Alice Perrers, also known as Alice de Windsor was an English royal mistress, lover of Edward III, King of England. As a result of his patronage, she became the wealthiest and most influential woman in the country. She was widely despised and accused of taking advantage of the old king.
Painting by Ford Madox Brown
King Edward III, Alice Perrers' lover and patron
Church of St Laurence in Upminster, where Alice Perrers was buried
English and British royal mistresses
In the English or British court, a royal mistress is a woman who is the lover of a member of the royal family; specifically, the king. She may be taken either before or after his accession to the throne. Although it generally is only used of females, by extrapolation, the relation can cover any lover of the monarch, whether male or female. Queen Elizabeth I is said to have had many male favorites, including Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, although it is not known whether the relationships were sexual or not.
Fair Rosamund, an imaginary portrait of Rosamund Clifford, the most famous mistress of King Henry II of England, by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Rosamund was rumored to have been poisoned by Henry II's wife, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, in some legends.
Edward IV, whose womanising led to several claims concerning precontracted marriages
Mary Boleyn is said to have been so promiscuous she was called the "great prostitute"
Nell Gwyn, Charles II's most famous mistress
