British queens

From Eleanor of Aquitaine to Anne Boleyn, these queens shaped British history...

A smiling woman in a tweed jacket stands in an office lined with bookshelves, resting her hand on the shoulder of a bearded bronze bust that's wearing a white hard hat.

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“George IV should have been a hairdresser”: Lucy Worsley on rethinking Britain's royal past. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A stylised illustration shows a hand holding a large, brightly coloured flower. In the centre of the flower is a person’s face, framed by vivid red‑orange petals. Green leaves extend from the stem, each containing faint, sketch‑like faces. The background is dark and textured, creating contrast with the bright central flower.

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The curse of the Boleyns: how Anne's fall doomed her family. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A collage-style image shows King Charles III and Donald Trump in formal evening dress on the left, set against a blended backdrop of the US and UK flags and a 19th-century painting. To the right, Queen Elizabeth II, wearing a tiara and turquoise gown, raises a glass in a toast with President Gerald Ford, while smaller historical figures appear in the background.

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Pageantry and politics: a history of British royal visits to the US. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A collage of six images shows Queen Elizabeth II in military uniform, in later life wearing a light outfit and hat, in coronation regalia beside Prince Philip, speaking at a BBC microphone, on her wedding day, and as a young woman hugging a dog.

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Long to reign over us: how did Queen Elizabeth II survive seven decades of dizzying change?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A young Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, smiles in a black-and-white portrait, wearing a riding hat and tailored jacket against a plain sky.

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The young Elizabeth II: life before she was Queen. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A collage combines several portraits and illustrations of rulers and notable figures, including people in regal robes, armour, and elaborate crowns, alongside a muscular figure drawn in a black‑and‑white engraving style.

Medieval

16 of the worst monarchs in history

A collage of Tudor figures. Each square shows a different monarch or noble figure in 16th‑ or early‑17th‑century dress, including ruffs, jewelled headpieces, and richly decorated garments. Recognisable figures such as Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Mary I, Elizabeth I, and James I appear among the portraits. The grid highlights variations in artistic style, clothing, and facial depiction across the period.

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Think you know everything about the Tudors? Here are 15 facts that will prove you wrong. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A group of children in early‑20th‑century clothing gather on a dirt street in a working‑class neighbourhood. Several of the children are outlined in purple against the monochrome scene.

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The Victorians were facing a population crisis, until this ‘obscene’ invention turned out to be the solution. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A digital collage mixes close‑up sections of a painted face with modern geometric shapes in yellow, blue, gray, white, and rust‑red, intersected by black lines. A necklace with a gold letter “B” and pearl drops appears among the fragments.

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What did Anne Boleyn REALLY look like? Our new research could change everything. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A cartoon-style rubber date stamp with a red top and a yellow crown sits on a stack of three yellow books labeled 1, 2, and 3. The stamp’s rotating number bands are visible, and the books are arranged like steps against a plain background.

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What was the most important year in history? We asked 9 experts – and this is what they said. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An illustration depicting a man in black trousers and a black and white striped jumper and an orange cap, holding a bunch of balloons. On some balloons are the faces of famous people, including a Viking and Winston Churchill

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Who is the most overrated person in history? 9 experts reveal their choices. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An illustration showing a royal purple robe being lifted from the ground, with some dust being swept under it with a dustpan and brush

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The prince and the brothel: 6 scandals that rocked the British monarchy. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An illustration of a haunted house. The background is black and purple, and the house is split into orange, green, black and white boxes. In each box, there are Halloween themed things such as skulls, ghosts, and eyes looking through keyholes

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From tragic Tudor queens to restless Roman soldiers: Britain's 8 most haunted houses. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A collaged picture shows a marble statue of Elizabeth I wearing a large crown on the left, and a portrait of King James I, dressed in a red and white robe and crown on the right

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The lie of succession: did James I steal Elizabeth I's crown?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

To the left, there is a black and white image of Queen Victoria. She is dressed in dark clothing and has her hair partially pulled back by a black fastening. Facing her, on the right is an image of John Brown, a bearded man wearing military uniform and a hat. Over them, there is a pink treatment with a rip in it

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How I uncovered Victoria's secret love: Historian Fern Riddell explains all. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Two green hearts are sideways, facing each other. In each there is an image: one has a painting of Elizabeth I and the other has a painting of the Duke of Anjou

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The Virgin Queen? Elizabeth I's forbidden love. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A portrait of Mary I, queen of England

Tudor

Mary I: your guide to the life and rule of Henry VIII's daughter – plus a timeline and 7 little-known facts

A portrait of Anne Boleyn

Tudor

Why did Henry VIII send Anne Boleyn to the block?

A young Katherine Parr, by William Henry Mote.

Tudor

All you need to know about Katherine Parr – the truth about the wife who 'survived'

Portrait of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII

Tudor

Anne Boleyn: your guide to the life and death of Henry VIII's second queen – plus 11 little-known facts

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The Elizabethan court, with Professor Tracy Borman. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

General History

Royal women podcast episodes

Anne Boleyn during her imprisonment in the Tower of London, a c1835 painting by Édouard Cibot (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Tudor

Elizabeth I and Anne Boleyn: the Tudor queen’s undying love for her mother

Elizabeth Cromwell

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Elizabeth Cromwell: the life of Oliver Cromwell’s shadowy queen. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Elizabeth is borne from Westminster Abbey in a gold coach first used for the state opening of parliament by George III in 1762. (Getty Images)

20th Century

Becoming Queen: Elizabeth II’s coronation

President Reagan laughs following a joke by Queen Elizabeth, who commented on the lousy California weather she had experienced since her arrival to the States. The British Queen is delivering a brief address during a state dinner held at the De Young Museum in San Francisco. (Picture by Bettmann/Getty Images)

20th Century

Queen Elizabeth's relationships with US presidents

General Modern

British royal family podcast episodes

Queen Elizabeth wearing a hat against a blue background

20th Century

In picturesQueen Elizabeth II through the decades

Elizabeth II poses for a portrait in Buckingham Palace in December 1958

General Modern

Queen Elizabeth II50+ facts about her life and reign

A portrait of young Queen Victoria wearing a tiara

Victorian

The young Queen Victoria’s struggle to gain the throne

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