He had “favorites”
The establishment of favorites was one of the more intriguing of James I's many contentious policies that he oversaw. Although it wasn't a formal rank, James I showed enormous favor to some individuals, liberally bestowing upon them gifts, honors, and even titles like duke or lord. James I made a lot of judgments based on favorites, and he chose these favorites based on, well...attractiveness.
A bizarre fact about James I was that he would choose the ones he thought were most gorgeous to be his favorites. James I was a well-known gay man. James had intimate relationships with male courtiers throughout his life, which has sparked discussion regarding the specifics of those interactions among historians. Anne Murray was referred to as the king's mistress in Scotland.
Esmé Stewart (after the Duchess of Lennox), Robert Carr (later the Earl of Somerset), and George Villiers (eventually the Duke of Buckingham), according to some James biographers, were his lovers. King James was never known for his discretion, so it didn't take long for rumors to circulate regarding his, eh, intimate friendship with Esmé Stewart. When an English ambassador once paid a visit to James' court, what he saw astonished him. James was described as being "in such love with [Stewart] as to often grip him about the neck with his arms and kiss him in the open sight of the people" by the author.
