Disastrous Historical Hitches: 8 Worst Royal Wedding Nights in History

Your wedding is meant to be one of the most special nights of your life. And your wedding night, well, that should be one of the most exciting. Of course, that’s not always the case. Some of history’s most famous figures had the worst wedding nights. For them, weddings were often less about romance than they were about political maneuvering and breeding new heirs. No wonder their wedding nights often ended in tears.

We’ve compiled a list of eight royal weddings that didn’t go to plan, and the reasons why. From mismatched expectations to comical mishaps, this journey through the annals of history sheds light on the human side of royalty, where the pursuit of marital bliss often encountered unforeseen challenges behind the palace doors.

1.    King Henry Of Navarre - A Red Wedding

You know a Royal wedding is truly disastrous when it ends in a bloody massacre. That’s just what happened when King Henry of Navarre married Margaret of France during the French Wars of Religion, a series of conflicts between the Catholics and Huguenots (French Calvinist Protestants).

King Henry was raised a Huguenot, while his bride-to-be, Margaret, was raised a devout Catholic. But not just any Catholic, she was the daughter of Queen Catherine de Medici and sister of France's king. One might think a wedding would be a wonderful opportunity to unite the two sides.

No joyous wedding celebrations; instead, Catherine de Medici ordered Catholics to slay Huguenots in France, a scene depicted in the 1880 painting by Edouard Debat-Ponsan." (Public Domain)

But the Médicis didn’t think like that. Instead, they saw an opportunity, knowing that the wedding would bring many wealthy Huguenots to Paris to join in the celebrations. While the actual wedding night went off without a hitch, a few days later the queen sent some of her most loyal Catholics to Paris where they massacred 3,000 Huguenots. It later became known as the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre.

Amazingly Henry and Margaret stuck together, and Henry even got the last laugh. Twenty years later he became King Henry IV of France. As king he finally ended the Wars of Religion by converting to his Catholicism, famously stating "Paris is well worth a Mass." He then issued the Edict of Nantes in 1598, granting religious tolerance. 

2.    Catherine the Great and Peter III of Russia - The Wrong Kind of Toys

Catherine the Great and Peter III married on August 21, 1745. Their marriage wasn’t a happy one and got off to a rocky start with the wedding night itself. We all know what’s meant to happen on a wedding night but unfortunately for Catherine, Peter was more interested in playing with his toy soldiers (sadly not a euphemism).

Theirs was a marriage orchestrated more for political strategy than love, a frequent practice among royal unions. When Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst first arrived at court and changed her name to Catherine she did an excellent job of charming everyone but Peter. A famously eccentric and erratic ruler, he was more enthusiastic about getting drunk and playing with his toy soldiers than he was in paying attention to his new bride. 

 

Portrait of Peter III with Catherine the Great, 1756.  (Public Domain)

Catherine’s memoirs and historical accounts paint a stark picture of their wedding night. Peter was late showing up to the bedroom and when he finally arrived, he simply passed out drunk. She later confided that Peter had asked her to play with his toys with him. 

It was all downhill from there. Their relationship, already strained by political tensions and Peter's unpredictable behavior, faced additional challenges in the bedroom. Catherine's dissatisfaction with the marriage extended beyond a lackluster wedding night.

As the couple navigated the complexities of their roles, personal differences, and Peter's continued infatuation with his mistress, it became evident that their union was destined for turbulence. According to Catherine, Peter never did consummate their marriage, which makes it a bit awkward that she had several children while he was still alive. Ultimately Peter was deposed, and Catherine ascended to power. 

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3.    Augusta of Saxe-Gotha and Frederick, Prince of Wales - Lost in Translation

It’s common advice that when it comes to marriage, communication is key. One can see how the bride and groom speaking different languages could be a problem.

The union between Augusta of Saxe-Gotha and Frederick, Prince of Wales, in 1736, was a significant chapter in the intricate tapestry of European royal alliances. Married on April 27, their union was orchestrated to strengthen ties between the House of Hanover and the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. This strategic match sought to consolidate the Hanoverian influence in Germany.

The problem was that when poor Augusta arrived in England at just 16 years old, she didn’t speak a word of English and had never met Frederick before. Still, she was squeezed into a wedding dress and marched down the aisle at the Chapel Royal in St. James's Palace without being given so much as a chance to catch her breath. 

