The LGBTQA+ members of the royal family

As it is Pride Month, it’s the perfect excuse to delve into some of Britain’s LGBTQA+ history – we thought we’d start off this month by taking a look at some of the famous names associated with the LGBTQA+ community. Here are some of the kings and queens from across British history who historians believe were gay or bisexual.

Of course, we can’t know someone else’s identity, especially when they lived so long ago. There is no definitive answer to how these monarchs would have identified, however historians are confident that they would have fallen within the LGBTQA+ community.

William II

William II, aka William Rufus, was the favourite son of William the Conquer and was the second of England’s Norman Kings was widely assumed to have been gay or bisexual at the time of his reign and historians continue to debate this. One reason historians think this is because he never married and never sired children, however, was known to “indulge in sexual vices that shocked his council.” It is also said that, unlike the majority of people at the time, lacked piety.

Of course, we’ll never know for sure and sadly, he was murdered (possibly by his brother, but that’s a story for another time) while out hunting, so who knows, he could have been England’s first out and proud monarch.

Richard I

Richard I, aka Richard Lionheart, is a king of legend especially in Britain, which is ironic considering he only spent about 6 months here throughout his entire reign. He is famous for his crusades and his military might, which may make you wonder why historians think he too may have been LGBTQA+. Well, unlike King William, Richard was actually married and is thought to have had several illegitimate children, however, historians do think that his close relationship with King Philip II of France was more romantic than platonic in nature.

Reports at the time claim that the pair would share beds, plates and just about everything else it was possible to share. They did however fall out quite majorly after Richard jilted Philip’s sister. So much so that Philip teamed up with Richard’s brother John to conspire to not only have Richard kidnapped but paid his captors to keep him! Their relationship has been explored in several plays and books, with many believing that they were romantically involved.

Richard died with no legitimate heirs after being hit by a crossbow while in France and was succeeded by his brother John.

Edward II

This one has a little more substance to it. Historians and contemporaries alike have confirmed Edward II’s romantic relationship with Sir Piers Gaveston, which caused problems among other courtiers. Gaveston wasn’t Edward’s only male lover, though he was certainly the king’s favourite, something that was quite contentious in his marriage to Isabella of France and their six children.

Edward was forced to have Gaveston banished from court before he was then murdered by some of the country’s noblemen. Edward was described as being devastated at Gaveston’s departure and death and was later captured and imprisoned himself. His wife and her lover took control of the throne and arranged his murder so that their oldest son could take the crown instead. It is rumoured that Edward was killed with a hot poker that was inserted into a certain orifice – a reference to his love life, but there is no real evidence to suggest how exactly he died.

James I

James I of England and VI of Scotland is the only son of Mary Queen of Scots and became King of both England and Scotland after Queen Elizabeth I died without issue. Historians debate that not only was he interested in men romantically, but so was his father, Lord Darnley, whose death lead to his mother’s downfall.

Historians do know from reading contemporary accounts that despite marrying Anne of Denmark and having many children, James was not a fan of women. He presided over the Scottish witch trials, sending thousands of women to their deaths and had several male lovers that his wife appeared to know about. The three best known of these lovers were the Duke of Lennox, who the king had known since childhood, the Earl of Somerset and the Duke of Buckingham, George Villiers. The pair exchanged many letters full of adoring passages such as “I will live and die a lover for you.” Contemporary reports from the time recorded that Villiers would use the queen’s quarters when travelling with the king and that the pair were known to share beds when at home.

Anne

Queen Anne, the daughter of James II, became queen after her sister and brother-in-law, Mary and William of Orange both passed. It should be noted that it is agreed that Anne was very much besotted with her husband, the Prince of Denmark and she did have 17 pregnancies, though sadly, none of their children lived past infanthood.

Anne’s reign was fraught with gossip, especially because of her relationship with Sarah Churchill, the Duchess of Marlborough. The two were widely believed to have been lovers and would refer to each other as Mrs Freeman and Mrs Morely, something that was publicised in the film The Favourite. The Duchess of Marlborough is said to have taken advantage of her position as a favourite of the queen and Anne’s depressive episodes, especially when it came to furthering her own husband’s political career. This led to the pair falling out, especially after Anne began to grow close to Sarah’s cousin, Abigail Marsham. Sarah retaliated by spreading news of Anne and Abigail’s relationship. Anne is said to have put an end to her relationship with both women after the death of her husband.

How well did you know these royals’ stories?