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claims that he could see a strong resemblance to the younger Sidney brother. This may have been in response to the fact that Monmouth had been arrested and tried for treason against the king, for which he was executed.
    Lucy Walter was unlucky to have lived in a time of turmoil, when Royalists were stripped of land and money – and becoming a mistress to one meant leaving oneself open to penury. If Lucy had managed to stay close to Charles until 1651 then she could have been the mistress to a king, and may well have managed to secure herself a lifetime’s pension and comfort. Instead she was seen as nothing more than a nuisance to Charles, and his prospects, and he treated her with little regard even though she was the mother of his eldest son.
    In 2012 DNA tests were made concerning James Monmouth. The results strongly suggest that Charles II was indeed his father.
Barbara Palmer (née Villiers), Countess of Castlemaine, Duchess of Cleveland
    Barbara Villiers (1640–1709) was born into the gentry. Her father was William Villiers, the 2nd Viscount Grandison, who also happened to be a nephew to the Duke of Buckingham. Barbara’s mother, Mary Bayning, was the daughter of the 1st Viscount Bayning and an heiress to her father’s estate. As a staunch Royalist family there was no denying that Barbara had the right credentials to become the King of England’s mistress.
    As with many of the royal supporters during the time of England’s Civil War, Barbara’s family suffered many losses. First, her father used much of the estate’s money to fund his part in the war, which left the family in reduced circumstances. Then he was killed at the Battle of Newbury in 1643; Barbara was only 4 years old. Not long after his death Mary Villiers married a cousin of her late husband’s, Charles Villiers, 2nd Earl of Anglesey. The marriage may have provided some stability to the mother and daughter but money was still in very short supply. Charles Villiers, like his late cousin, was a Royalist and, after Charles I was executed in 1649, the family became supporters of the dead king’s son.

    Barbara Palmer
    Barbara Villiers was beautiful, clever and witty enough to attract many would-be suitors, until they discovered that she was almost penniless. At that time, not many men could afford to marry for love alone. Barbara’s first paramour was Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Chesterfield. Yet the match was not going to be anything more than a romance as Stanhope was in need of a wife with a good dowry.
    At age 19 Barbara married Roger Palmer, 1st Earl of Castlemaine (this is the name that Barbara was often referred to by contemporary diarists of the time), who was a devout Catholic. The marriage was not to the liking of the groom’s family; Roger’s father told him that Barbara would make him a very unhappy man. He was not wrong. Barbara ended up having six children of whom it is thought that not one of them was Roger’s.
    As supporters of the exiled Prince Charles, Roger and his wife travelled to The Hague shortly after their marriage. It was here that Barbara met Charles and quickly became his foremost mistress. It was for services rendered (probably Barbara’s not Roger’s) that the title of Castlemaine was bestowed upon the couple in 1661 after Charles was restored to the throne.
    When Charles II ascended the throne he was in want of a suitable wife. Kings, queens, princes and princesses rarely had a say in the lifelong partners chosen for them. Marriage was usually a political and economic business deal. Charles II married the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza. Barbara made sure that her second child with Charles was born at Hampton Court while the royal couple were on honeymoon.
    Unlike poor Lucy Walter, Barbara Palmer was openly acknowledged as the king’s mistress and was given the position of the Lady of the Bedchamber. The queen, knowing who and what Barbara was, argued strongly against the appointment. Yet her pleas were