Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland, Countess of Castlemaine, was an English royal mistress of the Villiers family and perhaps the most notorious of the many mistresses of King Charles II of Engl
Portrait attributed to John Greenhill. Dated to no later than 1676.
Barbara Palmer's lack of fortune limited her marriage prospects
Portrait by Sir Peter Lely (c. 1666)
Barbara, Duchess of Cleveland, circa 1705, by Sir Godfrey Kneller
Catherine of Braganza
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Catherine of Braganza was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from 21 May 1662 to 6 February 1685, through her marriage to Charles II of England. After his death, Catherine returned to Portugal and
Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland
…influence was so great that she has been called "The Uncrowned Queen", and she was known to assert her influence with the King over the actual Queen, Catherine of Braganza. This initially began upon the Queen's landing at Portsmouth. Samuel Pepys reported that the customary bonfire outside Lady Castlemaine's house was…
Portrait by Peter Lely, c. 1663–1665
Infanta Catherine of Portugal by Dirk Stoop, 1660–1661
Queen Catherine as St Catherine of Alexandria, by Jacob Huysmans
Queen Catherine as a Shepherdess, by Jacob Huysmans