Young Queens: The gripping, intertwined story of Catherine de' Medici, Elisabeth de Valois and Mary, Queen of Scots

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In 1517, shortly before Francis I sent his marriage proposal, Leo named his nephew the Duke of Urbino. Clarice Strozzi was a kind and attentive foster mother, but she left no letter describing her young niece, no portrait of the girl, or at least none survives. Margaret was playful, determined and fond of pranks – she blamed any mistakes or spillages on her imaginary friend, Cousin Halifax.

Yet if any of the queens had read Christine de Pizan, or knew of the querelle des femmes, we don’t hear about it. Three years before, he had written the book widely known as the Monstrous Regiment, formally The First Blast of the Trumpet against the Monstrous Regiment of Women. December 1941: Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret and Princess Elizabeth during a rehearsal of 'Cinderella', the first Royal pantomime at Windsor Castle. Albany had been raised with them, spending a happy childhood hunting and hawking in the wooded hills of Auvergne.Catherine de’ Medici’s story begins in a convent stormed by soldiers intent on seizing the key to power in Florence – Catherine herself, a girl barely 11 years old.

She had been recommended to the Duchess of York as a “country girl who was a good teacher, except when it came to mathematics”. Although the exact timing remains unclear, it was likely from his Spanish prison that Francis wrote to his trusted counselor and general, John Stewart, Duke of Albany, urging him to visit the new pope. George V was concerned not only that his eldest son David would sabotage his own reign when he inherited, but also that next-in-line Bertie, himself frail and suffering from lung congestion, would not last the course either.

She was interviewed, but not placed – much to the relief of the king, who wished to protect his daughters. The Private Secretary’s office is also looking for a Digital Content Producer to join the team in the Private Secretary’s Office at Buckingham Palace. By centering these queens’ reigns and their relationships with one another, Chang gives readers new insight into their lives and legacies. I found it a little hard to follow the chronology at times as three life stories are being told simultaneously, including a timeline may have been useful. Sheds valuable light on interpersonal feelings and familial relations often missed in more traditional accounts of political power.