MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS KNEW HOW TO STOMP ON A NARCISSISTIC ROYAL HUSBAND

When Latham left Elizabeth’s court to serve Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots and her husband, Henry Stuart Lord Darnley, I had to sidle into that notoriously miserable marriage. These coins tickled me! Mary minted the first one on their marriage. Its inscription is Henricus & Maria, with handsome Darnley’s big head taller than his wife’s. Mary soured on him within months, with reason, and withdrew this coin from circulation. They are rare. This image is from the British Museum.

Mary replaced the Henricus & Maria coins with those below, Maria & Henricus, with a thistle on one side and a coat of arms on the other. These coins  can be bought from dealers.

Has anyone exceeded Tudors or Stuarts in the art of public insult? Readers, let me know at loretta@lorettagoldberg.com!

My next blog is: The Secret of Thrills; or, the Thrill of Secrets