Power is the greatest aphrodisiac," said Henry Kissinger, paraphrasing Napoleon. A king who married, for the sake of his country's peace and prosperity, an unappealing princess--or simply a woman he could not love--found no shortage of candidates waiting to fill the space in his heart and his bed. But the situation of a king's mistress was fraught with anxiety. Established as the highest lady in the land after the queen, and often more powerful, hers was a precarious position filled with permanent, gnawing uncertainty about her future. At a moment's notice she could find herself dismissed in favor of a younger, or more beautiful, or more cunning rival. Mistresses were even passed on to friends, as in the case of Alexander the Great's lovely Greek Campsaspe,* or Emma, the future Lady Hamilton, who came "into the possession" of the British consul in Naples as part payment of a bad debt of his nephew's.

...

The royal European courts were unsurpassed for their glamour, wealth, fame, danger, treachery, and politics. The royal mistress was at the center of that world--admired for her beauty and sensuality; feared for the power she wielded; even vilified, envied, and resented. In times when women had very little power, the royal mistress had enormous influence, and yet she is seldom mentioned in official histories.

In Cupid and the King, Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent recounts the stories of five very different women, each of whom became a celebrated--or notorious---courtesan:

Nell Gwyn, the bawdy, vivacious orange seller turned actress who endeared herself to Charles II--and the country--with her wit and down-to-earth manner.

Madame de Pompador, the extravagant, elegant maitresse-en-titre of Louis XV who became one of the great patrons of her time while enraging the people of France.

Marie Walewska, who became Napoleon's mistress to save her country.

Lola Montez, the flamboyant, scandalous Irish beauty who reinvented herself as a Spanish aristocrat to win the heart of Ludwig I of Bavaria.

Lillie Langtry, the legendary beauty immortalized by the most famous artists of her dayand the only woman to completely monopolize Edward, Prince of Wales, later Edward VII.

Written with an insider's keen understanding of court life and filled with delicious details born of impeccable research, Cupid and the King explores a little-known chapter of the history of women's roles in the royal bedrooms of Europe.

Acknowledgments

Author's Note

Introduction

Family Tree

NELL GWYN

2 LA MARQUISE DE POMPADOUR

3 MARIE WALEWSKA

4 LOLA MONTEZ

5 LILLIE LANGTRY

Bibliography

Index

List of Illustrations