Sex and love

Many brides wear a lucky garter under their wedding gowns. In ancient times, bridal garments were considered blessed, and the bride would have all her clothes ripped from her by the guests on the wedding night as everyone tried to snatch a piece. (Photo by Tatiana1987/Dreamstime.com)

10 historical superstitions we carry on today

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

Love before Albert: Queen Victoria’s suitors

Coca cola bottles from the 1990s

From Velcro to Viagra: 10 products that were invented by accident

Portrait of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. (Ken Welsh/Design Pics/Corbis via Getty Images)

Princely pleasures at Kenilworth: Robert Dudley’s three-week marriage proposal to Elizabeth I

Podcast FB Nicola Tallis

Elizabeth’s love rival

Henry VIII

5 things you (probably) didn’t know about Henry VIII

A portrait of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert with five of their children, by Frederick Winterhalter. (Photo by © Historical Picture Archive/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

Victoria and Albert: a marriage of misery?

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In pictures: erotic postcards of the early 20th century

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The 1967 Sexual Offences Act: a landmark moment in the history of British homosexuality

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Marrying for love: Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville

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Lonely hearts and holiday flings: a history of dating

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The Duke of Wellington and his ‘Dearest Georgy’

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Who were ‘Stella’ and ‘Fanny’?