Tracy Borman – The Stolen Crown: Treachery, deceit and the death of the Tudor dynasty

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Succession meets the Tudors in this explosive account of the passing of the crown from Elizabeth I to James Stuart, from Festival Patron, Tracy Borman

In March 1603, Elizabeth I lies dying at Richmond Palace. The queen’s ministers cluster round her bedside, urging her to name her successor – something she has stubbornly resisted throughout her reign. Almost with her last breath she whispers that James VI of Scotland should succeed her. Or so we’ve been led to believe…

But, as enthralling new research shows, this is not what happened. Elizabeth went to her grave without formally naming an heir. The notion of an approved succession from Tudors to Stuarts is little more than an elaborately constructed fiction – one with devastating consequences, as the Stuart regime rapidly descended into turbulence, uncertainty, conspiracy, witchcraft and gunpowder. With a combination of rigorous research and brilliant storytelling, The Stolen Crown takes us behind palace doors to reveal the secret history of the Tudor succession.

Tracy Borman OBE is a best-selling author, British historian, broadcaster and Chief Historian at Historic Royal Palaces, appearing regularly on Channel 5’s Inside the Tower of London and numerous other documentaries. Amongst her many other roles, we are very proud to have her as a Lichfield Festival Patron!