Features

Rare portrait of Katherine Parr about to go up for auction with big bids expected

A rare portrait of Katherine Parr is about to be sold in one of the most anticipated auctions of the year. Sotheby’s will sell the work, believed to be the only contemporary rendering of the queen, online on July 5th 2023. The painting is thought to be the work of Master John, an artist recorded in the Privy Purse expenses of the time. Courtesy of Sotheby’s Katherine Parr…
Read more
FeaturesHistory

Mysterious Mary, the queen's daughter who disappeared

Within the walls of one of England’s most picturesque castles, a queen gave birth to her only child and set in motion a chain of events that would become one of Tudor England’s most intriguing mysteries. The birth had been much anticipated and much talked about. The baby, a little girl, was immediately taken off to a nursery decked in scarlet and gold where a string of…
Read more
FeaturesHistory

A Calendar of Kings: June

History is scattered with monarchical milestones which tell the story of the reigns that have shaped a realm. June, that sunniest of months, is no different. Some of the most famous rulers in British history had landmark moments in its midsummer days. Here’s a Calendar…
FeaturesHistory

Trio of historic royal paintings on show together for first time

They were created to show the power of a Queen and now they will be united for the first time to underline that one woman’s continuing influence on history. Three Armada portraits of Elizabeth I will go on show together next year. All three paintings are versions of the same image, one of the most famous PR creations of the Tudor dynasty, renowed for its ability to put on a good public…
Read more
FeaturesHistory

Did the White Queen die of plague?

Her story is amongst the most controversial of all the Queens of England and now a new twist has appeared in the tale of Elizabeth Woodville. An expert at the National Archives in London has found a document suggesting that the consort who revolutionised royalty may have…
FeaturesHistory

The hunt is on for the powerbase of a Tudor legend

She wasn’t just the power behind the throne, she was the force that helped create the throne and now one of the grand houses she called home is in the sight of modern historians. Archaeologists have begun a hunt for the Northamptonshire residence of Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII and the woman who helped establish the Tudor dynasty. Lady Margaret, whose determination to put her…
Read more