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Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer -

The marriage between the then Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer did not start well. Diana accidentally spilled perfume on her wedding dress, leaving a stain that she hid by holding the dress up. But the wedding night was also the beginning of a series of unfortunate events in their relationship.

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Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer -

Tina Brown's book, 'The Diana Chronicles,' published in 2007, mentions that King Charles told a friend, "That first night was nothing special. It was pleasant enough, of course. But she really was painfully naïve."

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Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer -

However, the author states that Princess Diana was also underwhelmed. She complained about Charles' unimpressive performance and the lack of intimacy during their honeymoon.

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Edward II and Isabella of France -

Isabella, also known as the she-wolf of France, had been promised in marriage since she was three years old. She was the only surviving daughter of Prince Philip IV of France and was used as political leverage. Her marriage to King Edward II of England literally became a Shakespearean plot.

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Edward II and Isabella of France -

The wedding finally took place in January 1308, when Isabella was barely 12 years old and her prince had by then become King Edward II. Isabella's new husband immediately showed his lavish behavior when he gave away much of the couple's wedding gifts to his favorite at court, Piers Gaveston.

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Edward II and Isabella of France -

Edward II and Piers Gaveston—a knight from Gascony who had been banished by Edward I due to suspicions of an improper relationship with his son—were rumored to be more than 'just friends'. Some whispered that the king spent more time in Gaveston's quarters than he did with his own wife. 

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Catherine the Great and Peter III of Russia -

The wedding night of Catherine the Great and Peter III was anything but romantic. The Russian Emperor was frequently drunk, and didn't break with habit on his wedding night. So much for fairy tales!

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Catherine the Great and Peter III of Russia -

When Peter arrived in the marital chambers, Catherine had been waiting for hours, only to see him pass out drunk. What a charming 'prince'!

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Catherine the Great and Peter III of Russia -

Peter appeared to be more interested in his collection of miniature toy soldiers stashed under his bed than in his wife. Catherine later revealed that their marriage was never consummated. Historians speculate that her children were likely fathered by other men. 

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Puyi and Gobulo Wan Rong -

The wedding night of the last emperor of China and his wife, Gobulo Wan Rong, was disastrous. The extravagant red decorations in the chamber of the Palace of Heavenly Peace seemed over the top for the young emperor.

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Puyi and Gobulo Wan Rong -

Puyi became upset and hastily left the room... and his wife was alone for the night.

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Puyi and Gobulo Wan Rong -

The Emporor later stated: "I looked around me and saw that everything was red... it all looked like a melted red wax candle. I did not know whether to stand or sit." A severe case of the heebie jeebies, perhaps? 

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Maria Josepha of Saxony and Louis Ferdinand -

Tradition dictated that newlyweds had to be 'tucked into bed' under the watchful eye of the court's elite. But for Louis, the Dauphin of France, this ritual brought back painful memories of his deceased first wife, Marie Thérèse Raphaëlle, causing him to break down in tears. 

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Maria Josepha of Saxony and Louis Ferdinand -

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Catherine of Aragon and Arthur, Prince of Wales -

Henry VIII made the bold claim that his former sister-in-law, Catherine of Aragon, had never consummated her marriage to his brother, Arthur, Prince of Wales. Why? He wanted to marry her himself.

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Catherine of Aragon and Arthur, Prince of Wales -

However, when Henry VIII decided to end his own marriage, he conveniently changed his mind and declared that Catherine and Arthur had actually consummated their marriage before Arthur's death.

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Catherine of Aragon and Arthur, Prince of Wales -

Catherine, while confessing that they had shared the bed seven times, claimed that she "remained as intact and uncorrupted as the day she left her mother's womb." It seems that Prince Arthur was too weak to do more than literally sleep beside her. What a royal bedtime story!

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Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI -

Louis-Auguste and Marie Antoinette had met only a few hours before tying the knot. Of course, their wedding night was uncomfortable to say the least.

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Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI -

Apparently their marriage was not consummated that night. It was believed that Louis suffered from phimosis, a genital condition that causes pain during erection.

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Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI -

While it might seem like Louis-Auguste had a physical condition,  according to the book 'Marie Antoinette: The Journey' by Antonia Fraser, he was just clueless about the birds and the bees. Believe it or not, it took over seven years for the royal couple to consummate their marriage. 

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Frederick II of Prussia and Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern -

Their marriage was arranged by Frederick II's father, and the newlyweds didn't exactly hit it off. Frederick II later wrote a letter to his sister Wilhelmina in which he noted with relief, "Thank God, that's over!"

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Frederick II of Prussia and Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern -

While we can't be certain what he meant by that, it's clear that the couple were not close at all. Frederick II even went so far as to describe his wife as "this incorrigibly sour subspecies of the female sex." That's got to hurt!

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Princess Caroline of Brunswick and George IV -

Here's another royal wedding set under the influence of alcohol. George IV was extremely drunk during his big day. He even missed part of the ceremony and ended up sobbing at the altar.

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Princess Caroline of Brunswick and George IV -

Of course, George IV was still drunk on the wedding night. Nevertheless, the newlyweds consummated their marriage, and nine months later Princess Charlotte of Wales was born.

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Anne of Cleves and Henry VIII -

Since Henry VIII had only one male heir at the time, it seemed a good idea to have more. A marriage was arranged between the king and Anne, sister of William, Duke of Cleves. Interesting fact: William was the Protestant leader in western Germany. This was a power play!

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Anne of Cleves and Henry VIII -

Henry VIII agreed to marry Anne based solely on her portrait. But when he met her in person, she didn't quite match her 'profile picture' and he wasn't exactly smitten. In fact, on their wedding night, Henry VIII claimed that he "left her as good a maid as [he] found her."

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Alexander the Great and Statira -

Alexander and Statira got married in Susa in 324 BCE, despite Alexander's difficulties with fidelity. On that very day, Hephaestion, Alexander's loyal companion, also tied the knot with Drypetis, Statira's sister.

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Alexander the Great and Statira -

But what both brides did not know was that Alexander and Hephaestion were romantically involved. Instead of spending their wedding night with their wives, Alexander and Hephaestion spent it together.

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Mary II and William of Orange -

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Mary II and William of Orange -

The wedding night was not blissful. William showed no interest in the bedding ritual and even refused to take off the woolen underpants he was wearing. The couple never had children.

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Attila the Hun and Ildico -

In 453 CE, Atilla took Ildico into his Germanic harem. He had a big wedding party and later that night came to his new wife heavily drunk.

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Attila the Hun and Ildico -

The next day Atilla was found dead. He had a nosebleed, apparently because he had fallen or bumped into something while chasing his wife around the room. What a disastrous wedding night!

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Prince Albert and Charlene -

Becoming a princess can be 'just another day in the office.' Why? This wedding-night 'fairy tale' fell short on fairies but fed a variety of stories and speculations to the press, back in 2011.

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Prince Albert and Charlene -

The couple traveled to South Africa on their honeymoon, but didn't sleep together. They even stayed in separate hotels. According to Peter Allen of the British newspaper The Daily Mail, the prince "wanted to avoid the traffic in the morning to get to early meetings at the Hilton, with members of the International Olympic Committee." Duty before pleasure!

Sources: (Town & Country) (The Cut) (HistoryExtra) (Grunge) (Historic UK) (History Ireland) (ThoughtCo.) (ABC)

See also: Remembering Grace Kelly—from silver screen to the royalty scene

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