The immediate family of kings and queens, emirs, sultans, and sultanas, or Raja and Rani, as well as their extended family, constitute a royal family.

Royal families have always been concerned with keeping their bloodlines pure.

Marrying a relative ensures that secrets are hidden away, wealth is kept in the family, and heirs to the throne are completely controlled.

However, modern science has revealed that inbreeding causes diseases and deformities. And at times, truly bizarre behavior.

We are relieved that inbreeding has mostly ended.

Here are royals who were born with flaws and mutations for the sake of the bloodline.

1. Empress Elisabeth suffered from depression and anorexia

Empress Elisabeth of Austria married her cousin, Franz Josef. She was stunning, and she was frequently compared to Princess Diana. She did, however, suffer from anorexia and depression.

Elizabeth was apprehensive, shy, and nervous. She ate very little but exercised a lot. Her son committed suicide, causing the Empress to travel the world before being assassinated by an Italian anarchist.

2. Princess Nahienaena’s people turned on her for infidelity

Nahienaena of Hawaii began a romantic relationship with her brother, King Kamehameha III. The protestant missionaries were outraged. She wished to wed him. She was expelled from the church after the siblings married in 1825.

Nahienaena was discovered to be pregnant with her brother’s child, and despite her repentance, the people shunned her. Her baby died within a few hours, possibly as a result of inbreeding defects.

3. Maria the Mad was prone to temper tantrums

Maria I of Portugal married her uncle. Her cousin was Prince Joao, their son. Maria the Mad was thought to be deeply religious, almost fanatical in her faith.

When she thought of eternal damnation, she would shriek and howl, accompanied by tantrums. Maria was diagnosed as insane by Dr. Francis Willis, but none of his treatments worked.

4. King Rama V had numerous wives but only displayed one in public

King Rama V had 77 children with his harem of 153 wives, concubines, and consorts. He belonged to the Chakri dynasty, which was notorious for marrying cousins and relatives. Rama V established public hospitals, constructed a railway, and even abolished slavery.

As western leaders looked down on his practices, he only showed one of his wives in public. He was aware of the incest but insisted it was simply custom.

5. Blue Pee of King George

Porphyria was possibly present in King George III of England. This genetic condition causes bouts of insanity and causes the person suffering from it to have purplish-bluish urine.

However, he might have been suffering from bipolar disorder. He’d write in a different style and talk nonstop until he drooled. George also suffered from skin conditions, which cost him the American Revolution due to his mental state.

6. Nero’s insane behavior

Many royal families practiced inbreeding, but the Romans appear to have had the worst of it. Modern scholars are investigating whether inbreeding played a direct role in the atrocities committed and cruel practices practiced.

Nero slept with his mother, murdered her, his stepbrother and wives, and held abusive orgies in his villa. He watched the city burn. He persecuted Christians as well. Nero was not in his right mind.

7. King Charles II of Spain was hardly able to speak or eat

Charles II had a prominently protruding jawline, which was common in the Habsbrug line. As a result, he was unable to eat or speak. The King was known to drool a lot and couldn’t walk until he was eight years old. Even back then, he found it difficult.

He was married twice but had no children, which could be attributed to his inbred status.

8. Bloodthirsty Caligula

Caligula was born into a family of biological relatives who married to keep money, power, and the bloodline pure. He was a man consumed with lust and insatiable brutality. He forced people to witness their children’s tortures and executions.

Claims that he engaged with his sisters while being cruel to them are very likely. Caligula was eventually assassinated by guardsmen.

9. Ferdinand I of Austria was seen rolling around in trash cans

He was a descendant of Joana of Castile and the son of Emperor Franz II and Marie-Therese, who were double first cousins. Ferdinand was born with a condition known as hydrocephaly. This indicated that he had water in his brain.

Due to his disabilities, Ferdinand did not have direct control over state affairs. He did enjoy rolling around on the floor while sitting on the end of a paper basket.

10. Cleopatra was most likely overweight

Cleopatra is remembered as a tough, smart lady who charmed and seduced her way to success. She is frequently depicted as beautiful, but because she lived during the Ptolemaic period, her parents were siblings. As was customary, she married both of her brothers.

Cleopatra was discovered to have a hooked nose, a round face, and fat under her chin. She is a far cry from the beautiful woman who history portrays her to be.

11. Joanna of Castile and her husband’s body

Joanna belonged to the Trastamara family. Throughout the centuries, they were known for cousin marriages. Her parents were cousins on both sides. It’s possible that as a result of her being a victim of such a practice, she won’t be able to have children.

Joanna was a bright child who could be moody at times. Philip, her husband, was also the result of inbreeding. She kept his body after he died and slept with it.

12. The cleft palate and elongated skull of King Tut

Inbreeding was also common in ancient Egypt. The parents of King Tutankhamen were no exception. His mummy revealed that he had a cleft palate, club foot, and elongated skull, as well as chronic malaria. He wasn’t the typical strong young man portrayed in popular culture. DNA analysis was performed on King Tut.

He was the result of a high level of an incestuous relationship. His parents were most likely siblings, and his weakened immunity meant he wasn’t going to live a long life. King Tut, on the other hand, made the same mistake by marrying his sister.

13. Hemophilia may have been spread by Queen Victoria

Victoria’s ancestors were found throughout European royalty. Because they were first cousins, all her children with Prince Albert were inbred.

She had hemophilia, which she passed on to her children and down the family tree. It’s a rare, recessive disease, and for hemophilia to be present among cousins, the queen could be the result of inbreeding.

14. Alexei Romanov’s Hemophilia

Alexei Romanov is Queen Victoria’s grandson. He inherited the infamous “royal disease” hemophilia. His bleeding was so severe that it threatened his young life.

This prompted his mother, Tsarina Alexandra, to seek Rasputin’help. The tragic story of the Romanovs, as well as the eccentric Rasputin, has been well documented.

15. Princess Victoria Melita’s royal difficulties

Princess Victoria Melita is Queen Victoria’s granddaughter. She may not have had hemophilia, but her headaches were out of this world. Kirill Vladimirovich, Melita’s cousin, married her.

The royals may have insisted on intermarriage to keep the blood pure, but it wasn’t always easy for them.

16. King Ludwig II was deposed because of his madness

King Ludwig II was known for being mentally unstable, to the point of being completely disconnected from his surroundings. He ascended to the throne at the age of 18 was still a child on the inside.

He never carried out his responsibilities, preferring to live in his fantasy world. In 1886, he was deposed and murdered.

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Sources: History Collection, Wikipedia – Royal family