by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Louise Renée de Penancoet de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth and King Charles II of England are the ancestors of Queen Camilla, Diana, Princess of Wales, and Sarah, Duchess of York. Louise was born on September 5, 1649, at her family home, the Manoir de Keroual (link in French) in Brest, Brittany, France. She was the second of the three children and the eldest of the two daughters of Guillaume de Penancoët de Kérouaille, from a noble family of Brittany, (died 1690) and Marie de Ploeuc de Timeur (died 1709). The income of Louise’s family was not commensurate with their rank and they lived modestly. Louise was educated at the Convent of the Ursulines in Lesneven, Brittany, France where her aunt was one of the nuns who oversaw the education of young girls.

Louise had two siblings:

• Sébastien de Penancoët, Lord of Chefdubois (1646 – 1669), unmarried
• Henriette Mauricette de Penancoët de Kérouaille (1650 – 1728), married (1) Philip Herbert, 7th Earl of Pembroke, had one daughter (2) Jean-Timoleon Gouffier, Marquis de Thois, had nine children

Louise’s marriage prospects were dim as the relative poverty of her parents did not allow for a dowry. Instead, in 1669, her parents arranged for her to be placed in the household of Henriette-Anne, Duchess of Orléans, at the Palace of Versailles, hoping Louise would catch the eye of King Louis XIV of France and become a royal mistress. Henriette-Anne was born an English princess, the youngest child of the beheaded King Charles I of England and Henrietta Maria of France, the daughter of the assassinated King Henri IV of France. Henriette-Anne’s husband was Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, the only sibling of King Louis XIV of France, and her brother was King Charles II of England. King Charles II and Henriette-Anne were the first cousins of King Louis XIV and his brother Philippe.

Louise was noticed by King Louis XIV but at that time, his official mistress was Louise de La Vallière and his unofficial favorite was Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon, and he thought Louise might be more useful to him diplomatically. Henriette-Anne’s marriage was unhappy. She had an early affair with King Louis XIV and she and her husband both had affairs throughout their marriage. Louise quickly learned the customs and habits of the French court from Henriette-Anne.

In January 1670, Louise accompanied Henriette-Anne on a diplomatic mission to King Charles II at Dover Castle in England. King Louis XIV hoped Louise would catch the eye of his cousin King Charles II and then there would be a French mistress at the English court. When the diplomatic mission was completed, Henriette-Anne offered her brother his choice of jewelry from her jewelry box which Louise handed to her. Placing his hand on Louise’s hand, Charles is reputed to have said: “This is the only jewel I want!”

In June 1670, Henriette-Anne suddenly died, probably from poison. The sudden death of Henriette-Anne left Louise without a position. An arrangement for Louise in which King Charles II would “show her favor” was made by the French ambassador Charles Colbert, Marquis de Croissy aided by the English secretary of state Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington, and his wife. Louise was housed in an apartment at Whitehall Palace in London and Charles came to pay her court every evening

In October 1671, Louise was invited to Euston Hall, the home of Henry and Elisabeth Bennet, the Earl and Countess of Arlington, along with King Charles II, without his wife, and many guests. A mock wedding was held with Louise and Charles playing the bride and groom, followed by a wedding night. Thus, Louise became the mistress of King Charles II. Louise was officially named a lady-in-waiting to Catherine of Braganza, Charles II’s childless wife. King Charles II could visit his wife and also see his mistress. Another mistress, Barbara Palmer, Duchess of Cleveland, had been appointed Queen Catherine’s Lady of the Bedchamber but Queen Catherine despised Barbara’s insulting manner. Louise decided to flatter Queen Catherine, quickly making herself the queen’s favorite lady.

On July 29, 1672, nine months after the mock marriage, Louise gave birth to her only child:

• Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, 1st Duke of Lennox (1672 – 1723), married Anne Brudenell, had one son and two daughters

Once Louise had given Charles II a son, she set out to reap rewards. On August 9, 1675, King Charles II granted Louise the titles Duchess of Portsmouth, Countess of Fareham, and Baroness Petersfield. On the same day, King Charles II’s illegitimate son by Louise, who had been given the surname Lennox, was created Duke of Richmond, Earl of March, and Baron Settrington in the Peerage of England. A month later, on September 9, 1675, he was created Duke of Lennox, Earl of Darnley, and Baron Methuen of Torbolten in the Peerage of Scotland. In addition, Louise received an annual pension and a suite of twenty-four rooms in Whitehall Palace, richer and grander than Queen Catherine’s chambers. More rewards came later. Louise’s son was invested as a Knight of the Garter in 1681. In 1684 at the request of King Charles II, King Louis XIV created Louise Duchesse d’Aubigny in the Peerage of France.

Louise was unpopular with the English people because of the general mistrust between England and France in the 17th century. Instead, most of the public adored another of Charles’ mistresses, the bawdy actress Nell Gwynn. One day, Nell Gwynn was out for a carriage ride when she heard a crowd shouting at her about her supposed Catholic faith. Nell realized the crowd had mixed her up with Louise. She opened the carriage window and said, “Good people, you are mistaken. I am the Protestant whore.”

Louise de Kerouaille held on to the title of official mistress until the end of King Charles II’s life. On February 2, 1685, King Charles II suffered an apparent stroke, although modern analysis of his symptoms seems to indicate he may have died from uremia, a symptom of kidney failure. Louise assisted in the measures to see that Charles II was received into the Roman Catholic Church on his deathbed. As he lay dying, Charles asked his brother, who would succeed him as King James II, to look after his mistresses: “…be well to Portsmouth, and let not poor Nelly starve,” referring to Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth and Nell Gwyn.

After Charles’ death, Louise left England with two shiploads of magnificent paintings and furniture from her apartment at Whitehall Palace given to her by King Charles II. Louise spent her last years in Aubigny-sur-Nère, France at the Château de la Verrerie, given to her in 1673 by King Louis XIV at the request of King Charles II. She returned to England twice – during the short reign of King James II and to attend King George I’s coronation.

The generous pension that Charles II had given Nell was rescinded in 1688 following the Glorious Revolution that deposed King James II and placed his daughter Queen Mary II and his nephew and Mary’s husband King William III upon the throne. Until he died in 1715, King Louis XIV of France and then his nephew Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, Regent of France during the minority of King Louis XV, great-grandson of King Louis XIV and his successor, provided Louise with a pension and protected her against her creditors. Louise died in Paris, France on November 14, 1734, aged 85, and was buried at the Church of the Carmelite Convent in Paris, France.

Louise’s son had predeceased her so upon her death, her estate and French title were inherited by her grandson Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond, 2nd Duke of Lennox, 2nd Duke of  Aubigny (1701-1750). The French estate, Château de la Verrerie, was retained by his descendants until 1842 when it was sold by Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond, 5th Duke of Lennox, 5th Duke of Aubigny. Much of the collection of paintings and furniture is now at Goodwood House in Chichester, West Sussex, England, the seat of the Duke of Richmond and Lennox, originated in the collection of his ancestor Louise de Kérouaille.

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Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Château De La Verrerie (Cher). [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_la_Verrerie_(Cher)> [Accessed 14 September 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Louise De Kérouaille, Duchess Of Portsmouth. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_de_K%C3%A9rouaille,_Duchess_of_Portsmouth> [Accessed 14 September 2020].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2016. King Charles II Of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-charles-ii-of-england/> [Accessed 12 September 2020].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Louise Renée De Penancoët De Keroual. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Ren%C3%A9e_de_Penanco%C3%ABt_de_Keroual> [Accessed 14 September 2020].
• Fraser, Antonia, 1979. King Charles II. London: Phoenix.