsession with death and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/victorian-death-and-mourning-customs/lisa-waugh" target="_blank">death rituals</a>. One reason this was true was because people of the era literally lived in close proximity to death. Aspects of the Industrial Revolution shortened life expectancy, even in an age when 40 was considered old. Dead bodies were cleaned and prepared for burial by family members, and the corpses were put in their parlors for viewing.&nbsp;Friends and loved ones created jewelry made from the hair of the deceased;&nbsp;furniture and doorways were draped in black crepe;&nbsp;and even photos were taken of the dead, dressed and seated in chairs with other family members, as though they were still alive. Or families would gather for photos, all dressed in black,&nbsp;around a portrait of the dearly departed, sorrowful looks on every face.&nbsp;Death and <a href="https://www.ranker.com/collections/life-after-death" target="_blank">all that came with it</a> hovered far more closely to the living than it does today.

This was also the age of Romanticism, an artistic, literary, and cultural tradition that focused on both the natural and unnatural world. Some Victorians expressed a strong interest in the paranormal, the spectral, and otherworldly. Sentimentality and emotion also held sway during the 19th century. It&#39;s no wonder, really, that Queen Victoria&#39;s death wishes were anything but simple.

The Morbidly Creepy And Straight Up Weird Contents Of Queen Victoria's Coffin

The Morbidly Creepy Contents Of Queen Victoria's Coffin

Cheryl Adams Richkoff

Lists about modern and historical heads of state and world leaders—their struggles, their actions, their eccentricities, and other things written about them by their admirers and their enemies.

The People in Power

Identifying the last rulers of historical kingdoms and empires can be messy. Attaching names and dates to these&nbsp;events isn&#39;t always easy, especially as governments transition from one form to the next - often in the midst of chaos and uncertainty.

Naming the last ruler in France is full of complexities, as is getting a full understanding of what happened to the last ruler of the Aztec empire or the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/who-is-the-heir-to-the-hawaiian-throne-fight/megan-summers" target="_blank">final monarch of Hawaii</a>.&nbsp;Here are the &quot;whos&quot; and &quot;whens&quot; of some of the biggest, most powerful, and best-known kingdoms and empires in history.&nbsp;

Last Rulers Of Historical Kingdoms And Empires

Melissa Sartore

French History

Princess Isabella is one of many Braveheart characters that are&nbsp;based on historical figures. Like the character in the film, the historical Queen Isabella was the daughter-in-law of Edward I, the brutal English king who set his sights on Scotland. But the similarities stop there: Braveheart's Princess Isabella&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/historical-figure-inaccuracies-in-movies/isadora-teich" target="_blank">barely resembles</a>&nbsp;the historical Queen Isabella. Worse,&nbsp;Braveheart completely strips her of all her glorious complexity and power by reducing her to <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/true-story-of-william-wallace-execution/nicky-benson" target="_blank">William Wallace</a>’s love interest. The historical Isabella's&nbsp;wild life was a lot more interesting than Braveheart lets on.Who was the real Queen Isabella of France? Intelligent, beautiful, and strong, she was the leading lady of one of the most dramatic chapters in&nbsp;14th century English history. Born a French princess in the late 13th century, 12-year-old Isabella became Queen of England when she married 23-year-old King Edward II in 1308. But she never intended to be a royal consort&nbsp;that sat on the sidelines, especially as she saw her husband's popularity sink. She soon earned the nickname “the She Wolf” when she engineered a daring rebellion against Edward.The tale of Isabella of France the rebel queen has all the ingredients of a <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/most-historically-inaccurate-movies/genevieve-carlton" target="_blank">Hollywood epic</a>. Of all the terrible&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/historical-mistakes-errors-and-inaccuracies-in-braveheart/machk" target="_blank">inaccuracies in Braveheart</a>, the erasure of Queen Isabella’s story of romance, murder, and rebellion&nbsp;is the most unforgivable.

Isabella &quot;The She Wolf&quot; Was A Force To Be Reckoned With,&nbsp;But Braveheart Erased Her From History

Isabella "The She Wolf" Was A Force To Be Reckoned With  – And Braveheart Erased Her Story From History

For over half a millennium, the mysterious disappearance of the Princes in the Tower - 12-year-old King Edward V and his 9-year-old brother, Richard, the Duke of York - has been considered a&nbsp;treacherous murder committed by their uncle, Richard III. When the death of their father, Edward IV, his young son became king.&nbsp;Within a few short months, however, both children had disappeared without a trace, and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/rulers-who-executed-members-of-their-own-families/carly-silver" target="_blank">Richard III</a> claimed&nbsp;the crown in 1483. It was a short reign: Richard III died in 1485 fighting&nbsp;against Henry Tudor&#39;s forces in the culmination of the War of the Roses.

