37. His First Wife Thought He Was Disgusting
José García Hidalgo – Museo Nacional del Prado/ Wikimedia Commons/ Public Domain.
As with so many other royal marriages, Charles’ marriage to Marie Louise was about gaining and maintaining power, not about love. In fact, she was repulsed by his disfigured appearance. France’s ambassador to Spain wrote that “the Catholic King is so ugly as to cause fear and he looks ill.” Still, the marriage went forward.
