The New Murrey and Blue blog

While I am no Marilyn Monroe, nor ever have been, in one respect I am just like her….beneath my (faux!) fur coat, I am likely to only be wearing one perfume. In her case Chanel Number Five; in mine Diorissimo. I have worn it since I was sixteen and still love it. It’s been around a while now, but when I came upon the sites below, imagine my surprise when I realised just how much of a newcomer it is.

I had no idea that a fragrance called the Acqua della Regina (the Queen’s Water) out-ages all the rest. It’s based on the recipe of a perfume that was first made by the Dominican friars of Santa Maria Novella for Catherine de’ Medici in 1533 as a wedding gift for her husband-to-be, King Henry II of France. “Intended for both men and women, it was one of the first alcohol-based perfumes in the world, and its primary notes are of bright, fresh citrus with lavender, rosemary and ‘oriental sweet herbs.’”

Well, I like the sound of it, but will need a spare £85 to splash it around. Hmm. Can citrus, lavender, rosemary and oriental sweet herbs lure me away from my beloved Diorissimo after sixty-two years….? Probably not. That Dior hint of lily-of-the-valley plays havoc with me, I fear!

Now, if anyone knows of a perfume that has been around since before 1533, I’d love to know about it. Just what might have driven Richard III dizzy with desire when he went to Anne Neville’s bed? Or set Edward IV’s heart racing when he was with Elizabeth Woodville? Or, as it was intended for men and women, what scent did George of Clarence dab behind his ears on his wedding night with Isabel Neville? Alas, we’ll never know.

By the way, if Henry VII dabbed anything anywhere, I don’t want to know!

To read more about the 1533 fragrance, see here Acqua della Regina – Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella (smnovella.com and here https://www.oldest.org/culture/perfumes/.