Tracy Borman - Crown & Sceptre: A New History of the British Monarchy from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II

CROWN & SCEPTRE

A New History of the British Monarchy, from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II

TRACY BORMAN

Atlantic Monthly Press

New York

Copyright 2021 by Tracy Borman

Jacket design by Gretchen Mergenthaler

Jacket images: map of British Isles, 1878, William the Conqueror, Henry VIII, the Crown of England, Queen Victoria, all Alamy; Queen Elizabeth II inspecting the troops Serge Lemoine/Getty Images.

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First published in Great Britain in 2021 by Hodder & Stoughton, an Hachette UK company.

First Grove Atlantic hardcover edition: February 2022

Typeset in Dante MT Std by Palimpsest Book Production Limited, Falkirk, Stirlingshire.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data is available for this title.

ISBN 978-0-8021-5910-6

eISBN 978-0-8021-5911-3

Atlantic Monthly Press

an imprint of Grove Atlantic

154 West 14th Street

New York, NY 10011

Distributed by Publishers Group West

groveatlantic.com

Also by Tracy Borman

Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him

The Private Lives of the Tudors: Uncovering the Secrets of Britains Greatest Dynasty

Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story of Henry VIIIs Most Faithful Servant

Witches: A Tale of Sorcery, Scandal and Seduction

Queen of the Conqueror: The Life of Matilda, Wife of William I

Elizabeths Women: Friends, Rivals, and Foes Who Shaped the Virgin Queen

Kings Mistress, Queens Servant: The Life and Times of Henrietta Howard

The Story of the Tower of London

The Story of Kensington Palace

Fiction

The Kings Witch

The Devils Slave

The Fallen Angel

To Honor, with heartfelt thanks for all the inspiration

And in loving memory of my cousin, Andrew Picksley

Fittingly enough, I first discussed the idea for this book with my editor, Rupert Lancaster, at the Tower of London, that bastion of royal history. I was both excited and daunted at the prospect of taking on such a vast subject, but Ruperts encouragement and good humour sustained me throughout. I also owe a huge debt of gratitude to my American editor, George Gibson, whose exceptional eye for detail and insightful comments helped to shape the book from the outset. My agent, Julian Alexander, has, as ever, played the indispensable role of advisor, editor and champion both of the book itself and of me as an author and I couldnt be more grateful. I would also like to thank Ben Clark and Isabella Wilson at The Soho Agency for always being so positive and helpful.

I feel very fortunate to have been supported by the wider team at Hodder once more. I am particularly indebted to Juliet Brightmore for gathering such an inspired collection of images, which really bring the characters and themes I have written about to life. Rebecca Mundy and Caitriona Horne have provided fantastic publicity and marketing support, and Cameron Myers and Ciara Mongey have been unfailingly efficient and helpful. Nick Fawcett did an absolutely wonderful job on the copy edit and saved me many blushes, and I am grateful to Virginia Williams for her excellent proof-reading. Geraldine Beares work on the index was as painstaking as ever.

My research was greatly assisted by the works of other historians of the monarchy, most notably Alison Weir, whose exceptional book Britains Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy was an invaluable source of reference. I also drew on works by Sir David Cannadine, whose insights into British royal history are as shrewd as they are enlightening. I am deeply grateful to Michael Wood for sharing his research on thelstan, widely regarded as Englands first king and the subject of Michaels forthcoming book. The military historian Julian Humphrys provided invaluable advice on the battles that feature in the book and on the English Civil War, as well some of the early medieval monarchs. Canon Roland Riem was kind enough to give me a tour of the excellent Kings & Scribes exhibition at Winchester Cathedral, and I am very grateful to Catherine Hodgson for arranging this. I would also like to thank Hector MacLeod for sharing some fascinating material on Mary, Queen of Scots and her son, James VI and I. One of the most extraordinary moments in my research was when Paul Fitzsimmons, Sandi Vasoli and James Peacock brought my attention to the exquisitely decorated Anne Boleyn falcon that once adorned the Great Hall at Hampton Court and was taken down at her fall. It is a remarkable survivor and I will be forever in their debt for so generously sharing its story with me.

My sincere thanks go to Rupert Gavin, Chair of Historic Royal Palaces, for the interest he has shown in the book in general and the Anglo-Saxons in particular. Kate Harris, my curatorial colleague at Historic Royal Palaces, unearthed some gems relating to royal fashion and a whole suite of anecdotes on everything from Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson to Queen Elizabeth IIs childhood. Another colleague, Charles Farris, Public Historian for the History of the Monarchy, has been equally generous with his time and knowledge, as has my fellow curator and Tudor enthusiast Alden Gregory, an expert on the Field of Cloth of Gold. I am also grateful to Research Manager Laura Tompkins for her advice on medieval sources.

Most of Crown & Sceptre was written during lockdown, which made the support of family and friends even more important than usual. I would like to express my warmest thanks to Honor Gay for her endless enthusiasm and wisdom, and for keeping me going by requesting a Fact of the day throughout my research. The Reverend Stephen Kuhrt read the first (and considerably longer) draft in two days flat and I am so grateful for his advice on the religious history, as well as for his unceasing encouragement. Huge thanks are also due to my parents, John and Joan Borman, and to my sister, Jayne Ellis, and her family, for always being there for me. Finally, to my husband Tom and to Eleanor, Lucy and Lottie, for putting up with my early starts and late finishes, and for ensuring that I never ran out of cake.

The mass of people expect a King or Queen to look and play the part. They want to see a Crown and Sceptre and all that sort of thing. They want the gilding for their money.