One of the first portraits of Augusta of Saxe-Gotha as Princess of Wales by Charles Philips, 1736. (Public Domain)

The wedding was a lavish affair officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury and attended by dignitaries and aristocrats. Poor Augusta was wracked with nerves, forced to take part in a ceremony she quite literally didn’t understand. 

When the nerves got too much for her, she threw up all over her wedding dress and the dress of the groom’s mother. Unfortunately, Frederick already had a strained relationship with his parents, King George II and Queen Caroline, and his bride’s accident did little to help it.

While the incident likely put a dampener on the wedding night it didn’t spoil the marriage as a whole. The couple went on to have a large family, and Augusta played a pivotal role in shaping the cultural and intellectual milieu of the court. Their marriage, though marked by familial tensions, contributed to the intricate web of European alliances and the ever-evolving dynamics within the royal circles of the 18th century.

4.    King Philip IV of Spain and Mariane of Austria - Keeping it in the Family

On October 7, 1649, King Philip IV of Spain married Mariane of Austria in Navalcarnero, Spain at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez. His first wife, Elisabeth of France, had died almost five years to the day before, on October 6, 1644, likely from complications related to childbirth. Philip hoped his new wife would be more successful when it came to baby-making.

Philip’s marriage to Mariane was a politically motivated one (like most Royal weddings of the time) and was meant to strengthen the Habsburg dynasty by providing Philip with an heir (something the family was starting to run low on). So, not exactly the most romantic of weddings.

That’s not what made this such an awful wedding night though. Firstly, Mariane was only 14 years old on her wedding night, much younger than Philip who was 42. Secondly, she was his niece (anyone familiar with the infamously incestuous Habsburgs likely saw this one coming). 

Portrait of young Mariane of Austria. (Public Domain)

The marriage did little to bolster the already flailing Habsburg bloodline. Hereditary deformities were killing them off at an alarming rate and Philip marrying his niece only made things worse. Their union produced the doomed King Charles II, likely the most inbred king in history. Genetic tests have shown by this point the Habsburg gene pool was so shallow Charles was as inbred as if his parents had been brother and sister.

5.    Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI - Bedroom Malfunction

Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI married on May 16, 1770, in an opulent ceremony held at the Palace of Versailles. As was surprisingly common, for French weddings at the time the couple had only met for the first time a few hours before the ceremony, making things a little awkward.

What likely made things even more awkward was the fact that Louis’s family turned the wedding night into a bit of an event. The Archbishop of Reims blessed their nuptial bed and King Louis XV, and the Duchess of Chartres walked the newlyweds to the bridal bed chamber. Once there Louis was given a nightshirt and some advice by his grandfather (although by the sounds of it not enough) and Marie also received a nightshirt. 

And that’s about as exciting as their wedding night got. Unfortunately for Marie, Louis simply wasn’t up to the task and it took some time for the two to consummate their marriage. There were plenty of rumors as to why.

Painting of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. (Public Domain)

Some said that the young king suffered from a genital deformity called phimosis, a condition where the foreskin is too tight, making arousal painful. Supposedly the king refused surgery to correct the problem, resulting in malfunctions in the bedroom.

Modern historians have come across another explanation though, Louis simply didn’t know what he was doing. Apparently, it took a visit from Emperor Leopold II, Louis’s brother-in-law, who explained what happens when a man loves a woman, to get things working. Over seven years after their initial wedding night the couple finally successfully started making babies. 

6.    King George IV and Princess Caroline of Brunswick - A Drunken Affair

It’s not uncommon for people to overindulge at weddings but King George IV took it a little too far when marrying his cousin, Princess Caroline of Brunswick in 1795. To be fair he had plenty of reasons to need a drink.

Like many marriages on the list, this one was also a political union. In particular, George, who wasn’t king yet, needed money after building up debts of around £630,000 ($687,310.72). Caroline had the money he needed but unfortunately, the two couldn’t stand each other.

Things got off to a bad start when George saw his bride for the first time and reportedly remarked, “I am not well. Get me a glass of brandy!” On their actual wedding day, George downed drinks until he couldn’t stand, and two dukes had to literally prop him up at the altar. He also cried drunkenly throughout the ceremony. It sounds like Caroline wasn’t too bothered either, accounts at the time noted her disheveled appearance.

