Hope and Disappointment

Despite the uneasy start to Catherine’s new position in England for a little while it seemed like the marriage might be a successful one.  Charles and Catherine seemed quite fond of each other - Charles was said to admire her wit and kindness, Catherine was hopeful for a happy and successful marriage, and they were reportedly making regular attempts to get Catherine pregnant!

But the marital bliss was short-lived. And a lot of it was to do with the king’s relationship with Barbara Palmer.

When Charles and Catherine took their honeymoon at Hampton Court Palace for two months, Barbara, who was pregnant with her second child by Charles and at the height of her influence and affections with the king, insisted that she would give birth there while they were in residence. Charles allowed the request, and though Catherine did not see Barbara at Hampton Court, the new Queen’s own honeymoon was soured by the presence of her husband’s mistress and newborn son.

If she had somehow managed to get over that, then what came next was almost too much for Catherine to bear.

In her classic arrogant and cruel fashion, Barbara requested a position as a Lady in Waiting in Catherine’s household, and Charles appointed her Lady of the Bedchamber – the most sought-after position as the Queen’s personal attendant. When Barbara was presented to the Queen as her new Lady of the Bedchamber at a public court event, Catherine burst into tears, had a nosebleed and fainted in front of the whole court. She was carried out of the room, but Charles, publicly siding with Barbara, stayed behind. Charles later went to reprimand Catherine, and an almighty row, so loud it was said the entire court could hear them, ensued.

Catherine begged to be spared the humiliation of having to take her husband’s mistresses into her household, but Charles insisted on the appointment.  For weeks Catherine pleaded with the king, refused to take Barbara into her household and even threatened to return to Portugal (a threat that in reality would never happen). In a cruel and calculated manner, Charles began dismissing her Portuguese ladies, was rude to the Portuguese ambassador, and threw one of Catherine’s Portuguese escorts into jail. He escalated his affair with Barbara even more publicly - parading her around as his chief mistress, flirting and showing her affection in front of the court, and showering her with gifts, all the while ignoring Catherine. His courtiers, many of whom saw Barbara as a much more valuable ally than the Queen, began avoiding Catherine, and even her household spent less time with her as she avoided events, knowing full well that Charles would be in attendance with Barbara on his arm. Eventually, after weeks of bullying, emotional abuse and increasing isolation, a devastated Catherine gave in and allowed Barbara into her household.

Within just a few months, Catherine’s hopes and dreams of a happy marriage and love and affection from the king were dashed, replaced by humiliation, loneliness, and despair. The Portuguese Infanta, who trusted in the sanctity of marriage and fidelity, and, perhaps naively, believed that she and Charles could have a happy, loving life together, was ill prepared for the sexual exploitation, manipulation and power politics that played out in the English court.

A sad state of affairs

For some time, Catherine faded into the background of court life.  Seen as a worthless political ally and clearly having no influence with the king, she was often side-lined by courtiers and humiliated by Charles’ constant infidelities.

But what truly sealed Catherine’s lonely fate in the early years of their marriage was that, although her most pressing duty as a wife and Queen was to secure Charles’ family line with legitimate heirs, she had been unable to have children. During the first seven years of their marriage, Catherine fell pregnant three times; sadly, however, and all of her pregnancies ended in miscarriage. Not only was this a personal and political tragedy, but, to make matters worse, her misfortune in being unable to have children was in stark contrast to Barbara, who had four children by Charles during that time. 

Over the coming years, Charles continued to flaunt his affairs with a succession of  mistresses and -- to add insult to injury – recognised a total of thirteen illegitimate children as his own,  granting them titles, wealth and land.

The king’s closest advisers urged Charles to divorce Catherine so that he could remarry and have legitimate heirs.  Although he was initially said to have pondered the idea - perhaps  because by this time he was trying to woo a young, virginal, lady at court, Frances Teresa Stuart, whom some ministers suggested could replace the queen - Charles never acted on such suggestions. Despite his general disinterest in the queen, he maintained loyalty to their marriage vows, if not the fidelity of it, and refused to divorce her, even in the face of consistent pressure from his ministers and with no legitimate children that could succeed to the throne.

Dignity and Grace

Yet through all of this embarrassment, loneliness and heartache, Catherine was said to always be dignified and devoted to Charles and her duties as queen. As time went on, she began to find her feet at court.  Although Barbara and later Louise de Kérouaille were the top dogs at court, Catherine continued to preside over day-to-day ceremony, accompanied Charles on royal duties, and hosted events.

She loved playing cards, popularised tea drinking, and enjoyed hosting masque balls and dancing. A more playful side of her personality emerged. On a visit to Audley End, Catherine and one of her ladies disguised themselves as commoners and visited a fair in the nearby village – saw was eventually spotted and had to make a hasty retreat, but her daring impressed people at court. She even had a fondness for the trend of women dressing as men, and occasionally wore trousers and shoes that showed off her legs and ankles.

One of her most important duties was taking over the Queen’s Circle, a traditional daily gathering of men and women for mingling, business, cards and conversation, held in the queen’s bedchamber at the end of the day, which, until Catherine had settled in at court, had been hosted by Charles’ mother, Henrietta Maria. Though the daily circle started off as a thinly attended event due to Catherine’s unpopularity, within a few years it had become the most important and well-attended social gathering at court. It was reported by the French ambassador and Samuel Pepys that courtiers flocked to the circle every day; it was a place to see and be seen and to hear the news of the moment.

While Charles’ reputation for debauchery and a licentious court only grew throughout his reign, Catherine, renowned for her piety, good nature and morality, became a respected and admired figure. In the face of Charles’ countless affairs and ever-growing number of illegitimate children, Catherine remained loyal to her husband and to her role as the English queen consort.

But, sadly for Catherine, she simply could never match the sexual, fertile and political prowess of some of her rivals. The mistresses were the bane of her life, and her inability to produce heirs caused great sorrow and strain in her marriage and beyond. If Charles and Catherine had been able to have children together, the dramatic events of the late-seventeenth century, and the lineage of the British royal family would have been very different indeed.

Back to Portugal

When Charles II died in February 1685, Queen Catherine was beside herself with grief. unable to bear the pain of remaining at his bedside while he lay dying, she was carried out of the room after fainting. She sent Charles a message asking him to excuse her absence and to beg his pardon if she had ever offended him. The king was moved and shocked by the sweet Catherine’s words and he cried, "Alas poor woman! she asks for my pardon? I beg hers with all my heart; take her back that answer."

After Charles’ death, Queen Catherine remained in England, living at Somerset House. She stayed here through reign of James II and into the succession of William and Mary. Although she was on good terms with William and Mary at first, her strong Catholicism in a now secure Protestant nation led to further isolation for the dowager Queen.

She finally returned to Portugal in March 1692;  and, in a twist of events, ended up acting as a respected and surprisingly strong political figure in her home country.

In 1701 and 1704-5 she acted as regent for her brother, Peter II, and she supported and aided the Treaty of Methuen between Portugal and England in 1703.

Catherine died on 31 December 1705 at Bemposta Palace, Lisbon and she was buried at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora.