Marriage of a King

The eyes of the known world were upon Portsmouth in 1662 when Charles II married Catherine of Braganza. The parish church had been severely damaged in the Civil War, so the ceremony took place in the Governor’s House. The couple did not get off to an auspicious start. The King was detained elsewhere at the time of her arrival and when he eventually arrived, an affronted Catherine had fallen ill with a heavy cold. When comforted with English ale, she reported immediately sent for tea from her Royal Barge, possibly the first tea drunk in England. Samuel Pepys noted the occasion. ‘I followed the crowd of gallants though the Queen’s lodging to the Chapel, the room being all rarely furnished, and escaped hardly being set on the fire yesterday. The mayor, Mr Trimbrill, our anchorsmith, showed me the present they have for the Queen – a salt cellar of silver, the walls of chrystal (sic) with four eagles and for greyhounds standing up at the top to bear the dish.’ In additional to marrying his wife here, Charles also made his mistress, Louise de Queruoille, the Duchess of Portsmouth.