The Stolen Crown

‘Reads like a political thriller‘ – GARETH RUSSELL, author of Queen James
‘Part political thriller . . . A thrilling achievement’ – KATE WILLIAMS, author of Rival Queens
‘Wonderful . . . like a political thriller‘ – ELIZABETH NORTON, author of The Lives of Tudor Women

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In March 1603, Queen Elizabeth I, the last Tudor monarch, 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 – a fiction that went on to have devastating consequences. The Stuart regime rapidly descended into turbulence and uncertainty, conspiracy and persecution, 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.

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The Stolen Crown published as an instant Sunday Times Top 10 Bestseller in the w/c 2025-09-08.