Page 40 - All About History - Issue 72-18

Royal rivalry

Kate Williams

on Rival Queens

We speak to bestselling author, historian and broadcaster Kate Williams

about her new book, Rival Queens: The Betrayal of Mary, Queen of Scots,

and the need for a new, modern perspective

Interview by Jessica Leggett

Firstly, could you sum up for our A lot of work has already been done shows how hard it was to be a woman living
readers what your book, Rival Queens: on the relationship between Mary and in a man’s world.
The Betrayal of Mary, Queen of Scots, Elizabeth. What inspired you to write
is all about? this book? Have you discovered anything new to
My book is all about Mary, Queen of Scots, the I think I was so fascinated by the queenship this topic?
betrayal and Elizabeth’s relationship with her, aspect. We usually see Mary as a tragic queen Well I think the role of her half-brother, James
looking at how indeed Mary was undermined or a failed queen but she did everything by the Stuart, Earl of Moray, has been underestimated
and set up to fail from the beginning. book, everything was textbook. and how he undermined Mary. It is clear that
Obviously, Elizabeth is a great queen and There was religious toleration and she he is behind a lot of what goes wrong for her
we rightly see a lot of what she did as effective, listened to her ministers, but rather than just and that he had a large influence in the murder
such as religious toleration, but Mary also trying to undermine her like Elizabeth’s did by of her husband, Lord Darnley. In fact it was
attempted to do this and failed. I am fascinated going behind her back, they tried to kidnap thought, at the time, that he had been rather
by the story of two queens and one island and her and attack her. They staged power coups overlooked and forgotten – he is definitely the
this incredible rivalry between them. against her from the beginning and it really evil genius in Mary’s life. I think that is my new

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