⏱️ 7 min read
Throughout history, monarchs have captivated our imagination with their power, influence, and dramatic lives. While we often learn about their military conquests and political achievements, the personal quirks and unusual habits of these royal figures remain largely unknown. From bizarre grooming practices to unexpected talents, these lesser-known facts reveal the human side of history’s most powerful rulers and challenge our perceptions of royal life.
Fascinating Oddities from Royal History
1. King Henry VIII’s Explosive End
The infamous English monarch known for his six wives met an undignified end that historians rarely discuss. When Henry VIII died in 1547, his body was so bloated from years of excessive eating and lack of exercise that his coffin allegedly exploded during transport to Windsor Castle. According to contemporary accounts, the king’s body burst through the lead lining, and dogs were found licking up the remains the next morning. This grotesque incident was seen by some as divine punishment for his dissolution of the monasteries and execution of two of his wives.
2. Queen Christina of Sweden’s Gender-Bending Lifestyle
Queen Christina of Sweden, who ruled from 1632 to 1654, lived a remarkably unconventional life for a 17th-century monarch. She refused to marry, preferring to dress in men’s clothing and referring to herself using masculine titles. Christina slept only three to four hours per night, had her bedroom kept freezing cold, and studied for up to ten hours daily. She eventually abdicated the throne, converted to Catholicism (forbidden in Sweden), and spent the rest of her life in Rome, where she collected art and scandalized society by wearing men’s shoes and riding horses astride rather than sidesaddle.
3. King George III’s Purple Urine Mystery
The British monarch who lost the American colonies suffered from mysterious bouts of madness that left doctors baffled for centuries. Modern research suggests King George III suffered from porphyria, a genetic blood disorder that can cause neurological symptoms. During his episodes, the king’s urine reportedly turned purple or blue, he would talk incessantly for hours, and once he allegedly tried to shake hands with a tree, believing it to be the King of Prussia. This condition affected his ability to rule for the last decade of his life, during which his son served as Prince Regent.
4. Cleopatra’s Calculated Beauty Regimen
The legendary Egyptian queen was famous for her beauty, but her methods were far from conventional. Cleopatra reportedly bathed in donkey milk daily, requiring approximately 700 donkeys to produce enough milk for her elaborate skincare routine. She also wore lipstick made from crushed beetles and ants, creating a deep red color that became her signature look. Additionally, she slept in a gold facial mask made from crushed pearls mixed with other ingredients, believing it would preserve her youth. These unusual beauty practices were documented by Roman historians who were simultaneously fascinated and repulsed by her dedication to appearance.
5. King Louis XIV’s Century of Constipation
The Sun King of France suffered from chronic digestive problems throughout his 72-year reign, making him perhaps history’s most constipated monarch. Louis XIV endured over 2,000 enemas during his lifetime, administered by a team of specialists who held an honored position at court. He also survived numerous surgeries without anesthesia, including a particularly gruesome operation to remove an anal fistula that was performed while courtiers waited outside. The king was so accustomed to having people around him constantly that he conducted state business while sitting on his commode, a practice that shocked foreign dignitaries but was considered normal at Versailles.
6. Queen Victoria’s Unusual Infatuation with Her Servant
After Prince Albert’s death in 1861, Queen Victoria entered decades of mourning, but she also developed an intense and controversial relationship with her Scottish servant, John Brown. The queen insisted Brown accompany her everywhere, gave him unprecedented access to her private quarters, and allegedly had his room connected to hers by a private staircase. Rumors circulated that they had secretly married, though no evidence supports this claim. Victoria’s children and government ministers were scandalized by Brown’s influence, but the queen refused to dismiss him until his death in 1883, after which she commissioned a statue in his honor and wore a photograph of him on her wrist.
7. King Charles VI’s Glass Delusion
The French monarch who ruled during the Hundred Years’ War suffered from a psychological condition so bizarre it seems impossible. King Charles VI became convinced he was made of glass and would shatter if touched. He refused to let people approach him, had iron rods sewn into his clothing to “protect” himself, and would stand motionless for hours to avoid breaking. During his episodes, which began in 1392 and recurred throughout his life, he didn’t recognize his own wife and children, forgot he was king, and once ran through the palace corridors screaming until he collapsed from exhaustion. His madness created a power vacuum that contributed to France’s difficulties during the war with England.
8. Emperor Nero’s Musical Tyranny
The Roman emperor notorious for his cruelty had an unexpected passion: performance art. Nero fancied himself a talented musician and actor, forcing audiences to sit through his lengthy concerts and theatrical performances. Guards locked the theater doors during his shows, and historical accounts mention women giving birth in the audience and men pretending to die so they could be carried out. Anyone caught leaving early or appearing bored faced severe punishment. Nero was so committed to his artistic career that he once delayed returning to Rome during a crisis because he was competing in a music festival in Greece, where judges were too terrified to declare anyone but the emperor the winner.
9. Queen Elizabeth I’s Toxic Makeup Routine
The Virgin Queen’s iconic pale appearance came at a devastating cost to her health. Elizabeth I painted her face with ceruse, a mixture of white lead and vinegar, to achieve the fashionable ghostly complexion and cover smallpox scars from an illness in her youth. This toxic makeup caused hair loss, skin deterioration, and likely contributed to her declining health in later years. To compensate for her receding hairline, she wore elaborate wigs and eventually owned over 80 of them. By the end of her life, the layers of lead-based makeup had created a mask nearly an inch thick, and she reportedly refused to look in mirrors for the last 20 years of her reign.
10. King Frederick II’s Forbidden Experiment
The 13th-century Holy Roman Emperor conducted one of history’s most disturbing psychological experiments. Frederick II wanted to discover humanity’s “natural language”—the language children would speak if they received no linguistic input. He ordered nurses to care for infants but forbade them from speaking to, singing to, or showing affection toward the babies. The emperor believed the children would spontaneously begin speaking Hebrew, Greek, or Latin. Tragically, the experiment failed catastrophically: all the infants died, apparently from lack of emotional connection and human warmth. The chronicler Salimbene di Adam wrote that the children “could not live without the petting and joyful faces and loving words of their foster mothers.”
The Human Side of Royalty
These unusual facts remind us that even the most powerful monarchs in history were fundamentally human, subject to the same vanities, fears, and peculiarities as anyone else. From bizarre medical conditions to eccentric behaviors and cruel experiments, these stories reveal that life at the top of the social hierarchy was often stranger than we imagine. While their crowns and thrones set them apart, these rulers’ unusual habits and unexpected vulnerabilities make them more relatable across the centuries. Understanding these personal details helps us see beyond the formal portraits and historical narratives to glimpse the complex individuals who shaped our world, for better or worse.
