8. Diane de Poitiers was a woman of 38 when she first slept with the 18-year-old Prince Henry of England
Back in the 16th century, Diane de Poitiers was widely regarded as being among the most beautiful women in all of Europe. Not only was she exceptionally good looking, she also possessed a sharp mind. Small wonder, then, that 12-year-old Prince Henry, the son and heir of the King of France, fell hard for her. She had been employed as the prince’s personal tutor, tasked with teaching him ancient and modern languages as well as social manners. But six years later, their relationship became sexual. The prince was 18 when they first slept together; Diane was 38.
When she was just 15, Diane de Poitiers was married to a man 39 years her senior. When he died, she was free to spend even more time with her young lover – who, by that point had become King of France. They didn’t even try and keep their relationship secret, even though King Henry II was married to Catherine de Medici. Everyone in the royal court knew the monarch wasn’t interested in his wife. Indeed, it was said that Diane had to tell him he needed to sleep with her, if only to produce a legitimate heir.