by sue.copsey | Apr 21, 2025 | book reviews
Two things the Brits do well are making enemies, and laughing at themselves. Both talents are showcased in Terry Deary’s A History of Britain in Ten Enemies. This is basically a ‘Horrible Histories’ for grown-ups. Deary is the brains behind those hugely successful...
by sue.copsey | Apr 21, 2025 | book reviews
The past year [2024] has been standout for popular history books, especially those that come at the subject sideways. From their titles and authors we know we’re about to get something a bit different. There was Unruly, a romp through England’s monarchs from...
by sue.copsey | Jan 17, 2025 | Ace, English royals, Queen, Sister to Sister
(This is an edited version of an article that appeared in Royals Monthly, December 2024) Picture the scene. It’s 1559, and at Whitehall Palace, England’s newly crowned Queen Elizabeth, the vivacious, redheaded daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, is dancing with...
by sue.copsey | Dec 20, 2024 | Wife After Wife
James II c1690, by an unknown artist According to reports in the UK media, Rachel Reeves, the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, has resolved to replace the portraits of men that hang in the state room of her new official home, No.11 Downing Street, with portraits of,...
by sue.copsey | Oct 21, 2024 | book reviews, English royals, King
How well do you know your Henrys? There was the large, bearded one who had six wives and treated them badly. Henry number eight, of course. Seventh? The first Tudor king, killed Richard III in battle. Sixth? I’m guessing a few blank looks, now we’re heading back into...
