{"product_id":"9780061751561","title":"Sex with the Queen: 900 Years of Vile Kings, Virile Lovers, and Passionate Politics","description":"\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this follow-up to her bestselling \u003ci\u003eSex with Kings\u003c\/i\u003e, Eleanor Herman reveals the truth about what goes on behind the closed door of a queen's boudoir. Impeccably researched, filled with page-turning romance, passion, and scandal, \u003ci\u003eSex with the Queen\u003c\/i\u003e explores the scintillating sexual lives of some of our most beloved and infamous female rulers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe was the queen, living in an opulent palace, wearing lavish gowns and dazzling jewels. She was envied, admired, and revered. She was also miserable, having been forced to marry a foreign prince sight unseen, a royal ogre who was sadistic, foaming at the mouth, physically repulsive, mentally incompetent, or sexually impotent—and in some cases all of the above.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow did queens find happiness? In courts bristling with testosterone—swashbuckling generals, polished courtiers, and virile cardinals—many royal women had love affairs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnne Boleyn flirted with courtiers; Catherine Howard slept with one. Henry VIII had both of them beheaded.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eCatherine the Great had her idiot husband murdered, and ruled the Russian empire with a long list of sexy young favorites.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarie Antoinette fell in love with the handsome Swedish count Axel Fersen, who tried valiantly to rescue her from the guillotine.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eEmpress Alexandra of Russia found emotional solace in the mad monk Rasputin. Her behavior was the spark that set off the firestorm of the Russian revolution.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003ePrincess Diana gave up her palace bodyguard to enjoy countless love affairs, which tragically led to her early death.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen a queen became sick to death of her husband and took a lover, anything could happen—from disgrace and death to political victory. Some kings imprisoned erring wives for life; other monarchs obligingly named the queen's lover prime minister.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe crucial factor deciding the fate of an unfaithful queen was the love affair's implications in terms of power, money, and factional rivalry. At European courts, it was the politics—not the sex—that caused a royal woman's tragedy—or her ultimate triumph. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47105210548464,"sku":"9780061751561","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780061751561_p0.jpg?v=1763621902","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780061751561","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}