The sex lives of the kings and queens of England - Nigel Cawthorne

People have always been fascinated by the sexual behaviour of kings and queens, princes and princesses - hence the success of the tabloid press. Historically, though, this fascination is not purely prurient - royal marriages, infidelities and divorces have had enormous political repercussions.;Unfortunately, down the ages, the British royals have shown a singular lack of sexual restraint. Occupying the centre of the political and social stage, monarchs have always had more sexual opportunities than the rest of us. They have power, which - as Henry Kissinger once remarked - is the ultimate aphrodisiac. But why is it that we give monarchs these sexual privileges? And why are commoners so eager to submit themselves to the monarch's sexual whims.;Are monarchs' sexual appetites no more than the manifestation of a normal, healthy lust given vent in a situation of untrammelled power? Or do they stem from the public's expectations? Set against this background, even though the British royal family do not now enjoy the power they once did, their sexual behaviour is still of legitimate interest. Gross sexual misconduct by any of them would destabilize the monarchy.;The sexual behaviour of the present royal family - and the current media reaction to it - cannot simply be judged by contemporary standards. It must be seen in the broad historical context of the sexual mores of a family who have ruled over us for centuries.