Don’t get me wrong. I love Scottish romance as much as the next girl. My favourite Scottish series are: Outlander, Love at Stakes (highly recommend this one), and Highlander. Okay, these series have a paranormal touch, but they’re still Scottish romance.When I started reading historical romance, years ago, I wondered why there were so many covers with shirtless Highlanders. Was there something about Scotsmen I didn’t know? Why Scottish romance and not, I don’t know, Swiss romance? Where did the myth of the romantic highlanders come from?So I did a bit of digging. You’re probably going to roll your eyes, but I found that the Scottish romance trope comes from Queen Victoria. Yes. Vicky again.After the death of her husband, Victoria spent a lot of time in her castle in Balmoral, Scotland, and became a very good friend of her servant, John Brown. (Here's a Wikipedia link: John Brown )



John took care of the horses, proudly wore a kilt, and called the queen “wumman,” since he refused to address her as Your Highness or My Queen. He thought those titles were nonsense (a true Jacobite, if you ask me, but I digress). Strong and handsome, John didn’t give a toss about etiquette, shocking Victoria’s daughters and sons and the entire London’s aristocratic society with his informal manners. Soon, rumours about the relationship between Victorian and John spread. The Scotsman earned a few nicknames, like the Queen’s lover and the Queen’s stallion. Victoria always dismissed the chit-chats, claiming that John was only a good friend.Maybe it was true, maybe it wasn’t. One thing is certain. The queen wasn’t the only one who found John attractive. Secretly, many ladies swooned over the hunky Scotsman, envying the queen and her long horse-ridings with her servant. So that’s it. This is how Scotsmen got their place in one of the most famous romantic tropes we still very much enjoy today.   A few recommendations