Who introduced tea drinking to the English court in the 17th century?

Catherine of Braganza introduced tea drinking to the English court in the 17th century.

The Portuguese princess married King Charles II in 1662 and brought her established habit of drinking tea to the English royal court. Tea was already known in England before her arrival: London coffeehouses sold it in the 1650s, and Samuel Pepys recorded drinking it in 1660. Catherine’s influence helped transform tea from an expensive, sometimes medicinal novelty into a fashionable court beverage.

Her example particularly influenced aristocratic women, for whom tea became a socially acceptable drink during visits and gatherings. Sugar, another costly imported commodity, was often added, making tea a conspicuous symbol of wealth.

Catherine did not invent tea or introduce it to England for the first time. The more precise claim is that she popularised tea drinking at court and helped make it fashionable among England’s elite. Charles II’s name is sometimes confused with hers because he was the reigning monarch, but Catherine was the figure associated with bringing the habit to court.