Sex, lies and lucky escapes

Founded in the 18th century to launch the daughters of the aristocracy into Society, Queen Charlotte’s Ball has been revived and modernised for a new generation. Eleanor Doughty finds out what’s changed–and what hasn’t

With a strength of character that belied her fragile looks, Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun pushed the boundaries of royal portraiture and, after the French Revolution, challenged the loss of female influence via every frill and fold in her work

Heirs and Graces: A History of the Modern ...

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

Home to a marquess and an RAF air crew – and believed to be the birthplace of a Queen – this red-brick Jacobean mansion contains stories spanning centuries

For once, troubles with the Sussexes take a backseat, as the women at the heart of the monarchy clash over ‘queenly’ duties