10 Infamous Mistresses Who Made Headlines

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be discussing the most scandalous affairs throughout history and the mistresses at the center of them.

Eliza Rosanna Gilbert [aka Lola Montez] [a]

Though born in Ireland, Eliza Rosanna Gilbert eventually gained fame, or rather infamy, while posing as a Spanish dancer named Lola Montez. A teenage marriage to an English Lieutenant named Thomas James didn’t stop Gilbert, who began going by Lola Montez in her everyday life, from carrying on affairs for both personal and financial gain. The career of a high-class courtesan was eventually in the cards for her…that is until 1846, when she caught the eye of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and became his mistress. For her “services,” she earned the titles of Countess of Landsfeld and Baroness of Rosenthal, and soon wielded a powerful sway over Ludwig’s duties as ruler.

Dame Elizabeth Taylor

The nature of celebrity is complicated, with many tabloid and news outlets documenting every personal decision, scandal or controversy in black-and-white. Elizabeth Taylor will forever be remembered as one of Hollywood’s most well-known performers. However, her personal life also came under constant public scrutiny, including her many marriages. Taylor’s engagements and nuptials were always front-page news, but one particularly memorable scandal occurred when she “stole” singer Eddie Fisher from her friend Debbie Reynolds. As if that wasn’t enough, Taylor later cheated on Fisher with another married man, Sir Richard Burton. This liaison would result in the couple’s 1964 marriage, followed by a divorce, a reconciliation and a second divorce in 1976.

Madame de Pompadour[b]

The title “maîtresse-en-titre,” which loosely translates to “Chief Mistress,” brought with it a substantial amount of influence over the regent she served. The case of Madame de Pompadour was one connected to King Louis XV of France, a six-year tenure of Royal Mistress, during which the Madame advised the king on a daily basis. Born Jeanne Antoinette Poisson in Paris, Madame de Pompadour wasn’t of noble birth, but her position as mistress enabled her to achieve noble titles not just for herself, but for others in her inner circle. Today, she is seen as a consort with a legacy of supporting aesthetic beauty and the arts in French society.

Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland

King Charles II of England was somewhat infamous for keeping a number of mistresses, one of which was Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland. Her five children with the King were notable for not being referred to as “bastards,” but instead rising to places of legitimate ennoblement. This was due to Palmer’s existing marriage to a man named Robert, whom the King conveniently made the Earl of Castlemaine[c], ensuring his titles could be passed down to their children. Palmer’s beauty was reportedly so captivating that it kept both her husband and the King under her spell. Her reputation vacillated between stories of kindness, reckless spending and open promiscuity, and she was eventually ousted from King Charles’ court around 1673.

Amy Fisher

The tabloids and late night talk show hosts were all over this infamous slice of “you had to have been there” scandal from the early nineties. Joey Buttafuoco engaged in an illicit affair with the underage Amy Fisher while still married to his wife, Mary Jo. Wanting to please Buttafuoco, Fisher took a gun to his house and inadvertently shot Mary Jo in the face. The incident quickly turned into a media frenzy, with Fisher earning the tabloid nickname “the Long Island Lolita.” She also served seven years in prison for first-degree aggravated assault. Buttafuoco, on the other hand, got off relatively easier, serving just four months in jail for his illegal relationship with Fisher.

Maria[d] Reynolds

What’s the birth of a nation without a proper sex scandal? Maria Reynolds was at the center of one such situation, which occurred during the first American presidency of George Washington. Maria Lewis was married to a man named James Reynolds when she became involved with the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. The latter’s desire to stop this affair was not reciprocated by his mistress, who collaborated with her husband in a blackmail scheme. The Reynolds’ successfully extorted money from Hamilton on a number of occasions, and Maria continued to see him, allegedly at her husband’s request. Hamilton would eventually come clean about the affair in 1792, triggering America’s first of many political sex scandals.

Marilyn Monroe

She’s one of the most famous actresses in the world, a true Hollywood icon whose star will likely never fade. Marilyn Monroe was also an object of desire for just about everyone, including a number of very powerful men. The silver screen legend reportedly had an affair with the U.S. President John F. Kennedy, as well as his brother, Senator Robert Kennedy. The famed playwright Arthur Miller also cheated on his wife with Monroe, while she was still with her ex, baseball icon Joe DiMaggio. Miller and Monroe would eventually marry, although another affair, this time with co-star Yves Montand[e], occurred on the set of one of her final films, 1960’s “Let’s Make Love.”

Mary Boleyn

The Boleyn sisters were notable figures within the court of England’s King Henry VIII. Although Anne Boleyn formally married the King in 1533, after years of refusing to become his mistress, her older sister Mary had already served in that role. Mary reportedly gave birth to at least two of Henry’s children, but he denied any parental responsibility over them. She was not Henry’s only mistress, and she was also rumored to have engaged in an affair with his rival, King Francis I of France. Ultimately, Mary’s escapades led her back to Henry’s court after she served as a maid-of-honor to Catherine of Aragon, the king’s first wife, in 1519.

Queen Camilla

Today, she is the Queen consort of the United Kingdom, but there once was a time when Camilla Parker Bowles was a mistress who brought significant controversy to the royal family. She and King Charles were romantically involved long before his high-profile marriage to Diana. However, even after his wedding, Charles kept the flame alive with Parker Bowles, which only deepened the cracks in his marriage. Their affair became a public scandal in the early ‘90s following Diana’s tell-all biography and the leaking of their intimate phone conversations. By all accounts, the pair seemed to truly care for one another, and after Charles eventually divorced Diana, he went public with Parker Bowles and they tied the knot in 2005.

Monica Lewinsky

It’s interesting to note how the Monica Lewinsky scandal is commonly viewed today, as opposed to when it first occurred back in the 1990s. This was another tabloid affair where comedians and talk show hosts largely lampooned Lewinsky. Subjects of her appearance and weight seemed to always come up, yet rarely was her age and comparative naivete discussed with regards to her affair with former American president Bill Clinton. Today, Lewinsky is seen largely as a victim, an idealistic intern who was impressed with a powerful man, and became intimate with him. Monica Lewinsky may have been vilified at the time, but today she works as an advocate to combat societal ills like online harassment.

Do you feel that there’s a double standard when it comes to affairs? Let us know in the comments.