The great French king Louis XIV, the Sun King, became famous not only for his outstanding historical deeds, but also for his high-profile love affairs. He showered his favorites with fabulous favors, elevated them to the level of his lawful wife Maria Theresa, and equated his side children with his legitimate ones. More than one Frenchwoman cherished the dream of winning the love of the king in order to taste the royal bounty. But were the ladies who were part of the king’s entourage really that happy? Who ruined Louis's intention to marry his beloved girl? Why did his favorite Louise de La Vallière become a nun at the age of only 30? Why was the mother of the king's seven children, the Marquis de Montespan, unceremoniously expelled from her chambers in the Palace of Versailles? For what reason could the secret wife of the king, Madame de Maintenon, who devoted more than three decades to maintaining the image of the great monarch, not enjoy all the rights of a legal wife? Why didn’t Louis’ cousin, the Great Mademoiselle, manage to marry her loved one? How many women's destinies were sacrificed to the political plans of the king? All this is described in piquant detail in the book of the famous author Natalia Sotnikova “The Sun King and His Beautiful Ladies.”