Charles ii’s cursed reign

Richmond Palace, 22 March 1603. Elizabeth I – the self-proclaimed Virgin Queen who had ruled England for 44 years, seeing off the Armada, healing religious divisions and creating a court so magnificen

this story: Edgar Ætheling, Edward’s great-nephew. We know, of course, which one of these contenders held the crown in his possession at the end of the year. What is less certain is who was the most d

How one monarch unified his nation and created a medieval superpower

From miasma to miracles: how medieval medicine desperately battled the bubonic plague

Discover how the UK’s country houses defied the odds to survive as historic monuments and cultural centres

Even with her 96 years of wisdom and experience, it is unlikely Queen Elizabeth II could have fully envisioned the monumental shifts that have defined the three years since her death on 8 September 20