Even when the women do get involved in affairs of state, the propensity of the period for conveying the most important messages orally means that we never learn exactly how Catherine and Elisabeth managed their diplomatic talks, nor whether their tactics were substantially different from those a father and son might have deployed in a similar situation. We do learn that both Elisabeth and Mary, in different contexts, found advice and support from noblewomen and ladies-in-waiting. This caused problems when Elisabeth’s favourite, Madame de Vineux, threatened to supplant Madame de Clermont, who Elisabeth’s mother Catherine trusted to guide her. Later, isolated after her move to Scotland, the young Mary found herself lobbied by the Countess of Lennox to marry the countess’ son, Henry Darnley, only for him to prove a most unsuitable husband.

Baptized Caterina Maria Romula in the Medici parish church of San Lorenzo, she was the great-granddaughter of Il Magnifico. Every important event in her childhood turned on this single fact. From her earliest years, Caterina was subject to the whims of princes and the ebb and flow of Italian and European politics. Even her conception had been political, her flesh and blood plotted by ambitious relatives who anticipated her birth with both delight and greed. Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh at Balmoral to celebrate their Silver Wedding anniversary in 1972. Credit: PA Unlike the two long-lived Elizabeths, Mary II died only five years later, provoking public outpourings of grief at the untimely death of their young queen. Mary’s unexpected death also left her grieving husband William III, with whom she had shared the dual monarchy, to rule alone. Already a young wife and mother of two, she would become a mother to the nation, and to the Commonwealth of nations around the globe. It would have been a lot to process for the young queen on that day in 1952.The Queen’s reign has also been laced with happy memories, including many weddings. The most recent was her granddaughter Princess Beatrice’s in 2020, which took place amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the Queen and Philip having to stand socially distanced away from the happy couple. Neither Victoria nor William IV would have come to the throne if another heiress, Princess Charlotte of Wales, had not died in childbirth at age 21 in 1817. Charlotte’s beautiful and emotive tomb at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor – where Elizabeth II will be buried – visibly expresses the tragedy of her early, unexpected death. From unexpected heirs to senior sovereigns

It was a lifetime of loyalty to her realm that defined her reign, with the Queen touring the UK, the Commonwealth and overseas hundreds of times. Bauer Consumer Media Ltd, Company number 01176085; Bauer Radio Limited, Company number: 1394141; Registered office: Media House, Peterborough Business Park, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA and H Bauer Publishing, Company number: LP003328; Registered office: The Lantern, 75 Hampstead Road, London NW1 2PL Sir Edward Young attends the Committal Service for Queen Elizabeth II at St George's Chapel Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images This exceptionally brilliant book, deft of phrase and vividly realized, conveys the vitality of the past as few books do. It’s an enviable tour de force and marks the arrival of a wonderful new voice in narrative history." — Suzannah Lipscomb, author of A Visitor’s Companion to Tudor England and host of the hit podcast Not Just the Tudors In this must-read prequel to Kendare Blake’s New York Times bestselling Three Dark Crowns, the queens’ origin story is revealed. It’s a pre-crown lowdown of Fennbirn’s ruling class.Mirabella, Arsinoe, and Katharine weren't always scheming to murde...

Men’s fertility also declines with age — here’s what to know if you’re planning to wait to have kids Having ascended to the throne at the tender age of 25 after the passing of her father, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II was the longest reigning monarch in British history. Elisabeth de Valois’ story begins in France, where she is born the beloved daughter of a king. It ends tragically in Spain as a cherished queen consort and mother – one who must make the ultimate sacrifice for her kingdom. The Queen’s reign has not been without tragedy, most recently the death of her husband of 73 years Prince Philip in 2021. However, one of the most tragic losses the Queen, the royal family and the country had to endure was the death of Princess Diana in 1997. Lord of The Rings: Rings of Power – a guide to the expanded world of Middle-earth in J.R.R Tolkein’s other books