Almost 200 years later, in 1674, workmen dug up two juvenile skeletons at the foot of a staircase in the Tower of London. These skeletons were presumably the two young princes, and the remains were interred in Westminster Abbey - but this was not the end of the enduring mystery. New evidence has emerged indicating the remains discovered in the Tower of London may not be the princes, and Richard III&#39;s murderous reputation may be undeserved.

Over 500 years after their disappearance, no one knows&nbsp;exactly what happened to the Princes in the Tower.

The Princes In The Tower Were Supposedly Murdered 500 Years Ago, But Science Might Prove Differently

Historians Thought The Mysterious Disappearance of Two English Princes Was Murder – But New Evidence Just Showed They Were Wrong For 500 Years

Christy Box

Princess Anne, the only <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/life-of-sarah-ferguson-duchess-of-york/cleo-egnal?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">daughter of Queen Elizabeth</a> II and Prince Philip, may not receive as much scrutiny from the general public as her older brother Prince Charles or nephews Prince William and Prince Harry, but she&#39;s still had an eventful life. From making the British Olympic team as an equestrian, to nearly being&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/attempted-kidnapping-of-princess-anne/cleo-egnal" target="_blank">kidnapped</a>&nbsp;just weeks after her wedding, to being nominated for a Nobel Prize, the Princess Royal has packed a lot of living into her&nbsp;years.&nbsp;

Blunt and often sharp-tongued, and with little use for pretense,&nbsp;she is considered one of the most popular members of the British royal family in the eyes of the general public&nbsp;and has&nbsp;earned the informal title of being the hardest-working royal. And she managed to carry out her royal duties while providing her children with a fairly normal childhood (well, as normal as one can have as a member of the British royal family),&nbsp;keeping them more or less out of the spotlight.

Here is more about the Princess Royal, who, as of this writing, is 14th in line to inherit the British throne.

Facts About Princess Anne, Queen Elizabeth II’s Overlooked Daughter

TGWrites

Amidst the buzz from Meghan Markle&#39;s interview with Oprah, people have been pointing out similarities to&nbsp;the 1995 controversial interview with Princess Diana on BBC&#39;s&nbsp;Panorama. Read through the comparisons below.

Meghan Markle’s Interview With Oprah Is Eerily Similar To Princess Diana's 1995 Interview

Joshua Rhee

Timeline

The life and legacy of Mary, Queen of Scots, remains intriguing more than 400 years after her passing. Her political scheming and personal&nbsp;hardships were colorful enough to inspire several films, including 2018&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/is-mary-queen-of-scots-accurate/melissa-sartore" target="_blank">Mary Queen of Scots</a>, but the fictionalized version can&#39;t compete with the actual events leading to her execution.&nbsp;

After becoming Queen of Scotland when she was just days old, Mary was married into the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/ways-french-monarchy-incited-revolution/setareh-janda?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">French royal family</a>. Widowed as a teenager and a stranger to her homeland, Mary seized her birthright and actively ruled Scotland from the early 1560s until she was deposed in 1567. Mary&#39;s love life was fodder for Protestant naysayers and political rivals alike, and her&nbsp;relationship with her&nbsp;cousin and fellow female monarch, Elizabeth I, was fraught with tension.

During the last two decades of her life, Mary was essentially a prisoner&nbsp;under suspicion of plotting to seize the English throne. As she walked to the scaffold on her final day, she was surrounded by hundreds of spectators, but the number of people who factored into her demise is vast and complicated.&nbsp;Her long road to the block was peppered with machinations and choices that ultimately led to&nbsp;her <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/decapitation-facts/kellen-perry" target="_blank">decapitation</a>&nbsp;in 1587.

Everything That Had To Happen For Mary Queen Of Scots To Be Executed In Front Of 500 People

Mary Queen Of Scots's Public Execution Timeline

House of Tudor

<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/why-queen-elizabeth-is-badass-english-ruler/setareh-janda" target="_blank">Elizabeth I of England</a>&nbsp;was famously known as the &quot;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/whoa-queen-elizabeth-1-facts/alby-thompson" target="_blank">Virgin Queen</a>.&quot; As the second-born daughter of Henry VIII - a daughter who was at times deemed illegitimate - Elizabeth was never supposed to become queen. Nonetheless, she ruled England from 1558 until her passing in&nbsp;1603. Her rule was notable for countless reasons, but Elizabeth I&#39;s love life, not to mention her sex life,&nbsp;has fascinated people for centuries.

As a powerful and influential female ruler&nbsp;in the 16th century, Elizabeth I the Virgin Queen remained unmarried for her entire life, using her position to maneuver through the murky political and religious waters of her day. This <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/conspiracy-theories-about-queen-elizabeth/tamar-altebarmakian" target="_blank">led to speculation</a>&nbsp;about her sexuality and gender by contemporaries, with rumors flying&nbsp;about her insatiable sexual appetite, her inability to procreate, and even about Elizabeth I&#39;s love child.&nbsp;Through it all, Elizabeth kept her rivals at a safe distance while allowing only her favorites to get close - intimate, at times - making her personal life&nbsp;a public and private affair.

