5. FACT: Elizabeth had black teeth, and far from being embarrassed about it may even have smiled at foreign dignitaries with pride
Not one of the many portraits made of Queen Elizabeth show the monarch with black teeth. After all, the artists were always keen to show their subject in the best possible light – to do otherwise might have seen them thrown in the Tower of London. But that doesn’t mean Elizabeth had excellent oral health. Quite the opposite, in fact. There are a number of examples of visiting ambassadors and other foreign dignitaries commenting on the state of Elizabeth’s teeth. According to most accounts, while she had a full set – quite an achievement for the 16th century – her teeth were almost completely black.
But while today such blackened teeth might be the cause of shame, for Elizabeth and other European royals, it was a source of pride. According to the accounts of the time, the Queen had a notoriously sweet tooth and was especially fond of candied violets. She ate so much sweet stuff that, inevitably, her teeth started rotting from a relatively young age. But since only the rich could afford snacks made with sugar imported from the New World, black teeth were widely-regarded as a status symbol and an indicator of not just great wealth but also cosmopolitan tastes.
