Legacy Matters

Dying to Look Good

Dying to look good: French king's mistress killed by drinking gold elixir of youth

Miracle beauty products may be a staple on women's dressing tables today, but they're not a recent invention.

The mistress of the 16th-century French king, Henry II, drank gold in an effort to preserve her youth, according to a study published in the British medical journal.

Unfortunately the remedy eventually killed her.

When French experts dug up the remains of Diane de Poitiers last year, they found high levels of gold in her hair.

Since she was not a queen and did not wear a crown, scientists said it was hard to see how jewellery could have contaminated her hair and body.

Experts now say she probably consumed drinkable gold, believed at the time to preserve youth and treat a host of other ailments.

The French court believed gold harnessed the power of the Sun, which would be transferred to the drinker. Alchemists often acted as apothecaries and prescribed solutions made up of gold chloride and diethyl ether. These were popular at the French Court.