13 Facts About Barbara Villiers, England's Uncrowned Queen

Barbara Villiers. Image: Flickr

Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castlemaine and Duchess of Cleveland, holds the distinction for being King Charles II’s most notorious mistress. She holds considerable clout in the king’s court that she was hailed as "The Uncrowned Queen" of England. Diarist John Evelyn, nevertheless, considered her as “the curse of the nation” due to her extravagance, bad temper, and adultery with the king. The only child of William Villiers, 2nd Viscount Grandison, and Mary Bayning, her father was a half-nephew of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, while her mother was the co-heiress of Paul Bayning, 1st Viscount Bayning. Here are interesting facts about Barbara Villiers:

She endured an impoverished childhood

 She and her mother became impoverished after the family’s patriarch died during the First English Civil War while leading a Cavaliers brigade. William Villiers spent some huge fortune on horses and ammunition for a self-raise regiment, leaving her widow and her daughter with almost nothing after his death.

She was a great beauty

Barbara was considered as the most beautiful amongst Royalist women. She had a towering height, alabaster skin, a voluptuous figure, massive brunette hair, violet eyes, and a sensuous mouth. However, her lack of fortune was what put her at a disadvantage.

She was abandoned by her first love

Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Chesterfield, with whom Barbara had her first serious romance at the age of 15, abandoned her to marry the much wealthier Elizabeth Butler.


Her husband's family was against their marriage

She married Roger Palmer on April 14th, 1659. The man’s family was against the union, with his father even predicting Barbara would make him one of the most miserable men in the world.

She became Charles II's mistress even before he became king

She became King Charles II’s mistress in 1660 while the latter was still in exile at The Hague. It has been said that she was the king’s most favorite mistress. In 1661, King Charles II created Barbara’s legitimate husband, Roger Palmer, Baron of Limerick and Earl of Castlemaine in exchange for her services.

She was "the curse of the nation"

Diarist John Evelyn dubbed her as “the curse of the nation” for her influence at court. She had more power than the queen consort herself, Catherine of Braganza. She has also been called “The Uncrowned Queen” for her undeniable leverage.

Her rivalry with the Queen was renowned

She and Catherine would constantly fight behind closed doors. Barbara was not threatened by her that she gave birth to her second child with Charles at the Hampton Court Palace while the king and queen were honeymooning at the same exact place. She was appointed Lady of the Bedchamber in 1662 despite objections from the queen and the king’s chief advisor and Barbara’s bitter enemy, Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon.
She was greatly favored by the King

She had six children, five of whom were acknowledged by the king and were all given titles: Lady Anne Palmer, later FitzRoy (1661–1722),  later Countess of Sussex; Charles Palmer, later FitzRoy (1662–1730), Lord Limerick, Earl of Southampton,  Duke of Southampton  and 2nd Duke of Cleveland; Henry FitzRoy (1663–1690), Earl of Euston and Duke of Grafton; Charlotte FitzRoy, Countess of Lichfield; George FitzRoy (1665–1716), Earl and, later, Duke of Northumberland and Barbara (Benedicta) FitzRoy (1672–1737).  King Charles II bestowed her ownership of Nonsuch Palace in 1670, and in the same year created her Baroness Nonsuch. Around 1682-1683, Barbara sold the property’s building materials to settle up for her gambling debts.

She was also noted for her kindness

A number of accounts have revealed about Barbara’s kindness. One time, she purportedly helped an injured child after a scaffold plummeted down an audience at a theater. She is the only court lady to have done such act.

She took on lovers while being the king's mistress

Barbara took a handful of lovers while being a mistress to the king—Henry Jermyn, 1st Baron Dover, an acrobat named Jacob hall, and her second cousin John Churchill, to name some.

She converted from Anglicanism to Catholicism

She converted from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism in 1663, either to solidify her relationship with the king or strengthen her ties with her Catholic husband. It was taken lightly by King Charles II, saying that he was more interested in women’s bodies rather than their souls.

Her position in the court was threatened by Louise de Kerouaille

Barbara found herself losing her position as Lady of the Bedchamber during the imposition of the Test Act of 1673, which prohibited Catholics from holding any designations in the office. It was also during this time that she was supplanted by Louise de Kérouaille as the king’s new principal mistress. She was advised by Charles to live in silence and avoid making any scandal. She and her four youngest children flew to Paris in 1676, but also went back to England after four years. She was seen reconciling and spending the night with the king, a week before the latter’s death in 1685.

Diana, Princess of Wales, was her descendant

Through her son, the 1st Duke of Grafton, Barbara Villiers is the ancestress of Diana, Princess of Wales.

After the king’s demise, Barbara was involved in two forlorn affairs. She had a relationship with ill-reputed actor Cardonell Goodman, with whom she had a son. She also married Major General Robert “Beau” Fielding, a corrupt fortune hunter. She died in October 9th, 1709 after suffering from oedema of the legs with congestive heart failure. She was 68 years old.