Was it in Clarice’s home, too, that she first learned something of her mother’s family? The Medici were too starved for blue blood not to have relished Madeleine’s vaunted ancestry, their link to the French royal family. Through her own mother, Madeleine sprang from a branch of the Bourbons. The second family in the kingdom of France, the Bourbons descended from the sainted crusading king, Louis IX. Known as the “princes of the blood,” the Bourbons were poised to inherit the French throne if ever the current Valois dynasty died out. King Francis I and his fertile wife Claude had already produced enough sons to ensure a Valois king in the next generation, but the Bourbons were nonetheless powerful and beloved by French subjects, revered for their ancient bloodlines. King Francis had kept his promise to the Medici indeed when he delivered Madeleine, a Bourbon, to the altar at Amboise in 1518.10 As it turned out, death came for the pope first. Leo X expired suddenly on December 1, 1521, just weeks after endorsing Charles V’s claim to Milan. The new pope, Hadrian VI, was a Dutchman with no interest in Medici affairs or their infant children. Slipping the Ring of the Fisherman on his finger, Hadrian left Catherine nestled in the bosom of the Strozzi household. For a brief but blissful few years, she was mostly forgotten. By 1525, the Italian Wars had brought King Francis to new lows. In February of that year, Charles V’s Imperial troops pummeled French battalions in the disastrous battle at Pavia, slaughtering the flower of French nobility and sending Francis himself into Spanish captivity. Although the exact timing remains unclear, it was likely from his Spanish prison that Francis wrote to his trusted counselor and general, John Stewart, Duke of Albany, urging him to visit the new pope. While in Rome, suggested Francis, Albany might make a little side trip to the Strozzi villa. Chang has provided a remarkable account of women’s place in power and their struggles and challenges. Each of these women experienced distinctly unique problems, while also undergoing familiar prejudices that still exist. Young Queens is a fascinating read for history lovers as well as those who enjoy political and courtly intrigue." — David Arndt, The Free Lance-Star Orphaned from infancy, Catherine de’ Medici endured a tumultuous childhood. Married to the French king, she was widowed by forty, only to become the power behind the French throne during a period of intense civil strife. In 1546, Catherine gave birth to a daughter, Elisabeth de Valois, who would become Queen of Spain. Two years later, Catherine welcomed to her nursery the beguiling young Mary Queen of Scots, who would later become her daughter-in-law.Caterina would remain in Clarice Strozzi’s household for the next several years. This was a waiting game. Pope Leo had hoped Madeleine would give birth to a boy—a son who could inherit his father’s titles and properties, and push Medici good fortune into France and beyond. Instead, the Medici got a girl. Certainly, she could prove useful one day as a bride to seal other worthy political alliances. If, that is, she lived—and it was a big if, given that sixteenth-century parents half-expected their children to die before the age of seven, no matter how wealthy the family or how tenderly their babies were loved. In fact, at the age of three months, the infant Caterina fell so deathly ill that Pope Leo feared another imminent Medici tragedy.7 The baby pulled through, yet everyone knew the next childhood illness was just around the corner.

Katharine, Arsinoe and Mirabella - three young queens born to fulfil their destiny - to fight to the death to win the crown. But before they were poisoner, elemental and naturalist, they were children, sisters and friends . . . Discover the origin story of the three queens of Fennbirn in this exclusive e-novella from Kendare Blake, bestselling author of the New York Times bestselling, Three Dark Crowns. Young Queens is informative and meticulously well researched. I found it a little hard to follow the chronology at times as three life stories are being told simultaneously, including a timeline may have been useful. I would also have loved to see family trees and images of the portraits mentioned. However the book is very well written and the author really brings the three women to life. I especially enjoyed the story of Catherine graffitiing her unfinished portrait! It was also interesting to see a different side to Philip II as I’d only really known of him as the (mostly absent) husband of Mary I.Alluring, gripping, real: an astonishing insight into the lives of three queens, stepping out from the shadows of the patriarchy—we meet them on their own terms." — Alice Roberts, author of Ancestors and Buried The Queen has had a long-standing relationship with the Armed Forces, both in the UK and in the Commonwealth.