When Her Majesty The Queen celebrated her Platinum Jubilee in 2022, it marked an extraordinary reign that has been longer than any other British Queen in history.

In this illustrated lecture, bestselling author, historian, broadcaster and Joint Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces, Professor Tracy Borman, will tell the fascinating story of some of Elizabeth II’s illustrious royal female predecessors. From Anne Boleyn’s “scandalous” behavior to her daughter Elizabeth, hailed as one of Britain’s greatest monarchs; from Anne, the last Stuart queen to the only Queen to co-reign, Mary; and from the indomitable widowed Queen Victoria to the present day.

The ribbon that ties them together is the palace Dr. Borman knows best: Henry VIII’s magnificent showpiece, Hampton Court. Begun by Cardinal Wolsey in the early 16th century, it attracted the attention of the King who took over and brought all of his six wives there. Monarchs William III and Mary II commissioned Sir Christopher Wren to build an elegant new baroque palace adjoining after they took the throne in 1689, and later Georgian kings and princes also occupied the splendid interiors.

Join Royal Oak as Dr. Borman talks about the queens of England and the remarkable palace whose architecture and collections provide the sumptuous backdrop for their dramatic stories.