Taking this all into account it seems pretty unlikely either of them enjoyed their wedding night, if they even spent it together. The rest of their marriage was just as disastrous, marked by infidelity, public scandals, and animosity.

Painting depicting the Coronation of George IV. Determined to prevent his estranged wife, Caroline of Brunswick’s coronation as consort, George IV instructed the guards at the Abbey entrances to deny her entry.  (Public Domain)

George IV attempted to prevent Caroline's coronation as queen, leading to a highly publicized trial. The union ended in separation, and Caroline's exclusion from the coronation illustrated the contentious nature of their relationship, culminating in George IV's ascension to the throne without her by his side.

7.    Attila the Hun and Ildico - Wedding Night Death

Attila the Hun, ruler of the Hunnic Empire, is quite rightly one of the most feared men in history. That’s not to say he didn’t have a soft side though. The ‘Scourge of God' ' married multiple times but two stand out. His most well-known wife was one of his first, Kreka. She helped him build his empire and he had several children with her.

His second most famous wife is Ildico, whom he married around 453 AD. What makes her so special? Well, she was likely the last person to see him alive. On their wedding night.

While not much is known about the actual nuptials it’s widely accepted that Attila died on his wedding night to Ildico at some point after the wedding feast. Supposedly there were no visible wounds on his body and no cause of death was ever recorded. This has led to some conjecture that he may have been assassinated by his bride. Others believe he died of natural causes. Either way, dropping dead is a less-than-ideal way to spend your wedding night.

The cause of Attila the Hun’s death on his wedding night to Ildico remains unknown (Public Domain)

8.    Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves - The Ugly Truth

Considering the fact he married six times and wasn’t exactly the healthiest or most stable of men, it’s a wonder Henry VIII hasn’t appeared on this list multiple times. We opted for his marriage to Anne of Cleves in 1540 which didn’t go particularly well, even by his low standards.

Henry’s third wife, Jane Seymour, died after childbirth and Henry remained single for two years following her death. His courtiers hoped to change this by matchmaking him with Anne of Cleves. His only male heir, Edward, was a sickly child and the king needed a backup. His marriage to Anne was also politically motivated. 

At the time, Henry sought to strengthen ties with German Protestant states and establish an alliance against potential Catholic adversaries, including France and the Holy Roman Empire. Anne had all the right connections. The marriage was arranged by Thomas Cromwell, Henry's chief minister, who believed it would serve England's strategic interests.

To seal the deal Henry was shown an attractive portrait of Anne and an impressed Henry pulled the trigger on the wedding (ignoring the artist’s warnings that the portrait wasn’t accurate). He should have listened. Upon meeting Anne, Henry was somewhat disappointed to discover she didn’t resemble her portrait in the least bit. 

Portrait of Anne of Cleves by court artist Hans Holbein the Younger. (Public domain)

The wedding went ahead but it seems Henry didn’t enjoy the wedding night, finding his new queen completely unattractive. He admitted to his right-hand man, Cromwell, that he had "left her as good a maid as [he] found her”. A subtle way of saying he wouldn’t touch her with a ten-foot barge pole.

Or Henry could have just been saving face. It’s believed that Henry had suffered from impotency in the past and chose to blame Anne for his failure to perform on their wedding night rather than admit the truth. When the political alliance with the German Protestant States failed to materialize Henry quickly lost interest in his wife and sought an annulment, which Anne agreed to. Who could blame her?

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Conclusion

When examining these unfortunate wedding nights one thing becomes immediately clear- for the most part, these were marriages not shaped by romantic ideals but by political and social necessity. Romance was never on the cards for any of these historical figures.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. While most of these marriages eventually imploded, some in spectacular fashion, others survived, and the bride and grooms went on to live lives full of love (however briefly for some of them). Beyond the pomp and circumstance, the worst wedding nights underscore the enduring tension between societal expectations and the deeply personal, reminding us that even in the grandeur of historical romance, the unpredictability of human emotions can shape the course of matrimonial destinies.

Top image: Attila the Hun’s death on his wedding night. Source: Public Domain

By Robbie Mitchell