This book by French researcher Michel Duchesne, author of biographies of Mary Stuart, Elizabeth of England, Charles I and other works, is dedicated to a man who went down in the history of England in the 17th century not only as a statesman, but also as a romantic, adventurous, almost legendary hero . George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham - favorite of two monarchs, royal equerry, chief admiral of the British fleet, military leader and diplomat, even after almost four centuries continues to arouse keen interest. And indeed, the bright and tragic fate of a minor nobleman, who reached the pinnacle of state power at the age of twenty-four and died at thirty-six from the dagger of an assassin, cannot but fascinate, just as it cannot but fascinate. The image of a handsome seducer, an irresistible conqueror of women's hearts, who made everyone believe (and, perhaps, believed himself) that he was the beloved of the Queen of France.