IAN SWANKIE

Few historical characters capture our imagination like Mary Stuart. By birth, she was a rival claimant to the throne of her Protestant cousin, Elizabeth I of England. So, here, at the end of the Tudor era, were two women on two thrones in a man’s world, where no woman should govern. All around were sycophants, spies and detractors who wanted their power and favour.  The rivals fit into categories ascribed to them over the centuries. Elizabeth: strong, shrewd, cautious and not swayed by feminine emotion; Mary: charming, impulsive, and a doomed romantic heroine. The two Queens made very different choices about marriage and children, in their struggle to maintain control.  Ultimately, betrayal, rebellion and conspiracies drove them apart, as each woman experienced the bitter cost of queenship. 

Siobhan Clarke

Siobhan has given us several talks on royal subjects. She has worked for Historic Royal Palaces for 20 years delivering tours and lectures on Hampton Court, Kensington, the Tower of London, Banqueting House, and Whitehall Palace. Siobhan lectures for the British Museum, National Trust, National Archives and the Smithsonian. She also featured on BBC Radio Woman's Hour and television's Secrets of Henry VIII's Palace. She has published several books about aspects of royalty.