Famous Men Who Were With Their Mistresses When They Died

Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria, was the son of the infamous Empress Sisi and was first in line to the throne. However, for all the benefits of a privileged royal life, it also meant he had to marry who he was told to, and in his case, this meant Princess Stephanie of Belgium, who was 15 when they wed in 1881. The two tolerated each other, but not much more, according to The New York Times.

Unhappy at home, the charming Rudolf had continual affairs, until he finally met Baroness Mary Vetsera, or rather, she was thrust forcefully into his path by her social-climbing mother, per "Twilight of Empire: The Tragedy at Mayerling and the End of the Habsburgs." Only three months after their affair began, the two died together at the royal family's hunting lodge, in an apparent suicide pact. She was 17, he was 30.

After their deaths, rumors spread so quickly that some are still repeated as fact today, or are at least cited by Mayerling conspiracy theorists. Even the ambassador from the Vatican was passing along rumors, telling people the gun wasn't one of the crown prince's and that too many bullets had been fired for it to be suicide. Other conspiracies claimed Mary had really killed Rudolf because he was leaving her, or that they both had serious defensive wounds that pointed to an assassination by a third party. However, there is no evidence it was anything other than two people dying by suicide.

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

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