Queen Elizabeth I's Personal Life Was So Intense It Nearly Split An Entire Continent In Half

Charles II of England&nbsp;- the so-called &quot;Merry Monarch&quot; - had a legendary love life. His mistresses were visible, integral members of his court. Stories&nbsp;of their affairs with the king, and their rivalries with each other, have echoed through the centuries.

<a href="https://www.biography.com/royalty/charles-ii-of-england" target="_blank">Born in 1630</a>, Charles spent much of his young adulthood in exile. His father, Charles I, was ousted from the throne and executed in 1649. While a Puritanical regime <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Protectorate-English-government" target="_blank">ruled over England</a>, Charles bided his time on the continent. In&nbsp;1661, England&#39;s Parliament invited Charles to come home and become king - this&nbsp;&quot;Restoration&quot; of the monarchy ushered in a new phase in English history. Charles had some accomplishments during his 25 years on the throne. He was a patron of the arts and sciences, <a href="http://www.london.umb.edu/index.php/entry_detail/restoration_theatre/theatre_intro/" target="_blank">opening&nbsp;theaters in London</a> and sponsoring <a href="https://blogs.royalsociety.org/history-of-science/2011/11/04/patronus-et-fundator/" target="_blank">the Royal Society</a> for scientific study.

But Charles is best remembered for a love life that was even crazier than Henry VIII&#39;s. While, like Charles, Henry had several mistresses, it was his multiple marriages that brought him infamy. Henry ended his marriages as quickly as he rushed into them; he was as likely to divorce a wife as execute one. Much of Henry&#39;s bedroom politics increasingly focused on his desire to produce a male heir, though his poor health slowed him down in his later years.

If Henry VIII&#39;s love life was deadly, Charles II&#39;s was bawdy. He never let marriage get in the way of a good affair. A prolific adulterer, Charles freely&nbsp;engaged&nbsp;in colorful, public liaisons with a string of women. These <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/women-who-seduced-their-way-to-power/setareh-janda" target="_blank">mistresses</a> came from all kinds of backgrounds and were well-known by courtiers and commoners alike. They were often at the center of&nbsp;court politics and managed intrigues of their own.

Charles II's Love Life Was Even Crazier Than Henry VIII's

The excessively frivolous <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/what-aristocrats-ate-in-pre-revolutionary-france/setareh-janda" target="_blank">foods&nbsp;of Versailles</a>&nbsp;are legendary, from poached truffles and bird stomach to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/ways-french-monarchy-incited-revolution/setareh-janda" target="_blank">Marie Antoinette’s personal chocolate chef</a>. But you might not recognize the name Fran&ccedil;oise d’Aubign&eacute;, the woman who ruled Versailles as the secret wife of Louis XIV, the King of France. She’s better known as Madame de Maintenon, and although she was born in a prison, she eventually became one of the most powerful women in the world.&nbsp;The <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-battles-of-louis-xiv-of-france/reference" target="_blank">battles waged by Louis XIV</a> are famous—but the behind-the-scenes battles between his mistresses could be just as cutthroat. After the King’s mistress helped Madame de Maintenon get a job and a title, Maintenon stabbed her in the back by driving her out of Versailles so that Maintenon could snag a crown.&nbsp;Fran&ccedil;oise learned social climbing from Parisian philosophers, and she&nbsp;used her marriage to an impotent older man to rocket herself onto the intellectual scene. After becoming the governess for the King’s illegitimate children and earning the title Marquise de Maintenon, Fran&ccedil;oise married the Sun King in secret and ruled at his side for over three decades. How did the impoverished daughter of a man jailed for murder and treason become Queen of France in all but name? Keep reading to find out.&nbsp;

Born As A Prisoner, Died As A Shadow Queen: The Meteoric Rise Of Madame De Maintenon

The Meteoric Rise Of Madame De Maintenon

Genevieve Carlton

History

The last words of historical royalty offer a unique look into the final moments of their lives. Was their last utterance an act of kindness like Marie Antoinette&#39;s? Or a touching, perhaps dazed, expression of love like Napoleon&#39;s?&nbsp;

While some of the last words of famous kings and queens are well-documented, others could be more legend than historical fact - especially those that go farther back in history. But for those royals, the stories surrounding their last words are just as informing as the reported words themselves. In any case, the last words found here range from the incoherent, confused ramblings of royals quickly losing health to the sound communications from royals all too aware of what was about to happen.&nbsp;

The Actual Last Words Of Historical Royals And Rulers

Person

Garri Chaverst

Royalty lists at Ranker - The ultimate source for hundreds of royalty lists and rankings