The truth behind Queen Elizabeth’s white ‘clown face’ makeup
Almost 500 years ago Queen Elizabeth was struck down with a violent fever. What happened next would change the course of history.
When Queen Elizabeth I was 29, in 1562, she was struck down with what was believed to be a violent fever.
Ordered by doctors to remain in her bed at Hampton Court Palace, it was soon clear that her illness was more than just a fever — she had the dreaded smallpox.
Smallpox was a feared, deadly, viral disease that was highly contagious. There was no cure and no treatment. As recently as the 1960s, around 12 million people caught the disease and around two million people died every year.
Small pox was eventually eradicated by immunisation in 1980 but the story behind the vaccine is fascinating.
What began as an illness led to a rash that developed in small blisters or pustules that would split before drying and forming a scab that left scars.
It was 457 years ago that Elizabeth came close to death but the aftermath of the disease that nearly killed her led to the iconic makeup style, that makes Queen Elizabeth one of the most recognisable monarchs of British royal history.
The Dreaded Pox
