At last year's Renaissance Faire, my mother heard a woman talking about her forthcoming book, "Sex With The Queen." Since I adored Eleanor Herman's "Sex With Kings," I spent a good ten minutes jumping around because she hadn't told me at the Faire, and then settled down to wait for the second book of royal love lives.
And Herman does not disappoint in "Sex with the Queen: 900 years of Vile Kings, Virile Lovers and Passionate Politics." Without being biased one way or another, Herman explores centuries of queens who did the same as their kings, sometimes with tragic results. It's a juicy, scholarly book -- and that is not a contradiction.
Most European queens were raised to be chaste, demure and obedient, in the image of the Virgin Mary. They generally married young, knew nothing of sex or pregnancy, and were expected to spawn lots of kids. But some of these queens weren't content to just sit and embroider -- they ran straight into the arms of hot courtiers.
Some of these queens had mad or impotent husbands, and some were married to gay nobles -- one nobleman was overjoyed when his wife had an illegitimate child, which saved him from having to sleep with her. One or two (like Elizabeth I) never wed at all, leaving rumors of lovers and illegitimate children. They slept with warriors, peasants, priests, and other nobles, sometimes with tragic results -- and sometimes not.
There's Elizabeth I, the unwed queen with lots of weird rumours; the lusty Cathering the Great, who lusted after many men, but only really loved one; Queen Matilda, whose lover (not her poor mad husband) ruled her country; Queen Victoria's relationship with her Scottish groom; the flirtatious wives of Henry VIII; Czarina Alexandra and her diabolic lover Rasputin, and the ill-fated Princess Diana.
Just as she explored the royal mistresses in "Sex with Kings," Eleanor Herman provides some insights into how the queens of Europe lived and loved. It's a fun, juicy read (that title says a lot), but also shows us a part of Europe's royalty that usually doesn't get much attention.
Herman also studies the role of the queens in society, the public perception of them, and why it was a bigger deal if they slept around than if the king did. Sexism isn't all to blame, as Herman reminds us. Similarly, she is fair to all the queens and kings, never going out of her way to justify anyone's behavior, but not condemning anyone unfairly either. Actually, some of the royal hubbies were absolutely delighted that their wives found comfort and/or sex elsewhere.
Her writing style strikes a good balance between slightly wry conversation and scholarly insights, with lots of historical details that add a lot of dimension to these illicit romances. It's a bit like trading gossip with a good pal, who has all the dirty laundry from the royal bedroom. Very fun, and it often offers insight into the lives of the pampered, lonely royals.
"Sex with the Queen" is an equally excellent follow-up to Herman's debut, and a delicious historical study. Absolutely one of 2006's must-reads.
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