Meet the royal family members who have bad hygiene

Did you know King Louis XIV bathed only three times in his life? Several royals in history had a record of poor hygiene.

From questionable bathing routines to odd toilet practices, the truth about royal cleanliness that starkly contrasts the spotless image we often associate with monarchs.

Let's delve into the dirty truth about royal family’s hygiene:

Queen Elizabeth I

Queen Elizabeth I of England’s bathing habits are a subject of historical debate with some suggesting that the late queen bathed only once a month, a practice that may have been influenced by her Tudor predecessors.

During the Elizabethan era, women wore a kind of makeup called “Venetian Ceruse,” which was a skin whitener made of lead.

Queen Elizabeth I would renew her Ceruse every morning upon waking, without washing off the previous days’ application, either a medieval hygiene practice or just plain lazy.

King James VI and I

King James VI and I of Scotland and England is one of the notable examples, who reportedly never bathed, according to HistoryExtra.

He had a strong aversion to water, reportedly never bathed, and his court was a source of complaints about lice.

King James VI and I of Scotland and England’s lovers also referred to his "dirty hands" in correspondence.

King Henry VIII

King Henry VIII bathed at Hampton Court with actual heated water pumped in from a stove in the adjoining room.

He used to soak his sore feet in a mixture of herbs, musk and civet, which smell gave off a very distinctive musk.

Moreover, he also went to bed with a piece of fur so that fleas and lice would jump on it and not on his royal skin.

Queen Isabella of Spain

Queen Isabella I of Spain is famous for bathing only twice in her whole life.

A court lady once complained that she and her friends got “lousy [infested with lice] by sitting in a councillor’s chamber that James frequented”.

Catherine de Medici

Catherine de Medici of France feared bathing due to a belief that it opened pores and invited illness.

The late royal member used heavy layers of strong perfumes to mask the smells of unhygienic palaces.